New Haven People and the Environment Research Library

About NH PERL

What is NH PERL?

The New Haven People and Environment Research Library (NH PERL) is a digital library for projects that explore the intersection of people and the environment in New Haven, Connecticut. NH PERL is managed by the NH PERL steering committee and the Yale Center for Environmental Justice.

Purpose Statement

Our purpose is to improve access to research about people and the environment in New Haven in order to:

  1. Make research about New Haven more accessible to the people of New Haven.
  2. Support researchers in their efforts to build on existing work so that they can avoid redundant research and reduce the burden of research on community members.
  3. Foster connections and collaboration among researchers, community groups, students, local leaders, and more.

How can I use NH PERL?

  • Explore resources to learn more about your community, see what kind of research has already been done in New Haven, find information to include in grant applications or letters to your elected officials, and more.
  • Identify and contact people doing the type of work you’re interested in by looking at the authors of relevant resources.
  • Share your original work with the New Haven community and people doing research about/within New Haven.

Our Origin Story

As a midsize city close to several universities, New Haven is often subject to studies and research projects. In addition, there is increasing interest in how environmental justice (EJ) activities can support New Haven’s community. Project-based courses, thesis projects, and programs increasingly center on New Haven’s EJ communities and grassroots organizations and apply interviews, surveys, or focus groups to engage residents. However, the findings from these studies often do not make it back to the people of New Haven. This has been an issue for a long time, so our team sought out to create a user-friendly platform that connects projects about New Haven with people and change-makers in New Haven. Thus, NH PERL was born.

In 2021, we applied and were granted a Seed Grant from the Yale Planetary Solutions Project Seed Grant so we could set out on this project. Over the next year, we conducted literature reviews and assembled a steering committee to guide us. We held meetings with local advocates, researchers, grade school teachers, and more. In 2023, we partnered with EliScholar and Digital Commons to create a pilot of our website to build upon with ongoing feedback from our local partners. We hope you will help us as we continue to develop NH PERL as a living resource for our communities!