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Our Vision

Women for a Healthy Environment (WHE) educates individuals about environmental risks to human health, provides action steps communities can take to mitigate those risks, and advocates for solutions to better protect the region. The population served includes parents, students, children, school and early learning personnel, health and community-based organizations, with an emphasis on those living in underserved communities. Creating healthy spaces for children to live, learn and play is at the core of our work.

WHE Values

  • Commitment: Maintaining the responsibility and focus of creating a healthier environment for all. 
  • Accountability: Utilizing the organization’s resources and properly stewarding its finances in a manner that is transparent, honest and responsible and maintains the public trust. 
  • Inclusiveness: Promoting collaboration, diversity and social justice within our organization and across all communities in which we work. 
  • Integrity: Advocating sound, evidence-based science, following the guidance of the precautionary principle, and safeguarding the handling of data, research and information. 
  • Vigilance: Fostering a culture that promotes a sustainable future for all. 

Our Mission

Women for a Healthy Environment educates and empowers community members to act as ambassadors about environmental risks so they can make healthy choices for themselves and their families and advocate for change for a better tomorrow.

WHE Programs

Women for a Healthy Environment addresses environmental risks that impact public health through educational programming, community support, technical assistance and advocacy.

Healthy Homes

Healthy Schools PA

Healthy Early Learning Centers

Community Support

OUR ROOTS

History

Women for a Healthy Environment (WHE) is a group of women united by a passion for learning more about the environmental topics raised at the Women’s Health & the Environment conferences, a free event sponsored by Teresa Heinz, The Heinz Endowments and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC. This conference features nationally renowned environmental scientists, writers and activists who share the newest science examining the possible links between the environment and our health. Following the 2007 Women’s Health and the Environment conference, a number of women were asked to volunteer their expertise to determine how to best educate and involve women – and the men who love them – about issues related to women’s health and the environment. Women across Western Pennsylvania who had a common goal of making our region as strong and healthy as it can be joined this network, which is now called Women for a Healthy Environment (WHE).

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WHE in the Community

Healthy Homes Kits

From the air we breathe to the water we drink, we all bear the effects of our environment. ​WHE provides resources to reduce asthma and allergy triggers and educates individuals in green cleaning methods to safely address pests and mold to improve home health. Healthy homes kits are also available for individuals, families and neighbors in need.

Healthy Home Assessments

The connection between housing and health is well established. Indoor air pollution, harmful cleaning products, home furnishings and renovations can put us at risk for toxic exposure. Learn simple strategies to create a healthier and safer home environment for you and your family.

School Environmental Assessments

Whether a school district is renovating a school, building a new facility or maintaining existing buildings, indoor air quality and environmental factors need to be taken into consideration when assessing a schools' impact on overall health. We educate facilities directors, thought leaders and staff to consider a healthy environment in every decision.

Eco Healthy Early Learning

Healthy changes can immediately benefit the well-being of young children and their early learning environments. We work with early learning centers to eradicate the use of toxic pesticides and cleaning products, encourage the installation of chemical-free furniture, carpets and toys, promote improved air and water quality and provide family education on the dangers of toxic exposure.

When You Need Help

Parents and caregivers need support and information to make healthy decisions for their families. WHE offers fact sheets, resources, classes and educational videos to make our neighborhoods strong.

Coalition Building

Collaboration is key to heathier communities. WHE is dedicated to breaking down silos and convening diverse, cross-sector coalitions to identify solutions. Data sharing, coordination of education and outreach, equity-oriented goal setting, and policy analysis are core components of our coalition building work.

Policy Advocacy

WHE promotes legislation that will protect our health and monitors policies under consideration. We develop relationships with legislators and their staff to offer guidance and technical expertise with developing policies for healthy homes, schools, early learning centers, and communities.

Community Support

WHE educates our families through courses, informational videos, resource sharing and environmental monitoring equipment such as lead and radon sensors. Our outreach includes in-school education and participation in webinars and community health events.

Diversity
&
Inclusion

WHE embraces the participation of program participants, volunteers, staff and board of directors without regard to sex, race, color, age, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/reassignment, citizenship, pregnancy or maternity, veteran status or any other status protected by applicable national, federal, state or local law. WHE seeks to foster an organization that believes in inclusion where individuals, cultural differences and talents are valued. We are dedicated to helping all succeed and recognize a wide range of perspectives, talents and experiences enable our organization to perform optimally. WHE values the diversity of its program participants, volunteers, staff and board. We firmly believe an inclusive environment serves to strengthen the ties between WHE and our constituents and is essential to the success of our organization and mission.

Accommodating Disabilities

WHE provides reasonable accommodation to program participants and staff. If you have a disability (defined by applicable law as a condition that is permanent and not temporary) and feel an adjustment or change is needed to attend a program due to limitations caused by your disability, it is your obligation to make that need known to us so we may begin the interactive process to find a reasonable accommodation.

Resources

If your group or organization would like a representative from Women for a Healthy Environment to present or speak about the organization and its areas of focus:
  • Submit a Speakers Bureau inquiry form
  • call 412-404-2872
  • Email: michelle@WomenForAHealthyEnvironment.org.
"Average people and the average community can change the world. You can do it based on common sense, determination, persistence and patience”
Lois Gibbs

Eastern PA

Place based environmental health is critical to keeping communities in Pennsylvania free of exposures to hazards such as lead, radon, pesticides, PFAS, and more. Awareness of these hazards is essential, especially for the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable citizens

Philadelphia is a diverse city. Approximately 49% of its residents identify as people of color, 42% of the population speaks Spanish, and 45% of the population has an average household income of less than $50,000 (24% below $25,000). There is a direct correlation between negative health outcomes and race, income level, and other social determinants of health correlated with these areas. 

WHE intends to bring the programs and services it offers in Southwestern Pennsylvania protecting citizens from exposure to lead in their environment, reducing asthma triggers, and mitigating the health impacts of a hotter and wetter Pennsylvania, to other parts of the Commonwealth.

Lorna Rosenberg, healthy buildings manager

Eastern PA Staff

Lorna is recently retired from 36 years at the US Environmental Protection Agency, Mid-Atlantic Philadelphia Office, having focused on Superfund, Strategic Planning, Green and Healthy Buildings and Children’s Health during her long career. From 2003-2006 she was “on-loan” from the EPA to the Delaware Valley Green Building Council (a 501c3) when she served as their founding Executive Director before returning to the EPA. Prior to her time at the USEPA, Lorna was an Environmental Manager at Browning Ferris Industries and an Industrial Hygiene Specialist at the Allied Chemical Corporation.  Lorna is a LEED Green Associate and has a Master of Science in Environmental Health from Drexel University.

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impact

Since 2021 Women for a Healthy Environment has worked with Montgomery County Headstart to create cleaning and infection control procedures to mitigate COVID for teachers and students returning to the classroom. This included the selection of effective cleaning supplies which eliminate the virus with a short dwell time but are non-toxic to users with proper protocols.

WHE has also worked with more than 60 childcare centers through the Public Health Maintenance Corporation, to provide webinars and technical support on environmental exposures and compliance, such as lead dust and water testing, radon testing, integrated pest management, mold etc. Green Cleaning Starter kits were distributed to over 50 of the centers along with fact sheets and user information.

Contact Women for a Healthy Environment with any questions, comments, or concerns. We will do our best to get back to you promptly. Thank you for your interest in our network!

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