&EPA
In This Issue:
0 EJ CPS Cooperative
Agreements 1
D Headquarters' Update:
Office of Water
n Regional Corner:
Region 6 3
n Maryland Debuts
EBD Program
D EJ CPS Projects
300N04006
Environinental
Jus
Collaborative Solutions Awarded With
Cooperative Agreements
In June 2004, the Office of Environmental
Justice (OEJ) announced the 30 selected
projects of its groundbreaking Collabora-
tive Problem-Solving Cooperative Agree-
ment (CPS) Program. The GPS Program
provides financial assistance to commu-
nity-based organizations working on proj-
ects to address local environmental or
public health concerns using EPA's envi-
ronmental justice collaborative problem-
solving model. These organizations each
received awards of $100,000.
The response to the new cooperative
agreement program has been very posi-
tive. The applicants proposed many cre-
ative ways to build community
relationships, develop planning tools,
incorporate strategies for change, and
implement measurable outcomes. Part-
nerships and collaborations are envi-
sioned as effective tools for conducting
health and environmental assessments,
designing environmental educational pro-
grams, and improving community parks.
The applications also reflected the
diverse environmental justice issues that
affect communities, such as ensuring
environmentally conscious urban rede-
velopment, reducing air pollution from
local traffic or industrial sources, raising
awareness of safe fish consumption, and
addressing high levels of lead poisoning
in households.
Using the funds allocated, the selected
community-based organizations will
attempt to assess and quantify the
community concerns to be addressed
and then build partnerships with other
organizations to identify strategies to
Continued on page 5
The Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
The selected community-based organizations are required to use EPA's Collaborative
Problem-Solving (CPS) Model when devising solutions to their community problems.
The model includes the following key elements:
• Issue identification, community vision, and strategic goal setting
• Community capacity building
• Consensus building and dispute resolution
• Multi-stakeholder partnerships and resource mobilization
• Supportive and facilitative role of government
• Management and implementation
• Evaluation, iessons learned, and replication of best practices
For additional information on the CPS Program, including examples of how the
process has been successfully implemented, visit EPA's Web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-cps-grants.html.
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Headquarters' Update
Office of Water
Each quarter, the Headquarters' Update
features a specific office at EPA Headquarters,
highlighting recent activities, programs, and
policies aimed at addressing a variety of
environmental justice issues.
Collaborative Environmental Justice Efforts
OW Strives for EJ in Hidalgo County, Texas
Through an Interagency Agreement between EPA's Office of
Research and Development and the Hearth Resources and
Services-Administration (HRSA), the Office of Ground Water
and'^WoMng Water funded a project to educate health care
providers, promofores (community residents trained to
teach: feSow community members), and residents of Texas'
Hdalgo County on issues related to oVW^ig water contanv
fnatiorr. During the first year of fundingr the Hidalgo Safe
DrlnJ^n^ Water Project helped educate 50 health care pro-
v 23 prbrnotores, and more than 500 households.
was appropriate for Hidalgo County. The Council also
worked on identifying information that could facilitate imple-
mentation of an effective waterbome illness tracking system
in the tower Rio Grande Valley.
The agreement also established collaborations with
the Texas Department of Health-Region 11, the Center
for Housing and Urban Development, the Colonias Pro-
gram, HRSA-supported clinics El Mitagro Clinic
and Clinica del Valle/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
project, Lower Rio Grande Water suppliers, the Texas
Council on Environmental Quality, representatives from
Texas Promotores Association, and local physicians and
nurses. EPA's Office of Research and Development has
continued the project through 2004.
Five Star Restoration Program Spreads
the Environmental Justice Message
The Office of Oceans, Wetlands and Watersheds (OWOW)
established the Five Star Restoration Program to stimulate
community-based wetlands restoration projects in water-
sheds across the United States. The National Association of
Counties, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the
Wildlife Habitat Council have joined together with EPA for this
effort. Funding for the program is provided by OWOW and
the National Marine Fisheries Service's Community-Based
Restoration Program for selected projects in coastal areas.
The Five Star Challenge Grants Program develops
knowledge and skills in young people through restoration
projects that involve multiple and diverse partners, including
local government agencies, elected officials, community
groups, businesses, schools, youth organizations, and envi-
ronmental organizations. Its objective is to engage five or
more partners in each project to contribute funding, land,
technical assistance, workforce support, or other in-kind
services that match the program's funding assistance. Con-
sideration for funding is based on the individual project's
educational and training opportunities for students and at-
risk youth, the ecological benefits derived, and the social
and economic benefits to the community. This final criteria
contributes to environmental justice efforts.
EPA provides modest funding for the Five Star Program,
averaging $10,000 per project. Additional funding provided
by various partners helps fund projects that make meaning-
ful contributions to communities. At the completion of each
Restoration In'the Ana-
costia and Potomac
River Watersheds. Stu-
dents helped to restore
SAV, which serves as
critical feeding, nursery,
and refuge habitats for
a number of ecologically and economically valuable
species. SAV Restoration is a priority in the Chesapeake
Bay Watershed. For more information, visit:
.
Furthering Environmental Justice for Tribes and
Alaskan Villages
The Office of Wastewater Management (OWM) provides
funding assistance to help address the water and waste-
water needs of Indian tribes and Native Alaskan communi-
ties, many of which lack basic sanitation
infrastructure—specifically flush toilets and running water. In
particular, nearly half of the 191 Alaskan Native Village (ANV)
residents haul water to their homes by hand from central
watering points. Honeybuckets (which are five gallon buck-
ets) and pit privies are their sole means of sewage collection
and disposal. Such systems provide an inadequate and
unsanitary level of service and foster public health risks. In
fiscal year 2003, through EPA's Alaska Sanitation Grant Pro-
gram and the Clean Water Tribal Set-Aside Grant Program,
more than $60 million in grant assistance was provided to
Indian tribes and ANV's to help construct 147 drinking water
and wastewater sanitation systems. EPA estimates the
drinking water and wastewater treatment needs of Indian
tribes and ANVs at $1 billion and $650 million, respectively.
Continued on page 3
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Regional Corner
Region 6
This column explores exciting environmental initiatives
under way in EPA regional offices. Each quarter, we
focus on a different regional program. EPA Region 6
covers Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma.
Texas, and 67 federally recognized tribal lands.
EPA's Region 6 is working to create collaborative solutions to
address issues of environmentaljustice at the community
level. The following are just a few examples of the work
being done throughout the region. -
San Antonio Communities Tackle Sustain ability
San Antonio, TX
Region 6 is partnering with organizations in Texas to ensure
that communities have a voice in the restoration and reuse
of the Kelly Air Force Base (KAFB) in San Antonio. Now
closed, KAFB was an aircraft maintenance facility that ware-
housed and maintained aircraft and jet engines. Activities at
the base generated significant amounts of hazardous waste.
With the Southwest Workers Union, the U.S. Air Force, the
Greater Kelly Development Agency, and other organizations,
Region 6 is working to implement Project ReGeneration:
Building Partnerships for Livable Sustainability in the Greater
Kelly Area, The project aims to identify ways by which key
parties (particularly federal agencies and grassroots communi-
ty organizations) can ensure that community concerns in
areas of health, cleanup, and economic development associ-
ated with the base's conversion can be meaningfully
addressed, Residents living near the closed base, many of
whom are Latino, have ongoing concerns about the health
and economic viability of their communities.
The. project will be implemented in two phases, During Phase
I, the partners will conduct a series of roundtables in the areas
of tiealth, cleanup, and future economic development. During
Phase II, a mature partnership, made up of all key stakehold-
ers, will develop a collaborative vision and implementation plan
for the Greater Kelly Area based upon the findings and recom-
mendations of the roundtables.
Project Regeneration is one of 15 Interagency Working Group
(IWG) for Environmental Justice Revitalization Projects chosen
in 2003 to showcase collaborative partnerships for address-
ing environmental and public health concerns and devising
solutions that will contribute to community revitalization.
For more information about Project ReGeneration,
contact EPA's Olivia Balandran at (214) 665-7257, or
.
New Mexico to Host Listening Sessions
New Mexico
Four listening sessions took place this summer focusing on
environmental justice issues facing New Mexico communi-
ties. Held collaboratively by the New Mexico Environment
Department (NMED), the Southwest Network for Economic
and Environmental Justice {SNEEJ), and EPA, the sessions
were held in Deming, Acoma Pueblo, Las Vegas, and Albu-
querque. State and local officiats attended, as well as repre-
sentatives from the Office of Envfronmental Justice. For more
information about the New Mexico listening sessions, con-
tact Nelda Perez, Office of Environmental Justice and Tribal
Affairs at (214) 665-2209 or .
Community Training Planned for Albuquerque
Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque will be the site of the first training of community
environmental justice groups in alternative dispute resolution
(ADR) and basic environmental statutes. This training was
sponsored and funded by the Office of Environmental Justice,
the Southeast Community Research Center, ADR Associates,
and EPA. The training is a cooperative venture with the Envi-
ronmental Law Institute (ELI), SNEEJ, and EPA. It will take
place in mid-September and consist of 30 to 35 selected par-
ticipants representing grassroots organizations. For more infor-
mation about training sessions, contact Nelda Perez, Office of
Environmental Justice and Tribal Affairs at (214) 665-2209 or
.
OW Collaborative Environmental
Justice Efforts
(Continued from page 2)
Through partnerships with training and technical assistance
organizations (such as the National Environmental Training
Center for Small Communities and the Small Flows Clearing-
house at West Virginia University), OWM has made classroom
training and information available to environmental trainers
who work with small wastewater and drinking water facility
operators, community leaders, and local officials. OWM has
also provided funding and worked cooperatively with the
Rural Community Assistance organization to provide training
and on-site technical assistance to local officials in rural and
minority communities to help address their sanitation needs.
Through OWM's rural community assistance program funding
of $1.3 million, 17 states have conducted workshops for
owners and operators of wastewater systems. Technical
assistance has been made available to more than 200 rural,
low income, tribal and minority communities in 38 states.
OWM's state-based Operator Training Program has provided
more than 620 wastewater facility operators with on-site tech-
nical assistance to help resolve their noncompliance prob-
lems. These efforts ensure that Americans living in
communities served by these facilities have improved levels of
public health and environmental protection. For more informa-
tion, visit the OW Web site at .
OW values highly the partnerships formed through
collaborative efforts. They serve as a model for the way
we should work together to meet our goals of clean and
healthy water.
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Maryland Debuts Environmental Benefits District Program
Over the past nine months, Maryland
has created a new approach to
addressing environmental problems in
low-income and minority communities.
The recently announced Environmental
Benefits District (EBD) program targets
resources and expertise for communi-
ty-based environmental projects in low-
income neighborhoods. The Maryland
Department of the Environment (MDE)
developed the concept to improve the
health of residents in targeted commu-
nities by directing available financial,
technical, regulatory and other relevant
resources to reduce the levels of envi-
ronmental concerns in those communi-
ties. The concept of the EBD was
further developed during three suc-
cessful pilot projects in East Baltimore,
the Park Heights section of Baltimore,
and Central Prince George's County.
For all three pilot projects, the Maryland
Department of the Environment (MDE)
successfully convened various state,
federal, and local agencies to imple-
ment a community-based
environmental project.
Two unique features of the EBD are
that the program: 1) is proactive and 2)
requires a partnership with a communi-
ty group in a low-income or minority
community. Once a community group
identifies a specific environmental
issue, MDE works to bring relevant
state, federal, and local agencies (and
their expertise and resources) into the
project. The results in the three EBDs
have been encouraging because the
approach has attracted resources
from a variety ot federal, state, and
local agencies to undertake projects
that reduce pollution and address other
environmental concerns in the targeted
communities.
In the East Baltimore EBD, retrofits to
mass transit buses will reduce air emis-
sions in a low-income area and daily
emission exposure to residents, The
Park Heights EBD created an enforce-
ment initiative and public education
campaign that will significantly reduce
emissions from auto body shops oper-
ating in and near a residential area.
The Prince George's EBD will monitor
air pollution levels, reduce truck traffic,
facilitate school bus diesel retrofits, and
potentially reduce exposure to students
riding the buses in targeted communi-
ties outside of Washington, DC.
During an event in East Baltimore
announcing the EBD effort, MDE secre-
tary Kendl P. Philbrick stated that, "EBD
is a way for government to be proactive
in helping communities identify prob-
lems and find solutions, rather than
leaving it to citizens to figure out who to
call. It is also a way to make sure that
government sets its priorities wisely and
uses its resources efficiently."
Secretary Philbrick further noted that in
targeting East Baltimore, the EBD pro-
gram hopes to coordinate efforts by
MDE and other state agencies to solve
a range of environmental problems in
local communities.
The EBD approach was further refined
by the Maryland Commission on Envi-
ronmental Justice and Sustainable
Communities (EJ Commission) and
"field tested" during a series of listen-
ing sessions held in October and
November 2003. Created in January
2001, the EJ Commission used a
grant from EPA's Office of Environmen-
tal Justice to ask stakeholders and the
general public whether it was making
an impact on environmental justice
issues in Maryland.
The EJ Commission hired Public
Works Environmental Consulting,
LLC to coordinate and report on four
listening sessions in geographically
diverse locations around the state (Bal-
timore, Cumberland, Landover,
and Easton). EPA's Region 3, state
legislators, private citizens, non-govern-
mental organizations, and community-
based organizations participated in the
listening sessions and discussed sus-
tainable economic growth, brownfield
redevelopment programs, landfill opera-
tions, permit disputes, and sewage
collection and treatment problems in
low-income areas throughout the state.
"I think people were most intrigued
because the EBD program provides
incentives rather than disincentives to
address environmental justice issues,"
said Dr. Andrew Sawyers, MDE
program administrator. "People said
they liked the EBD approach because
it might improve the environment in
their community without scaring off
new businesses," concluded Sawyers,
who is also the principle MDE repre-
sentative to the Environmental Justice
Commission. One of Public Works'
main recommendations to the Com-
mission was to further refine the EBD
approach and launch three new pilot
projects this year. MDE and the Envi-
ronmental Justice Commission are
currently reviewing several potential
EBD projects.
About Listening Sessions
Over the past several years, the Office
of Environmental Justice (OEJ) has
actively worked with communities
around the country to engage
stakeholders dedicated to identifying
and addressing their local environmen-
tal justice issues. This process has led
many regions and states to hold public
listening sessions similar to the Mary-
land sessions. These sessions provide
an opportunity for residents
to address ecological, economic, and
social concerns in their communities.
The sessions have been well attended
and very positive, and have aided in
initiating and supporting other
successful programs.
For more information on the
Maryland Listening Sessions or
the Environmental Benefits Districts
program, please contact Dr. Andrew
Sawyers at (410) 537-3411.
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Collaborative Solutions Awarded With Cooperative Agreements
remedy the problem, Every organization will be assigned an
OEJ technical advisor as well as a regional technical advisor.
This CPS Team of EPA technical advisors and cooperative
agreement recipients will meet via conference call once a
month to assess the project's status and determine areas
where the organizations need assistance. The first few
months of the process will include building and bridging
relationships.
EPA is optimistic about the program's potential for success.
"The collaborative model is all about building relationships and
leveraging partnerships to achieve results," says EPA's Marva
King. "We're empowering a community to take action in a
positive way. Communities have long had a sense of what the
The projects also promise to have positive impacts beyond
the affected community. The cooperative agreement process
calls for the creation of case studies and best practices so
that others can learn from these examples. One community's
success will then serve as a model for others,
For more information on the CPS Program, contact
EPA's Marva King at 202-564-2599 or via e-mail at
. OEJ expects to conduct a
second solicitation in FY 2005 if funds are available.
For a complete list of projects, see below.
Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving
Cooperative Agreement Awards
REGION 1
Coalition for a Better Acre (CBA):
Environmental Justice Collaborative
Problem-Solving Model
Location: Lowell, MA
Project Description: CBA will work with
its partners to incorporate environmental
and health considerations, and to involve
disadvantaged communities into the deci-
sion-making process of the City of Lowell's
Master Plan for housing redevelopment and
revitalization. CBA will also work with com-
munity residents to encourage their use of
natural, nontoxic cleaning products and
practices to reduce exposure to lead paint
and decrease the incidence of asthma.
Pioneer Valley Project, Inc. (PVP):
Vietnamese Nail Salon Health Project
Location: Springfield, MA
Project Description: PVP will work with
its partners to develop city and state regu-
lations to protect and improve the health
and safety of salon workers exposed to
the hazardous chemicals found in nail care
products. PVP will also work with nail care
technicians to raise their awareness of
best practices regarding the safe use of
these products.
REGION 2
Make the Road by Walking (MRW):
Bushwick Environment and
Health Collaborative
Location: New York City, NY
Project Description: MRW and its part-
ners will reexamine the environmental and
health needs of Bushwick's low-income,
predominantly Latino and African-Ameri-
can community. The project intends to
increase community and government
involvement by focusing on current com-
munity concerns that include high levels of
lead in drinking water, rat infestation, and
illegal pesticides.
United Community Centers, Inc. (UCC):
Environmental Justice in East New York
Location: New York City, NY
Project Description: UCC wil! create an
Environmental Council, composed of its
partners, to conduct air sampling tests in
schools, apartments, and community
locations to determine the extent of indoor
and outdoor air pollution in the communi-
ty. The Council will help the community
educate themselves about asthma, asth-
ma triggers and allergens, and what can
be done to minimize or eliminate indoor air
asthma triggers.
REGION 3
Baltimore Community for Environmental
Justice (BCEJ): Community Involvement
in Urban Redevelopment
Location: Baltimore, MD
Project Description: BCEJ, with their
partners, will train community block moni-
tors to perform block assessments to mini-
mize environmental and safety hazards
present during and after planned urban
redevelopment activities. As part of the
project, the partners will develop health
education materials and presentations,
and convene forums to be held in the
community about environmental and pub-
lic health issues.
Hands Across the Mountain, Inc. (HAM):
Coal Country Water Quality and Environ-
mental Justice Project
Location: Appalachia communities in VA
Project Description: HAM will work with a
range of partners to identify and character-
ize the environmental and public health
issues associated with straight pipe
sewage and acid mine drainage. The
organization will also educate the commu-
nity residents about the environmental and
health effects from these sources, and
work to develop and implement the strate-
gies necessary to successfully address
these issues.
Continued on page 6
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Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving
Cooperative Agreement Projects
(Continued from page 5)
Park Reist Corridor Coalition, Inc.
(PRCC): Park Heights Environmental
Justice: Creating a Model for Success
Location: Baltimore, MD
Project Description: PRCC, with its
partners, will assist in the formation and
support of a trade organization to repre-
sent the community's auto body shop
owners in attaining regulatory compliance
and understanding the impacts of their
solid waste and air emissions practices.
- In addition, the project will utilize the city's
master planning process to engage resi-
dents in an assessment of community
environmental issues and resources for
the positive development of the Park
Heights community.
Village of Arts and Humanities, Inc.
(VAH): Shared Prosperity Through
Environmental Justice Initiative
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Project Description: VAH and its partners
will engage communities in the cleanup
and improvement of vacant lots into green
spaces to improve Philadelphia's recycling
rate and air quality.
Washington Village/Pigtown Neighbor-
hood Planning Council (WVPNPC):
Operation: Clean & Healthy Neighborhood
Location: Baltimore, MD
Project Description: WVPNPC in collabo-.
ration with its partners, will implement a
sanitation campaign that will establish a
sanitation workgroup, distribute a manual
on proper trash disposal, offer residents
information about free city transfer sta-
tions, and share information about cleanup
efforts to reduce trash and create more
green spaces throughout the community.
REGION 4
Fresh Ministries, Inc. (FM): Community
Centered Environmental Education &
Cleanup In East Jacksonville, Florida
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Project Description: FM and its partners
will utilize the Protocol For Assessing
Community Excellence in Environmental
Health (PACE EH) as a planning tool to
assist in the assessment of the environ-
mental and public health needs of the
East Jacksonville community. Through
a series of workshops, FM and its part-
ners will educate the residents who have
been affected by environmental expo-
sures from industrial facilities close to
their neighborhoods.
Harambee House Inc. (HH): From
Assessment to Action: Hudson Hill
Community
Location: Savannah, GA
Project Description: HH will collaborate
with its partners to establish a process
that includes a series of planning
charettes, an intensive workshop where
people come together to suggest solu-
tions for complex planning issues. HH and
its partners intend to empower the com-
munity and other stakeholders to design a
Comprehensive Action Plan to address
community health and environmental con-
cerns associated with pollution from a
neighboring paper plant.
Jesus People Against Pollution (JPAP):
Community First-Building Bridges
for Inclusion
Location: Columbia, MS
Project Description: JPAP will develop
multi-stakeholder partnerships to formulate
a "vision to action" for the impacted com-
munity. This vision will include an action
plan for the possible relocation of 150 to
200 families who surround the site of a for-
mer chemical plant.
West Anniston Foundation (WAF):
Health Education Coalition (HEC) Project
Location: Anniston, AL
Project Description: WAF and its partners
will form the Health Education Coalition.
The Coalition will primarily focus on the
development of a youth-driven, communi-
ty-based video to educate the youth and
community about PCB exposure under an
overall health education agenda.
West End Revitalization Association
{WERA): "Lack of Basic Amenities:" Links
to Envtronmental and Health Disparities in
Low-Income and Minority Communities
Location: Mebane, NC
Project Description: With its partners,
WERA will develop a collaborative process
that encourages measures for the installa-
tion of safe water and sewer services, the
cleanup of toxic substance sites, and the
improvement of ar quality in Mebane's
low-income communities and other com-
parable xxxnmunittes that do not have
access to basic amenities. Grassroots
training will assist residents in working col-
laboratively wfth focal, slate, and federal
government officials.
REGION 5
People for Community Recovery, Inc.
(PCR): Biwonmental Justice for Altgetd
Gardens
Location: Chicago, H-
Project Description: PCR and its part-
ners wffl create an Environmental Justice
Research and Training Center that will
provide skills development and job train-
ing to residents. The center w$ also serve
as a hub for strategizing with a variety of
stakeholders on the redevelopment of a
"clean" industrial park and production of
educational materials focusing on environ-
mental health.
West Michigan Environmental Action
Council (WMEAC): Community Organizing
Project
Location: Grand Rapids, Ml
Project Description: WMEAC, in collabo-
ratron with tts partners, will build the
capacity of citizen groups in order to
develop and implement a "peer to peer"
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training curriculum on lead awareness. Par-
ticipation in the development of the cur-
riculum vM\ provide a practical and
important opportunity for the citizen groups
to help shape aproactive response to ftie
issue of fead w'rthin their communities.
REGION 6
Cotonias Unidas (CU): Community Solid
Waste Management Prefect
Location: Las Lomas, TX,
Project tJeserfpttom CU, along with its
partners, w$ establish a program, "Cofo-
nias Ump}as1H to address the problem of
solid waste <$sposa$in the predominantly
poor, Sp^nisn-speakVig population and
work for Solutions, The program wiH pro-
duce a report on cfty and county waste
management practices and foster commu-
nity involvement to conduct cleanup
efforts. Oottaborattorv results ar© expected
to bring effective ideas for new relation-
ships that wffi support the revitalization
of Coionias.
Louisiana Environmental Justice Project
(LEJP): New Orleans Lead Education and
Advocacy Development (NQ LEAD) Capac-
ity Building Project
Location: New Orleans, LA
Project Description: LEJP and its part-
ners wiil establish a lead assessment pro-
gram to provide ^formation that will be
used to develop Pre-Apprentice and Math
Tutorial programs which will involve the
community^ young adutts in the renovation
of homes with lead hazards.
Mothers for Clean Air (MfCA):
Improving Environmental Quality Through
Collaboration: Reducing Exposure of SE
Houston Residents
Location: Houston, TX
Project Description: MfCA will collaborate
with local governments, universities, citizen
organizations, elected officiate, and indus-
tries to reduce risk exposure from air pollu-
tion. Southeast Houston residents will
develop a "Citizens Air Quality Tool Kit" for
participants in a community-based air
sampling program that wiil identify pollu-
tants of concern and provide an aid to reg-
ulatory agencies.
REGION 7
Neighbors Assisting Neighbors (NAN):
Mid-County Community Clean Sweep
Location: St. Louis, MO
Project Description: NAN, along with its
partners, will develop the Mid-County
Community Clean Sweep project to coor-
dinate 10 cleanup efforts throughout the
community targeting solid waste removal
along river beds, on vacant lots, in alleys,
on problem properties, and in common
areas, improving the area's environmental
outlook and promoting reuse and recycling
through cleanup campaigns.
Oak Grove Neighborhood Association
(OGNA): Back to the Park: Collaborative
Problem-Solving in the Oak Grove
Community
Location: Kansas City, KS
Project Description: OGNA and its part-
ners will create the "John Garland Park
Task Force" to organize the necessary
stakeholders in the community-driven
redevelopment initiative and to monitor
progress toward the goal of reopening the
John Garland Park, a redeveloped landfill
in the Oak Grove neighborhood that was
closed in the late 1980's due to environ-
mental concerns related to gas venting
and water contamination.
REGION 8
Bessemer Association for Neighbor-
hood Development (BAND):
Bessemer/Salt Creek Neighborhoods Envi-
ronmental Health Initiative
Location: Bessemer and Salt Creek, CO
Project Description: BAND will work
with its partnering communities and other
stakeholders to identify the range of
environmental and public health issues
facing the communities. This collaboration
will prioritize the issues and select one or
two issues to address with the other proj-
ect partners.
Groundwork Denver, Inc. (GD):
The EJ Outreach Partnership
Location: Denver, CO
Project Description: GD and its partners
will establish "Centra de Salud Ambiental,"
a virtual center for environmental health
that will provide environmental and health
information to residents and create new
impetus for problem resolutions in this
diverse, Spanish-speaking community,
The project aims to build powerful relation-
ships by encouraging and interacting with
local government and businesses.
REGION 9
Anahola Homesteaders Council (AHC):
Project Imua
Location: Kauai, HI
Project Description: AHC will work with
its partners and the local community to
develop a Community Plan as a means of
engaging in discussions with state and
municipal officials. The environmental and
public health issues to be addressed
through site cleanup and redevelopment
include water pollution and soil contami-
nation, as well as socioeconomic issues
in Anahola.
Coalition for West Oakland Revitaliza-
tion (CWOR): Neighborhood Environmen-
tal Indicators Project
Location: West Oakland, CA
Project Description: CWOR, in conjunc-
tion with its partners, will develop an Envi-
ronmental Justice Resource Center that
will provide access to informational materi-
als and environmental indicator reports to
educate residents on air quality issues fac-
ing the community.
Marin County Grassroots Leadership
Network (MCGLN):
Marin Community Collaborative Project
Location: Marin City and San Rafael, CA
Project Description: MCGLN, in collabo-
ration with its partners, will develop a
community action plan to mitigate cancer
risk factors identified by a hands-on study
project on the incidence of cancer in the
Canal and Marin City neighborhoods. The
project will be facilitated by experienced
consultants and will involve different activi-
ties including leadership training for com-
munity members.
Continued on back page
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Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving
Cooperative Agreement Projects
(Continued from page 7]
Pacoima Beautiful (PB): Pacoima Lead
Poisoning Prevention Community Program
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Project Description: PB, along with its
partners, will produce and distribute a
report on the findings from health care
provider and housing surveys. The report
will advocate for more lead control and
increase community capacity of residents
to access educational and screening serv-
ices regarding lead hazards in Pacoima.
The project will encourage a long-term,
multi-partnership engagement to support
community health revitalization.
REGION 10
Community Coalition for Environmental
Justice (CCEJ}: Health and Environmental
Collaborative Project
Location: Seattle, WA
Project Description: CCEJ, in conjunction
with its partners, will create an action plan
that will enhance communication,
outreach, and education regarding air
quality issues in three disproportionately
impacted neighborhoods. Activities will
include the development of reports and
fact sheets, and the creation of a hand-
book for environmental health specialists
and educators.
Indochinese Cultural and Service Cen-
ter (ICSC): Asian Pacific Islander Environ-
mental Awareness Project
Location: Pierce County, WA
Project Description: ICSC will work with
its partners to establish state and local
government policies and procedures for
beach monitoring. The project will also
produce a beach closure management
plan that can be replicated and can suc-
cessfully reach out to communities with
limited English proficiency. ICSC will also
work with partners to raise the Asian and
Pacific Islander communities' awareness of
safe and sustainable shellfish harvesting.
Environmental Justice Action Group
(EJAG): Build Collaborative Group to
Address EJ Issues in Northern Sector of
Portland to Improve Air Quality
Location: Portland, OR
Project Description: EJAG and its part-
ners will establish the "Portland Northern
Neighborhoods Air Quality Coalition" to
investigate and implement sustainable
solutions to eliminate the disproportionate
air pollution problems faced by residents
caused by diesel fuel emissions. The
process will include the creation of a video
and community-based education program
to increase understanding of air quality
issues, the health impacts on the commu-
nity and the sustainable solutions.
OOCS
sseujsng
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