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EPA Awards $1.9 Million In Environmental Justice Grants, 4 In PA
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $1.9 million in environmental justice grants to 76 non-profit organizations and local governments working on environmental justice issues nationwide, including four groups in Pennsylvania.
The groups receiving grants in Pennsylvania include:
Operation GRUB (Gardens Replace Urban Blight), Reading: The Berks County Conservancy's "Operation G.R.U.B." Project (Gardens Replace Urban Blight), will work with city residents to transform areas of trash accumulation into urban gardens by educating communities about the environmental hazards associated with trash accumulation and the benefits of recycling and composting.
Philadelphia Department of Public Health Division of Maternal, Child, and Family Health: The Philadelphia Department of Public Health - Division of Maternal, Child, and Family Health will be teaming with the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program to provide outreach support and training for mothers and children at-risk and/or affected by lead exposure.
Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia: The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia will work with the Hunting Park neighborhood residents to convert vacant lots that have become dump sites into community gardens. These new green spaces will greatly reduce the health hazards related to pollution runoff. The gardens will be used as outdoor classrooms to further promote stewardship of the environment. Air monitoring data will also be collected.
Women’s Health & Environmental Network: The Women's Health & Environmental Network and partner New Courtland Network will develop and implement a program that will provide education and training to adult seniors focusing on the environmental and public health impacts of climate change and mitigation techniques each participant can take to lessen the effects of climate change.
The grants are designed to help communities understand and address environmental challenges and create self-sustaining, community-based partnerships focused on improving human health and the environment at the local level. The grant program supports Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s priority to expand the conversation on environmentalism and work for environmental justice. “Through our efforts to support local environmental justice projects, we are advancing EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment in communities overburdened by pollution,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Providing training to develop a skilled green workforce will help communities become more resilient in the face of economic and environmental changes and help build healthy and sustainable communities.”
The principles of environmental justice uphold the idea that all communities overburdened by pollution – particularly minority, low income and indigenous communities – deserve the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, equal access to the decision-making process and a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work.
In addition to the traditional criteria, EPA encouraged applications focused on addressing the disproportionate impacts of climate change in communities by emphasizing climate equity, energy efficiency, renewable energy, local green economy, and green jobs capacity building.
Grantee projects include trainings for local residents to increase recycling, avoiding heat stroke, improving indoor air quality, reducing carbon emissions through weatherization, and green jobs training programs.
For more information, visit the EPA Environmental Justice webpage.
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10/11/2010 |
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