P/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Enforcement And
Compliance Assurance
(2201A) ?
June 1999
Environmental
Small Grants
Emerging Tools For
Local Problem-Solving
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Table of Contents
Preface iii
• Introduction 1
• What is Environmental Justice? 1
• EPA's Role in Environmental Justice 2
*
• Why the Small Grants Program was Developed 2
• The Grant Selection Process 3
• Project Descriptions Grouped by EPA Regional Offices
Region I - Boston 4
Region II - New York 9
Region III - Philadelphia 11
Region IV - Atlanta 16
Region V - Chicago 21
Region VI - Dallas 29
Region VII - Kansas City 35
Region VIII - Denver 38
Region IX - San Francisco 44
Region X - Seattle 48
Appendix A: Index to Projects by State 53
Appendix B: Index to Projects by Focus Area 54
Appendix C: EPA Regional Offices and State Breakdown 55
Appendix D: List of Environmental Justice Coordinators at EPA 56
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Preface
The Environmental Justice Small Grants Program of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
fosters collaborative and cooperative efforts directed at addressing and/or resolving real life environmental
justice issues. This report describes a variety of programs and projects funded under the Small Grants Program
that have made a difference. The EPA has made 530 small grants since July 1994 when the program began. Of
these, 250 were initially selected as candidates for this report. After closer review, 46 were selected as the "best"
success stories to demonstrate how diverse communities can come together in different ways to solve local
problems. The groups represented in this report encompass the diversity of problems found in neighborhoods
and communities across the country. As with all recipients of the small grants, the projects described here place
a premium on community and family health. Some of the environmental issues and problems addressed by these
specific projects include:
Creating and implementing a community-based model for permanent solutions to polluted, abandoned
land in low-income neighborhoods by producing A Guide to Vacant Lots booklet and establishing
pollution of vacant lots as a top item on the municipal agenda.
Educating the migrant farm worker community about coliform contamination on farms and in labor
camps by conducting community awareness conferences and by involving the federal and state agencies
with jurisdiction over the water supplied to the affected communities.
Developing activities which promote awareness of the dangers of lead-based paint.
Addressing health risks from specific environmental problems including air quality by developing
educational materials and an education/outreach strategy on steps to reduce risks posed by
environmental hazards in neighborhoods.
• Protecting the surface water and groundwater on Native American reservations by developing rational
criteria for abandoned wells and strengthening the cooperative working relationships with non-tribal
units of government.
• Providing an interactive approach to help children recognize and manage asthma symptoms, solve
problems with medication and improve their academic performance by introducing Open Airways for
Schools, an innovative asthma education program for children ages eight to eleven.
These are just a few examples of some of the emerging tools that communities use to address local public
health and environmental problems. In addition to improving conditions in the communities described in the
report, the case studies are models of success that can be applied in similar situations across the country. We find
these programs and projects inspiring, and hope that by highlighting these case studies we will help others to find
ways to solve their local problems and to think differently about environmental justice issues in their
communities.
Barry E&ill, Director
f Environment
HI
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Introduction
This publication is a compilation of information about 46 of the hundreds of grants that have
been awarded through the EPA Small Grants Program which reflect some of the support EPA gives
to community-based organizations. EPA has supported communities through partnerships, research,
communication and public participation to help ensure a more just and fair distribution of
environmental benefits as well as environmental burdens. This document describes community
projects representing six focus areas: Water Quality, Air Quality, Lead & Carbon Monoxide
Poisoning, Pollution Prevention, Vacant Land Reuse, and Environmental Stewardship. Our purpose
is to: (1) inform communities and show them how to link or implement similar projects and
programs; (2) reduce duplication of effort; (3) strengthen the networking of organizations; (4)
improve the quality of future projects; and (5) provide lessons learned from completed projects.
Appendix A is a list of projects by state.
This 1999 publication is the first national publication to highlight the accomplishments of
the grant recipients under the Small Grants Program. It covers grants awarded from the beginning
of the Small Grants program in 1994 through 1997. hi subsequent years a Small Grants Program
accomplishments report will be published biannually and will include those successes from the
previous two years.
What is Environmental Justice?
Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people
regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation,
and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatment means that no
group of people, including racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic groups should bear a disproportionate
share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, municipal, and
commercial operations or the execution of federal, state, local, and tribal programs and policies.
Environmental justice is about local people facing local problems by working collaboratively
with the local government agencies, impacted community groups and the responsible state and/or
federal agencies. Environmental justice promotes environmental and public health protection within
the context of sustainable development.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
EPA's Role in Environmental Justice
On February 11,1994, President Clinton issued Executive Order 12898, "Federal Actions to
Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations," which
identified three goals:
• to focus federal agency action on the environment and human health conditions in
minority communities and low-income communities;
• to promote nondiscriminating in federal programs that substantially affect human
health and the environment; and
• to provide minority communities and low-income communities greater access to
information on, and opportunities for public participation in, matters relating to
human health and the environment.
The President encouraged federal agencies to reinvent the way we approach environmental
justice so that our day-to-day efforts would be more effective in protecting the public health and
environment. EPA was given a leadership role in helping federal agencies implement this Executive
Order.
Why the Small Grants Program was Developed
EPA recognized that community involvement was critical to environmental decision-
making and made a commitment to invest resources in projects that would financially benefit
affected communities. In Fiscal Year 1994, the Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) established
the Small Grants Program to provide financial assistance for addressing local environmental
problems to eligible community groups which included community-based/grassroots organizations,
churches, other nonprofit organizations, and tribal governments.
Each year approximately $2 million is made available for the Environmental Justice Small
Grants Program and divided equally among the ten EPA regions where the actual grant is awarded
and managed. Awards range from $ 10,000 to $20,000 each. The amount available in a given year
may vary depending on the availability of funds. The table on page 3 shows the grants awarded
since the program began.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Environmental Justice Small Grants Program Summary
Fiscal
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
Year $ Amount
500,000
3,000,000
2,800,000
2,700,000
2,500,000
2,000,000
*To Be Announced by October 1,
Awards
71
175
152
139
123
*
1999
The Grant Selection Process
The grant proposals submitted for the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program are
evaluated, within the EPA region where the project is located, through a competitive review and
ranking process. Award decisions are made within each region based on established criteria which
include geographic and socioeconomic balance, diversity of project recipients, and sustainability
of benefits of project after the grant is completed. The review process also gave a higher priority to
proposals that demonstrate strong community involvement at the proposal development stage.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
REGIONI
Baystate Medical Center, Inc.
Western Massachusetts SafeKids Coalition
Grant Number:
EQ991035
Project Coordinator:
Shirley Laroche
Baystate Medical Center, Inc.
Springfield, MA 01199
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1997
Focus:
Lead and Carbon Monoxide
Poisoning
Target Audience:
African-American and Latino children exposed to
lead and carbon monoxide poisoning in
Springfield/Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Purpose:
To reduce the number of fatal and non-fatal injuries
experienced in this region of the state by providing
children and their families with safety information
through training and awareness events, including
"train the trainer" programs so that more
communities can be educated.
Goals:
• To improve the lead screening rates and
reduce the lead blood levels among minority
children living in old housing.
• To introduce methods of reducing indoor air
pollution in the homes.
Methods:
• Develop an education curriculum for
members of high-risk communities on how
to prevent lead and carbon monoxide
poisoning in their children.
Collect data from the focus groups to
develop a survey instrument in order to
gather
information on knowledge level, beliefs and
attitudes about lead and carbon monoxide
exposure as well as demographic
information on the surveyed population.
Products/Results:
A survey was distributed to parents and caretakers of
young children and a "train-the-trainer"curriculum
was developed that focused on lead and carbon
monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide poisoning
and STOP Lead Poisoning brochures were developed
and distributed in English and Spanish. The
following were also developed in English and
Spanish: STOP Lead Poisonins Poster; Wash Your
Hands Video; Brisht Futures: An Action Guide for
Families of Children with Lead Poisonins.
Successes/Strengths:
The survey was used to educate parents on how to
protect their own children, how to have better
communication with care providers, and how to
interpret housing deleading regulations. Many
children were tested at no charge following the
survey. Community members received a
curriculum's guide which included training materials
to present at future community workshops on
preventing lead and carbon monoxide poisoning.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Bridgeport Water Quality Community Outreach Project
Save the Sound, Inc.
Grant Number:
EQ991697
Project Coordinator:
Steven Yergeau
Save the Sound, Inc.
Stamford, CT 06902
EPA Funding:
$19,898
FY 1996
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Low-income African-American and Puerto
Rican/Latino families in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Purpose:
To involve African-American and Latino residents of
Bridgeport in taking action to improve the water
quality of their own Long Island Sound harbors, Black
Rock and Bridgeport.
Goals:
To educate targeted community about coastal
water quality including point and non-point
source pollution, conditions of local harbors
and beaches, dangers of eating contaminated
fish and actions that can be taken to improve
water quality.
To expand the community participation in a
volunteer water quality monitoring program
by using hands-on activities to solve local
water quality issues.
Methods:
• Hold monthly planning meetings
members of the community.
with
Recruit and train volunteers for the
implementation of action projects and also
train residents to monitor the water quality of
local harbors.
Conduct community meetings (two in
Spanish, and two in English) and outreach
tools through distribution of pamphlets in
both English and Spanish.
Products/Results:
Ten monthly meetings were held to discuss and
coordinate various action projects. Thirteen
Americorps volunteers were trained on issues regarding
water quality. In addition, 20 youths from the
community created a traveling display showing the
impact of non-point source pollution on Bridgeport
water quality and how to reduce this pollution.
Six volunteers participated in the water quality
monitoring program and regular testing of Bridgeport
Harbor, and eleven students from Bridgeport
Community Vocational Aquaculture School monitored
Black Rock Harbor.
More than 100 storm drains were stenciled by thirty-
one fourth through sixth graders and four parents.
Display of pamphlets and diverse activities were
exhibited at different locations such as libraries and
community facilities in Bridgeport.
Several events were advertised in local newspapers and
public television and through press releases.
About 105 volunteers participated in other projects to
improve local coastal water quality, while another 90
people attended training or presentations on the issues.
Thirty-two people participated in a beach clean up.
Successes/Strengths:
The community's participation in all the action projects
brought a lot of enthusiasm and pride.
Bridgeport residents continued to volunteer for
activities to improve water quality. The project
reached a large audience through newspaper articles
and television coverage of activities. With the storm
drains stenciling program people are more aware about
water quality protection. Information will continue to
be displayed throughout the City of Bridgeport to
educate people. The relationship between the partners
is strengthened as a result of this project.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Environmental Teacher Sabbatical Program
New England Aquarium
Grant Number:
EQ991037
Project Coordinator:
William Spitzer
New England Aquarium
Central Wharf
Boston. MA 02110-3399
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1997
Focus:
Environmental Stewardship
Target Audience:
Middle school teachers in the Boston Public Schools.
Purpose:
To establish an environmental teacher sabbatical
program for 14 middle school teachers and to support
its dissemination through the network of Coastal
America Regional Ecosystem Learning Centers.
Goals:
Strengthen partnerships among the New
England Aquarium, Boston Public Schools,
and Coastal America agencies to develop a
core group of trained teachers who are
prepared to impart environmental stewardship
skills among Boston's schoolchildren.
Methods:
• Designed a sabbatical program for teachers
from public schools in Boston's low-income
communities.
• Developed a brochure describing the purpose
of the sabbatical program and sent it to all
science teachers in Boston.
Products/Results:
Fourteen teachers were selected based on the strengths
of their applications. The training program included
orientation and tours, mini-workshops, individual
consultation with Teacher Resource Center staff,
independent time for individual projects, presentations
and field trips led by environmental experts, and journal
writing.
Successes/Strengths:
Teachers' responses to the program were very positive.
They reported that being together created an atmosphere
of collegiality often missing in their daily school
practice. They have learned more about scientific tools
and techniques and gained an appreciation of the
importance of environmental education. They increased
their familiarity with many environmental resources
available at the Aquarium and elsewhere that they could
take back to their classrooms. The teacher sabbatical
program was presented as a model at a learning center
conference in New York.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Grassroots Revival for the Environmental Empowerment of Neighborhoods
Center for Hispanic Policy and Advocacy (CHisPA)
Grant Number:
EQ 991687010
Project Coordinator:
Christina Abuelo
421 Elmwood Avenue
Providence, RI02907
EPA Funding
17,000
FY 1996
Focus:
Vacant Land Reuse
Target Audience:
Project GREEN targeted low-income neighborhoods
in Providence, RI. The community is made up of
African American (40%), Latino (40%) and Caucasian
(20%) families.
Purpose:
To create and implement a community-based model for
permanent solutions to polluted, abandoned land in
Providence's low-income neighborhoods.
Goals:
• Motivate the general public to be more
conscious of their local environmental justice
issues and involve the community in efforts to
address these concerns.
Enhance : community understanding of
environmental information and seek technical
experts to demonstrate how to access, analyze,
and interpret public environmental data.
Methods:
• Form a workgroup to identify and implement
community participation mechanisms for the
Mayor's Vacant Land Task Force.
• Conduct a multilingual community forum to
inform at least 50 neighborhood residents
about relevant environmental information.
• Survey vacant lots in the South Side and West
End areas of the city to prioritize areas of
greatest need.
Products/Results:
A Guide to Vacant Lots booklet was produced by
Project GREEN and the Department of Planning and
Development. A technical expert was present at the
multilingual community forum and interpreted
environmental dangers and threats resulting from
pollution and neglect of vacant land. Community
members were recruited to work with the Brown
University Center for Environmental Studies to test soil
and water samples on vacant land. Residents were
identified to undergo further training to assess
environmental pollutants on vacant land in their
neighborhoods.
Successes/Strengths:
Project GREEN is responsible for more than 100 lots
cleaned by city worker crews. The Center for Hispanic
Policy and Advocacy (CHisPA), and other partner
organizations successfully pushed pollution of vacant
lots to the top of the municipal agenda. CHisPA has
built a new cadre of informed neighbors who are ready
to win and put to use the implementation of real land
reform measures. Project GREEN has also created a
successful strategy of working with community
residents and supporting organizations to stop pollution
permanently through real land reform.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Pollution Prevention and Worker Safety Program
New Hampshire Coalition for Health & Safety
Grant Number:
EQ991009-01-0
Project Coordinator:
Paul G. Morse
NHCOSH
110 Sheep Davis Road
Pembroke, NH 03275
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1997
Focus:
Pollution Prevention
Target Audience:
Workers and community residents, especially Latinos
and Asians, in the inner-city neighborhoods of
Manchester, New Hampshire.
Purpose:
To identify sources of pollution such as small
businesses and industries that potentially threaten the
public health and the local environment.
Goals:
• To empower workers and community
members to identify environmental problems
and create solutions to them through the
process of community awareness and
understanding of consequences of pollution in
their community.
Methods:
• Organized a community meeting where
several workgroups were established to
develop different projects related to risk-
mapping and tracking of different sources of
information.
• Developed a community health survey for use
by agencies and local organizations as well as
door-to-door.
• Contacted youth groups and schools for
possible participation in air monitoring or
related types of environmental justice projects.
Discussed findings from the map with key
community partners and shared information
with regulators, policymakers, the media and
other relevant bodies.
Products/Results:
Developed a community inventory map that showed
how low-income housing and poverty measured against
a number of health and environmental concerns. A
report was developed which detailed a variety of
information related to hazardous waste releases and
emissions such as auto finishers, dry cleaners, nail
salons, print shops, as well as small manufacturing and
electronic shops. The information from the community
survey was also presented in that report.
Successes/Strengths:
The New Hampshire Coalition for Occupational Safety
and Health (NH COSH) produced a "risk map" of
Central Manchester which included three overlays
which showed: (1) confirmed lead-poisoning cases; (2)
schools, playgrounds, parks and churches; and (3)
print shops, automotive shops, nail salons, dry cleaners,
and other potentially hazardous areas. A copy of each
map was sent to the Environmental Protection
Department's (EPD) pretreatment program to
implement environmentally sound practices in some of
the shops listed on the maps.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
REGIONII
Citizens Committee for New York City
Grant Number:
EQ992451-01
Project Coordinator:
Michael E. Clark
305 Seventh Avenue, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10001
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1995
Focus:
Environmental Stewardship
Target Audience:
Residents of low-income and/or Latin, African-
American and Asian neighborhoods in the Bronx.
Purpose:
To establish a chapter of the Neighborhood
Environmental Leadership Institute (NEL1). The NELI
is an environmental training and education program that
works through community partnerships to build and
support environmental leadership.
Goals:
To educate, train and transfer skills to more
than 150 grassroots neighborhood leaders
from low-income and minority neighborhoods
in the Bronx.
To develop an Environmental Justice Resource
Guide to help grassroots groups throughout
NYC take advantage of resources available to
support environmental justice activities.
To effect a reduction in the number of City
residents exposed to harmful conditions.
To increase the capacity of new and existing
grassroots groups to make measurable
improvements in reducing hazardous
conditions affecting low-income and under-
served neighborhoods.
Methods
Community outreach was conducted through
a mailing to more than 15,000 block and
neighborhood organizations. Responses to
more than 5,000 technical assistance requests
were received annually.
Interactive training workshops covered
effective meetings and agendas; effective
outreach techniques; fostering new leadership;
coalition building; fund-raising; public
communication skills; lead poisoning
prevention; community initiated planning and
fair share laws; and funds available for
environmental justice programs.
Neighborhood leaders received Certificates of
Completion from the Continuing Education
Department of Lehman College of the City
University of New York.
Products/Results:
A grant maker's forum was held and provided
neighborhood leaders with an opportunity to meet
representatives from key foundations and organizations
that provide technical and financial support for
environmental programs. Approximately 125
neighborhood leaders became graduates of the institute.
The Environmental Justice Resource Directory was
updated and expanded and staff conducted more than
2,000 technical assistance phone consultations during
the year.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Comite de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agricolas (CATA)
Grant Number:
EQ992445-01
Project Coordinator:
Jamie Suarez-Potts
4 S. Delsea Drive
P.O. Box 510
Glassboro, NJ 08028
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1995
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Community-at-large and the farm worker community in
Southern New Jersey.
Purpose:
To educate the migrant farm worker community about
the coliform contamination in farms, labor camps, and
the general nitrate contamination of Southern New
Jersey wells as a result of agricultural practices.
Goals:
• To empower farm workers to take an active
part in protecting themselves and their families
from health problems due to drinking
contaminated well water.
• To build relationships with local, state, and
federal agencies to facilitate better
communication and to develop resolutions to
the contamination.
Methods:
• In conjunction with migrant health clinics,
workers were educated about how to protect
themselves from drinking contaminated water.
• Community-awareness conferences were
conducted to educate the broader community
about the dangers of nitrate contamination and
to make them aware of the possibility that the
water in farm labor camps may be
contaminated with coliform.
• Contact was made with those federal and state
agencies with jurisdiction over the water
supplies of the affected communities.
Products/Results:
Workers tested and proved that 34% of the water wells
that service migrant farm workers in New Jersey were
contaminated with either fecal coliforms, nitrates and/or
other bacteria. CATA and the New Jersey
Environmental Federation formed the Southern New
Jersey Safe Drinking Water Coalition, a collection of
farm workers, environmental groups, students and
concerned citizens that work on various water quality
issues. With the assistance of EPA Region II, CATA
met with the U.S. Department of Labor, the New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection, and the New
Jersey Department of Health. It was agreed upon by the
group that the local Departments of Health in the
southern counties of New Jersey would test 50% of the
water wells on farm labor camps during the farm
season.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
REGIONIII
Grant Number:
EQ-993455-01
Tinbridge Hill Neighborhood Council
Project Coordinator:
Aubrey Barbour
94 Polk Street
Lynchburg, VA 24504
EPA Funding:
$19,745
FY 1996
Focus:
Lead-Based Paint Education
Target Audience:
Young adults and communities exposed to the dangers
of lead-based paint in Lynchburg, VA.
Purpose:
To develop activities to promote awareness among the
communities on the dangers of lead-based paint.
Goals:
To provide opportunities for young adults to
get training on lead poisoning prevention,
To educate young adults on lead poisoning
prevention.
Methods:
Distribute cleaning kits to families.
• Educate families on improving then: cleaning
methods.
• Teach families the dangers of lead poisoning.
Complete the residential dust wipe test.
Products/Results:
The Tinbridge Hill group developed a video in which
they performed a program geared to educate people in
lead dust reduction cleaning techniques.
Successes/Strengths:
The community's awareness and education on lead-
based paint poisoning issues increased.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
African-American Men on a Mission
Grant Number:
EQ993441-01
Project Coordinator:
Lynn Finder
P.O. Box 27021
Baltimore, MD 21230
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1996
Focus:
Lead-Based Paint Reduction
Target Audience:
African-American communities in Baltimore, MD.
Purpose:
To develop activities which promote awareness among
the African-American communities in Baltimore of the
dangers of lead-based paint.
Goals:
• To provide opportunities to young adults to
receive training on lead poisoning prevention.
• To educate young adults to promote awareness
of lead poisoning prevention.
Methods:
Distribute cleaning kits to families.
• Educate families on improving their cleaning
methods.
Teach families the dangers of lead poisoning.
• Complete the residential dust wipe test.
Products/Results:
Increased knowledge of lead-based paint prevention.
Successes/Strengths:
Increased community awareness of the lead-based paint
poisoning prevention issues and educated students on
solutions and prevention.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
National Hispanic Council on Aging
Grant Number:
EQ993 603-01
Project Coordinator:
Marta Sotomayer
2713 Ontario Road, NW
Washington, DC 20009
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1997
Focus:
Environmental Stewardship
Target Audience:
Hispanic communities in Washington, D.C.
Purpose:
To increase the communities capacity to identify and
understand the local environmental issues and how
these issues affect their lives.
Goals:
• Increase community awareness of
environmental issues.
Develop information and educational materials
in Spanish on environmental concerns.
Methods:
• Holding informational forums.
• Constructing community cleanups and
beautification projects.
Developing local networks of Spanish-
speaking newspapers.
* Exchanging environmental information among
local neighborhoods.
Products/Results:
• Newsletters
• Educational Materials.
Successes/Strengths:
Establishing a successful foundation for future
environmental activities.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
The Coalition to End Lead Poisoning, Inc. - Get the Lead Out! Environmental
Justice Empowerment Project
Grant Number:
EQ-993932-01
Project Coordinator:
Ruth Ann Norton
2714 Hudson Street
Baltimore, MD 21224
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1998
Focus:
Lead Education
Target Audience:
Families and individuals at risk of lead poisoning in
Baltimore City.
Purpose:
To provide resources and information to the
community about lead poisoning.
Goals:
• To create more lead resource centers in "at
risk" communities.
• To expand current centers.
• To offer families access to a lead-safe
housing registry, HEPA-vacuum cleaners,
lead-dust cleaning kits, and the CLEAR
Corps Program.
Methods:
• Outreach and public education.
• Training of citizens in lead-dust cleaning and
identification methods.
• Development of a registry of lead-safe
housing.
Products/Results:
Products included: (1) developing a registry of lead-
safe housing in Baltimore; (2) numerous training
sessions for parents; and (3) providing HEPA-
vacuums and other abatement equipment to residents
in at-risk communities.
Successes/Strengths:
Housing registry, educational and training sessions
for parents, strong community involvement, ties to the
CLEAR Corps Program and its involvement with
citizens in targeted areas.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Anacostia Watershed Society
Grant Number:
EQ-993450-01
Project Coordinator:
Robert Boone
4302 Baltimore Avenue
Bladensburg, MD 20710
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1996
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Residents of the Anacostia Watershed
Purpose:
To provide technical assistance and expertise on
environmental issues of concern to citizens in the
Anacostia community. The strategy was to network
with, and build collaboration between, urban
community groups to develop activities and to promote
awareness among the communities.
Goals:
To raise awareness among the residents of the
Anacostia Watershed about the environment
and their relationship to it.
• To educate residents about the actions they can
take to protect the watershed.
To establish and strengthen local civic
institutions and coalitions to enable citizen
involvement in the decision-making process
on environmental matters.
• To utilize and create technical resources for
residents.
Methods:
• An environmental justice tour of DC for 32
members of the Coalition on Environment and
Jewish Life.
A clean-up and storm drain stenciling project
with the Kingman Park Civic Association, a
local civic association whose members live
adjacent to the river and are active in
neighborhood preservation. Twenty members
of the association also took a canoe trip down
the river later in the season.
Clean up of Pope's Branch, a neighborhood
tributary of the Anacostia River.
• Three slide shows for two more local civic
associations, Penn Branch and Fort Dupont
Park, and for the Anacostia Coordinating
Council, which depict the environmental
problems along the Anacostia and show
solutions to the problems.
Products/Results:
An environmental justice tour of DC for 32 members of
the Coalition on Environment and Jewish Life. A clean
up and storm drain stenciling project with the Kingman
Park Civic Association, a local civic association, whose
members live adjacent to the river and are active in
neighborhood preservation. Twenty members of the
association also took a canoe trip down the river later in
the season. Clean up of Pope's Branch, a neighborhood
tributary of the Anacostia River. Slide shows on the
environmental problems and solutions on the Anacostia
to two more local civic associations - Penn Branch and
Fort Dupont Park - and the Anacostia Coordinating
Council, a community-based organization.
Successes/Strengths:
The importance of educating homeowners and other
civic association members and community
decision-makers about the problems of the Anacostia
River and how they can be part of the solution is what
made this project a success.
###
IIII It
15
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
REGIONIV
Jesus People Against Pollution "Coming to the Light" Video
Grant Number:
EQ994785-95-0
Project Coordinator:
Charlotte Keys,
President and Executive Director
P.O. Box 765
Columbia, MS 39429
EPA Funding:
$19,750
FY 1995
Focus:
Environmental Stewardship
Target Audience:
Citizens of Columbia, Mississippi, community activists,
businesses, educational institutions and environmental
networks.
Purpose:
To document the impact of toxic wastes from a local
chemical plant on the citizens of Columbia, Mississippi,
and produce a video tape. The tape will provide
documentation of off-site dumping areas and the "true
life"stories of various groups in the community.
Goals:
• To educate community residents about the
potential danger of toxic wastes to their health.
• To motivate the citizens of Columbia to supply
crucial information on environmental justice.
• To document the community's efforts in the
continuing cleanup process.
• To develop/ produce a video as a tool to
educate other community groups confronted
with similar environmental issues.
Methods:
• Investigate and identify individuals who have
knowledge of prior long standing dumping
activities.
Detail the plight of the community efforts in
identifying the health problem with toxic
dumping.
Create a video documentary regarding the off-
site dumping and health problems in the
community.
Products/Results:
A video documentary as a way of further engaging the
community residents and leaders to continue to
publicize the health issues that confront the community.
The affected community, state and local agencies, as
well as federal officials, have a better understanding of
the hidden history of the environmental problems in
Columbia, Mississippi, after watching the "Coming to
the Light" video.
In addition, the video can be used by other community
groups or educational institutions as a way of orienting
them to the environmental justice problems that may
exist in their community.
Successes/Strengths:
The overall information gained contributes to educating
the community on environmental justice. Also, the
collaborative working relationship between community
members and professionals that understand the in-depth
environmental problems has enhanced the community's
leadership skills and provided knowledge to deal with
its struggle for equal justice.
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il'ti'TT
16
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Fulton Atlanta Community Action Authority
Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development Primer
Grant Number:
EQ994775-95-0
Project Coordinator:
Sulaiman Mahdi
Fulton Atlanta Community Action
Authority
75 Piedmont Avenue, NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1995
Focus:
Environmental
Stewardship
Target Audience:
The target audience of this project is primarily the
residents of Atlanta, Georgia's Empowerment Zone
communities. Also included are community
development corporations, neighborhood planning
units, civic associations, policy-makers, environmental
organizations, and other interested parties.
Purpose:
To provide residents of the Atlanta Empowerment Zone
communities, community leaders, policy-makers, and
other interested parties, with information on the
Empowerment Zone Initiative, the status of the
environment, environmental justice, and sustainable
community development. This project is accomplished
by publishing a primer and workshop material that will
provide such information, along with community
forums and workshops.
Goals:
Facilitate communication and information
exchange, and create partnerships among all
parties to address disproportionately high
exposure to adverse environmental conditions.
Enhance community understanding of
environmental and public health information
systems and generate information about
pollution in the community.
Demonstrate how to access and interpret
public environmental data.
Methods:
• Identify necessary improvements in
communication and coordination among all
involved parties, including existing
community-based/grassroots organizations,
and state, tribal, federal environmental
programs.
Organize and enlist the assistance of policy-
makers to address environmental concerns
within the Zone.
Distribute the primer at Empowerment Zone
Town Hall Meetings, and Environmental and
Sustainable Community Development
Conference and Workshops.
Products/Results:
Use the primer information as a tool to help organize
residents of the Atlanta Empowerment Zone and other
interested parties into an environmental justice and
sustainable development coalition, which will address
the environmental problems and environmental
inequities of the Empowerment Zone and the City of
Atlanta.
Successes/Strengths:
The benefits gained from this project are the
publications that will enhance understanding of the
environmental problems of the Atlanta Empowerment
Zone and tools that will aid in solving these problems.
// //'/r
17
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Vanderbilt University Center for Health Services
Service Training and Environmental Progress (STEP)
Grant Number:
EQ994790-95-0
Project Coordinator:
Barbara Clinton, Director
P.O. Box 567, Station 17
Nashville, TN 37232
EPA Funding:
$7,000
FY 1995
Focus:
Environmental Stewardship
Target Audience:
Low-income communities and communities of color in
Chattanooga and Nashville, Tennessee.
Purpose:
To provide education and technical assistance to
affected communities, as well as deal with complex
environmental threats. STEP recognizes that grassroots
groups are one of the most effective ways that
American citizens have to exercise their "people
power." STEP enhances citizen activism while it
educates young adults through exposure to community
activity around environmental issues.
Goals:
To provide six weeks of on site technical
assistance to two primarily African-American
Chattanooga Creek communities.
To establish a program that will continue to
serve as a resource of information for
community groups by disseminating
information about technical assistance and
other environmental issues.
Methods:
Recruit eight youths from the Chattanooga
Youth Crop who live in the affected
neighborhoods to work with the STEP interns
to conduct the survey.
Conduct a door-to-door health survey to
identify individuals who may suffer from ill
health as a result of exposure to contaminants
from Chattanooga Creek.
Products/Results:
The health survey was used by community leaders and
Department of Health officials to educate health
professionals at clinics frequented by area residents and
homeless persons about contamination from
Chattanooga Creek.
Successes/Strengths:
The participants provided direct community health
education on use of the creek for recreation and fishing,
through community forums and presentations that they
conducted in churches and community centers
throughout Alton Park and Piney Woods. The STEP
interns also participated in discussions about their work
on local radio talk shows, and were featured in articles
in the Chattanooga Sun Times and the Chattanooga Free
Press.
###
18
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Project Awake
Sumter County's Environmental Awareness Project "Environmental Wise"
Grant Number:
EQ994068-96-0
Project Coordinator:
Daisy Carter
Executive Director
Route 2, Box 282
Caotopa, AL 35470
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1996
Focus:
Environmental Stewardship
Target Audience:
Citizens of Sumter County, Alabama.
Purpose:
To help citizens of Sumter County become more
knowledgeable and conscious of environmental
problems and issues affecting their health and well-
being.
Goals:
Inform leaders who are responsible for their
community about environmental threats to
their surroundings.
Motivate the citizens of Sumter County to
become involved hi helping create a safer and
healthier environment.
Increase citizen participation hi planning and
attending workshops, forums, community
meetings, regional meetings and hearings.
Methods:
• Disseminate information on environmental
issues through public service announcements
and fliers.
• Publish and distribute monthly newsletters.
Products/Results:
Influenced the county commission to eliminate all
public dumping sites hi Sumter County. Selected a
group of middle school students to participate in the
Water Watch Program. Conducted seminars and public
meetings to address concerns of local communities
regarding pesticides and alternative methods.
Successes/Strengths:
This project created an information base for the citizens
of Sumter County. This awareness has enabled citizens
to become more involved hi confronting and resolving
environmental issues. The establishment of resources
for environmental justice enabled this organization to
become more involved in community ecological
preservation.
###
19
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Catawba Indian Nation
Ecosystem Protection Management Plan
Grant Number:
EQ994967-96-0
Project Coordinator:
Dean Canty
Environmental Planner
P. O. Box 188
Catawba, SC 29704
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1996
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Members of the Catawba Indian Nation
Purpose:
To develop a protection plan that will be used to
guide the Catawba Indian Nation in protecting their
environmental and natural resources. The areas of
concern were water quality, soil erosion, soil
surveys, forestry, cultural, solid waste, air quality, and
fish and wildlife.
Goals:
Identify the Best Management Practices to
use on Catawba Indian Nation tribal lands.
• Provide an assessment of overall ecosystem
management practices needed for
eliminating pollution of tribal waters, air and
land.
• Establish an environmental and natural
resource management plan.
Methods:
Establish an Environmental/Natural Resources
Advisory Committee.
Gather information on the tribal land's water
quality and air quality from the South Carolina
Department of Health and Environmental
Control, South Carolina Forestry Commission,
South Carolina Catawba River Task Force,
and York County.
Assess the environmental and natural resource
problems in order of importance: (1) water
quality, (2) soil erosion, (3) forestry, (4)
cultural, (5) solid waste, (6) air quality, and
(7) fish and wildlife.
Products/Results:
A protection plan for Best Management Practices that
will be a valuable tool for the Catawba Nation tribal
lands.
The Environmental/Natural Resources Advisory
Committee will continue operating as a permanent
committee and will provide recommendations for future
environmental and natural resource concerns.
The Ecosystem Management Plan has been approved
and adopted by the Catawba Indian Nation of South
Carolina Tribal Executive Council.
Successes/Strengths:
The Ecosystem Protection Management Plan will assist
in improving the environmental quality on the Catawba
Indian Nation tribal lands. This document will be
printed and kept in the Natural Resources Department
reference files for use in future planning and
development of tribal land environmental and natural
resources.
###
20
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
REGION V
Alta Sita Neighbors
Grant Number:
EQ985533-01
Project Coordinator:
Dr. Helen Hudlin
3136 Virginia Place
East St. Louis, IL 62207
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1997
Focus:
Vacant Land Reuse
Target Audience:
The low-income, African-American community
known as Alta Sita in East St. Louis, Illinois.
Purpose:
To facilitate the direct involvement of neighborhood
residents to participate in the planning and
implementation process of cleaning and maintaining
vacant lots.
Goals:
• To provide workshops to residents on the
health risks associated with illegal dumping
and instruction on actions that can be taken
to remediate these conditions.
• To work with residents to identify the worst
vacant lots in the neighborhood.
To work with property owners to facilitate
cleanup and maintenance of the vacant lots.
To work with the City to ensure action is
taken against property owners who are
recalcitrant in cleaning up vacant lots.
• To develop a preventive strategy designed to
address illegal dumping in Alta Sita.
Methods:
• Formulated a list of lots where illegal
dumping had occurred and where cleanup
was needed, determined who owned these
lots, prioritized the list of lots based on four
factors, and obtained consent from the St.
Clair County Board of Trustees to clear the
privately owned lots.
• Conducted two environmental awareness
workshops for neighborhood residents.
Trained block captains to serve as the
collection point for suggestions, comments,
and concerns about code enforcement, and to
think of ways to manage and resolve these
problems.
Initiated a strategy to increase awareness of
solid waste disposal and other code
enforcement issues by the East St. Louis
Code Enforcement Office. A "Code
Awareness Week" was organized in July
1998 and kicked off at a televised session at
which the City Manager, Code Enforcement
Officials, the Public Works Department and
other government officials made public
statements against illegal dumping in the
City. Residents were called to action against
illegal dumping and encouraged to turn in
sanitation violators to the Police Department.
Residents were also organized to come out to
clean up the garbage along the streets.
Products/Results:
Eight vacant lots were cleared of garbage and debris
in the Alta Sita neighborhood. Alta Sita Neighbors
got the City of East St. Louis to expend their tax
dollars to cleanup an entire block and to permanently
close the uninhabited street. The result of this action
was that an additional thirty loads of garbage and
21
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
debris were collected and disposed of properly.
Successes/Strengths:
The community was empowered to prioritize, plan
and implement the cleanup of vacant lots. This
project facilitated the direct involvement of
community residents in remediating the high-priority
environmental problem of illegal dumping.
Partnerships were formed between residents and the
local government to facilitate the additional cleanup
and disposal of an entire contaminated block and to
increase awareness of solid waste disposal code
enforcement.
22
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Michigan Migrant Legal Assistance Program (MMLAP)
Grant Number: Project Coordinators: EPA Funding:
EQ985083-01 Mr. Gary Gershon and $20,000
Ms. Martha Cortes FY 1995
49 Monroe Center, NW, Suite 3-A
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Focus:
Environmental Stewardship
Target Audience:
Migrant and seasonal farm workers and their families
located in 30 counties in Western Michigan.
Purpose:
To educate migrant and seasonal farm workers on
environmental and public health issues with the focus
being on increasing the overall safety of farm workers
and their families.
Goals:
To contribute to farm worker community
empowerment through education, outreach,
and training.
• To assist the farm workers in understanding
environmental laws, labeling on pesticides,
groundwater contamination, safety
conditions, and their rights under these
environmental laws and regulations.
To increase the safety of farm workers and
their families.
Methods:
Introduced the project to the targeted
community through the dissemination of a
special environmental issue of MMLAP's
bilingual newsletter.
Compiled and distributed an educational
packet to farm workers which included a
copies of the Michigan Department of
Agriculture's pesticide reporting flyer,
EPA's "Protect Yourself from Pesticides"
booklet, MIOSHA booklets, original flyers
on field sanitation and worker's
compensation, copies of Poison Control
Center's emergency information numbers,
Michigan State University's "Pesticides Fact
Sheets," and an informational calendar of
migrant health services published by the
Midwest Migrant Health Information Office.
Conducted Camp Meetings and Farm worker
Information Meetings which reached 1,500
adult farm workers.
Conducted training on the Worker Protection
Standards and pesticide safety.
Products/Results:
MMLAP provided a bilingual education forum
directly related to their health and safety to
approximately 1,500 adult farm workers. An
additional 300 people attended a Farm worker
Environmental Justice Concert, featuring
singer/songwriter Trish Hinojosa, and participated in
the educational forum. A mailing list was compiled
of all concert participants by the concert ticket outlet
which increased the original target audience
previously reached by MMLAP.
Successes/Strengths:
A significant number of Michigan's migrant and
seasonal farm workers were educated on
environmental and health issues. One important
outcome of the project was less reluctance on the part
of farm workers to report pesticide poisoning. Four
pesticide investigation requests were made on behalf
of farm workers to the enforcement branch of the
Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA). The
existing network of farm worker advocates was
strengthened and enhanced. Strong communication
was established between the MMLAP, the MDA and
the EPA. The Farm worker Environmental Justice
concert increased the target audience by reaching an
additional 300 people and expanded the mailing list
for future education and outreach.
###
23
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Citizens for a Better Environment (CBE)
Grant Number:
EQ985298-01
Project Coordinator:
Mr. Doug Nethercut
3255 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis. MN 55408
EPA Funding:
$7,500
FY 1996
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Low-income and minority neighborhoods in North
Minneapolis.
Purpose:
The purpose of this project was to work with the
stakeholders, neighborhood residents, local
businesses, and public officials, to develop a high
quality action plan for restoring the Bassett Creek
watershed in Minneapolis.
Goals:
• To facilitate stakeholder meetings.
• To increase the capacity of neighborhood
residents to obtain and analyze
environmental data.
• To work with stakeholders to develop an
action plan that uses the priorities identified
by the communities.
Methods:
• Worked with neighborhood groups in
Bassett Creek watershed to build a multi-
stakeholder and multi-neighborhood
initiative. Coordinated activities with
neighborhood, city, county and state levels
to ensure multi-stakeholder participation.
• Lead research that was critical to the creation
of a successful watershed action plan.
Increased the capacity of neighborhood
residents to obtain and analyze relevant
environmental data, including: contaminated
site locations and clean up status, Superfund
site tracking, health impacts of contaminated
sites, maps of drainage areas and stormwater
pipes, land ownership data, hydrogeological
data, soil types, history of railroad land,
existing creek structures and streambank
conditions.
Designed an action plan using the priorities
identified by the communities, "Restoring
Bassett Creek: A Strategy for Revitalizing an
Urban Watershed."
Products/Results:
Developed an assessment of the North Minneapolis
section of Bassett Creek and its watershed entitled
"Urban Watershed Profile: A Look at Bassett Creek"
Developed an action plan for restoring Bassett Creek
utilizing multi-stakeholder input and community-
based priorities.
Successes/Strengths:
CBE was able to involve a diverse group of
stakeholders in the development of an action plan for
restoring Bassett Creek. CBE did an excellent job of
integrating environmental issues into crime and
housing issues as a means to interest residents in high-
crime neighborhoods in environmental restoration.
The action plan has been widely distributed
throughout the Twin Cities and the nation.
###
24
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
WSOS Community Action Commission
Grant Number:
EQ985294-01
Project Coordinator:
Ms. Julie Ward
219 South Front Street
P.O. Box 590
Fremont, OH 43420
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1996
Focus:
Environmental Stewardship
Target Audience:
A low-income, rural community located in Northwest
Ohio.
Purpose:
To facilitate involvement of the environmental justice
community in the process of community-based
environmental protection. The project focused on
demonstrating how to involve residents in a
community decision making process that prioritized
multiple environmental issues into an action plan.
Goals:
• To convene a stakeholder committee.
To assess current and future environmental
compliance needs.
• To conduct a community forum.
To complete a compliance action plan.
• To begin an implementation schedule.
Methods:
• A four-page survey instrument was
developed and distributed to households in
the village by members of the local high
school freshman class.
A student survey instrument was developed
and distributed to high school juniors and
seniors.
• A business survey was developed and
distributed to businesses and industries
located in the village. Thirteen business and
industry officials were interviewed as a
follow-up to the survey.
A town meeting was held during which the
stakeholder committee presented the survey
results to members of the village and
surrounding local governments and offered
them the opportunity to participate in four
key issue groups identified by the
stakeholder committee.
• A report presenting all data and information
gathered, along with the recommendations of
an outside facilitator, was compiled and
provided to the stakeholder committee, the
Seneca Regional Planning Commission, and
the Ohio Rural Community Assistance
Program.
Products/Results:
Developed a "Community-based Environmental
Planning: Report to the Community" which was
distributed to the stakeholder committee and all
involved parties locally, and to the Seven State
Community Action Associations. The report was also
distributed to the five regions of the Rural
Community Assistance Program (RCAP) and the
national RCAP office. Multiple copies were placed in
the local community library and availability of the
report was published in a newsletter with 1,000
person circulation.
Successes/Strengths:
Achieved participation by low-income residents in
completing an action plan to address multiple
environmental compliance issues. Implementation of
the action plan is underway with ongoing technical
assistance. A model of communication and
coordination was developed that involves broad-based
community input and provides tools for decision
making and follow-up action plan implementation
that can be replicated for other issues in the
community as well as for other service providers.
•ff-ffff
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Grand Portage Reservation
Grant Number:
EQ985092-01
Project Coordinator:
Ms. Kristine Carre
P.O. Box 428
Grand Portage, MN 55605
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1995
Focus Area:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
The Grand Portage Band of Chippewa.
Purpose:
To develop a program to examine and address
mercury contamination.
Goats:
To document sources of mercury
contamination and health risks due to fish
and game consumption.
To conduct public education and outreach.
To encourage community involvement.
Methods:
• Tribal Council and members of the
community were educated in several ways:
(1) through articles in the Tribal Newsletter;
(2) through participation in the Community
Health Fair; (3) through meetings with
experts on mercury contamination such as
the Indigenous Environmental Network and
the Medical College of Wisconsin; and (4)
through visits to head start, daycare, and
grade school classes.
• A survey was conducted to identify the local
species offish most consumed by residents
of the community. The Tribal Fisheries
Biologist was also consulted to obtain
information on all fish species in the area.
• Collected fish samples, conducted a risk
assessment analysis, and created brochures
documenting findings of contamination
levels.
Products/Results:
Fish Advisories were developed and posted on the
Reservation. The Tribe set consumption
recommendations for tribal members. A brochure
documenting the project findings was developed and
distributed.
Successes/Strengths:
The Tribe was able to address the high-priority
environmental problem of fish contamination due to
rising levels of mercury in the lakes and rivers.
Through first-hand data collection and risk analysis,
the Tribe assessed the mercury levels that tribal
members were exposed to via fish and game
consumption and issued fish advisories to address this
problem.
26
Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Sixteenth Street Community Health Center
Grant Number:
EQ985093-01
Project Coordinator:
Ms. Ellyn McKenzie
1032 S. Sixteenth Street
Milwaukee, WI 53204
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1996
Focus:
Lead Education
Target Audience:
The Hmong and Hispanic community located near the
south side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Purpose:
To provide families with information and definitive
action steps they can take to minimize the health risk
for their children from exposure to environmental
hazards that are present in their neighborhood.
Goals:
To identify the environmental hazards within
the service delivery area of the Center and
use Geographic Information System (GIS)
mapping techniques to display and analyze
this information.
• To conduct a survey of residents to
determine their knowledge and perception of
known environmental hazards within the
neighborhood.
• To recommend actions and work with the
appropriate entities to eliminate or reduce
specific environmental hazards within the
neighborhood.
To develop educational materials and
effective communication and distribution
techniques for these materials.
To share the results of the project with local,
state and federal health and environmental
officials, including recommendations for
follow-up actions and how other
communities might use the project's
methodology.
Methods:
• Information and data was gathered and
collected on the environmental conditions
and resident population characteristics and
displayed utilizing Geographic Information
Systems (GIS).
• Survey instruments were developed,
distributed and analyzed. The major areas of
interest that emerged from the survey were
lead poisoning, ozone awareness,
perceptions of air quality, fishing behaviors,
and access to information from media
sources.
A Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) was
formed. CAC membership consisted of
residents and members of organizations who
have networks and provide services that
work directly with residents. The CAC
recommended pragmatic approaches for
communicating with residents taking into
account the significant cultural and language
differences of the resident population.
• Developed and implemented an
education/outreach strategy with the
assistance of professional and community
representatives. This outreach strategy
provided information to families on steps
they can take to reduce exposure for their
children to risks posed by significant
environmental hazards present in the
neighborhood. The education and outreach
efforts were specifically tailored to take into
account the culture and language of the
Hispanic and Hmong families who reside in
the neighborhood.
Products/Results:
The Lead Screening and Outreach Initiative offered
assistance to families which enabled them to reduce
risk factors in their homes and thereby prevent their
children's blood lead levels from escalating. An
27
Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
asbestos identification project done in conjunction
with this initiative helped 16 families repair and
remove asbestos hazards from their homes.
An education outreach strategy was developed and
tailored to the needs of the residents. Information
materials were provided in an easily understood
format in three different languages: Hmong, Spanish
and English. The information materials addressed the
health risks from specific environmental problems,
such as exposures to poor air and water quality,
contaminated fish and lead in the home.
Sponsored a Pollution Free Schools Initiative with
Milwaukee Public Schools, Citizens for a Better
Environment and the University of Wisconsin.
Through this initiative students received hands on
training in addressing real world problems in their
schools, homes and neighborhoods including a
project which involved high school and elementary
school students learning about health hazards from
lead poisoning in conjunction with science and
chemistry projects. Samples of paint and dust from
homes within the neighborhood were analyzed with
simple chemiiitry experiments to determine if lead
was present. The Center provided follow-up
information where lead was detected.
Successes/Strengths:
The focus on multiple environmental influences along
with a collaborative project structure with the
professional and community representatives lead to
additional projects spearheaded by the Professional
Advisory Group member organizations working in
the target area as well as two new projects
coordinated through the Center. These additional
projects are a Solid and Hazardous Waste Great Lakes
Initiative, a Pollution Prevention Autobody Metal
Fabrication Project, and a Brownfield Community
Oversight Project. Also, the Center developed fish
consumption advisories in the Hmong language and
targeted distribution of information on fish
contamination through cultural associations which
serve new immigrants and the resident Southeast
Asian population. The Center developed an air
quality profile and put together information to inform
residents and health care practitioners on the risks
from specific air quality problems and what steps
residents can take to reduce their risks from
exposures.
###
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
REGION VI
Upper Pecos Environmental Justice
Grant Number:
EQ-996797-01-0
Project Coordinator:
Wendy B. Eastern
1926 7th Street
Las Vegas, NM 87701
EPA Funding:
$17,103
FY 1996
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Predominantly Hispanic community in the Village of
Pecos, San Miguel County, New Mexico.
Purpose:
To help watershed stakeholders address
environmental problems and understand what actions
can be taken to prevent and reduce water and solid
waste pollution in the Upper Pecos Watershed-
Goals:
• Help watershed stakeholders identify
environmental justice problems and involve
them in addressing concerns.
• Provide the residents and land owners with
factual information on the extent and causes
of pollution within the project area and to
suggest solutions to some of these problems.
• Help the stakeholders to build an awareness
of pollution problems; to understand the
importance of the watershed's health; to
develop a sense of ownership towards the
watershed and a stewardship attitude for all
natural resources.
Methods:
Held two workshops on water quality
problems and solid waste disposal.
Conducted field trips for elementary students
in the watershed.
• Produced an information dissemination
brochure on pollution problems and
solutions for the problems within the Upper
Pecos Watershed.
Provided a curriculum to fourth and fifth
grade elementary school students on clean
water.
Products/Results:
Held training workshops and public meetings on
pollution-related water quality problems in the
watershed due to poor resource management and
environmental law. These workshops provided
information on pollution impairments in the
watershed, as well as solutions to the pollution.
• Three workshops were held on solid waste.
• An environmental law workshop was held by
Mr. Lindsay Lovejoy of the State of New
Mexico Attorney General's Office, who is
also the Chairman of the Pecos Watershed
Association.
Four field trips were made by fourth and
fifth grade classes. The fourth graders
visited a ranch on the Pecos National
Historical Park and studied the riparian areas
at the confluence of the Pecos River and the
Glorieta Creek. They compared the water
bodies; vegetation, bank stabilization,
macroinvertibrate species and algae blooms.
They conducted some water monitoring with
assistance from the Chief Ranger at the Park.
The fifth graders saw a few sites and talked
about the ground and surface water with a
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Enter sing Tools for Local Problem-Solving
geologist from the New Mexico
Environmental Department who also
answered the students many questions.
A brochure was produced to enhance the
community's understanding of environmental
health information.
The students' understanding of surface and
ground water quality issues were enhanced
through the use in the classroom of EPA's
Drinking Water Activities for Teachers and
Students Curriculum along with the
activities from Project WET.
Successes/Strengths:
The project raised community awareness of how
detrimental improper waste handling is for the
environment. Solutions to Upper Pecos Watershed
pollution problems were also identified. A consensus
was reached to promote ground and surface water
protection and the residents are now aware that their
precious water supply is limited.
American Institute for Learning
Grant Number:
EQ-996611
Project Coordinator:
Penny Weibly
204 E. 4* Street
Austin, TX 78701
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1996
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Residents of the Civitan neighborhood in the
Montopolis area of Austin, Texas. The community is
primarily Hispanic with 36% below poverty level.
Facilitate eight to ten at-risk youths to develop work
skills and experience.
Purpose:
To address environmental justice as it pertains to
water quality via watersheds.
Goals:
• To increase public awareness.
Improve linkages with community
stakeholders.
• Train eight to ten youths on interactive
training techniques.
Methods:
• Collect data on the watershed.
• Train eight to ten at-risk youths on an
interactive tool for watershed
education/awareness.
Provide ten training sessions in the targeted
community on watershed non-point source
pollution.
Products/Results:
This project impacted the quality of the watershed by
improving the knowledge and resources of the
community residents. Three teams of AIL
participants were formed: 1) Construction team:
learned to read topographic maps. After a visual
survey of the watershed, began building a three-
dimensional model of the Country Club Creek
Watershed; 2) Education team which conducted an
environmental fair at Allison Elementary School.
After the watershed model was completed, the
education team gave several demonstrations of the
non-point source model; and 3) the Monitoring team
tested the water each week on Country Club Creek for
dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH level, and
conductivity. They also monitored the water color,
odor, clarity and algae cover.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Successes/Strengths:
Raised awareness and brought needed resources to the
area. Eighteen dropout youths were taught how to
read topographic maps; how to monitor the water
quality; how to make oral and visual presentations;
how to interpret natural resource indicators; and
some elemental problem solving techniques.
Watershed surveys reflected that participants, adults
and children were unaware of how easy it is to
contribute to polluting the water supply.
Woodland Acres Cleaner Communities for Better Health Campaign
Grant Number:
EQ-996891
Project Coordinator:
Jane Elioseff
GHASP
2476 Bolsover #126.
Houston, TX 77005
EPA Funding:
$19,898
FY 1997
Focus:
Air Quality
Target Audience:
Residential population of Woodland Acres is comprised
of 53% Latino, 43% Caucasian, and 24% each African-
American, Native American, and Asian. The median
income is $22,551,30% make less than $ 12,500, while
25% of the families live below the poverty line.
Purpose:
To develop an active Woodland Acres Chapter of
Mothers for Clean Air That would increase community
awareness of air and solid waste hazards, identify
environmental justice issues, and gather additional
information on pollution sources in or near the
community.
Goals:
Improve communication and education
regarding environmental justice issues through
computer literacy activities.
Enhance the community's understanding of air
toxic issues.
Discuss risk reduction and pollution
prevention.
Produce a calendar that will mark dates
important to the community, feature
photographs from walking tours.
Methods:
• Train five residents to use the computer for
intergroup communications and access to
environmental databases.
Organize a chapter of Mothers for Clean Air.
• Provide onsite training to children and adults
on how to recognize toxic hazards.
Wide distribution of calendars featuring
photos of local pollution problems.
Successes/Strengths:
InMay 1998, the new Woodland Acres/GPISD Chapter
of Mothers for Clean Air held its first general meeting
and the computer, fax, and printer were unveiled. Over
the summer of 1998, five people were trained to use the
Internet to research information on toxins. Two toxic
tours were planned; one for adults and one for local
fifth-graders. "Clearing the Air" was the first
environmental justice article written for the newsletter.
Community schools participated in a city-wide Clean
Air Coalition and the 1998-99 planned activities include
continuing to offer toxic tours and sponsoring a second
children's photography project. More people will be
trained to use the Internet for acquiring information
about pollution sources.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Community Health/Environmental Justice Project
Grant Number:
EQ-996912
Project Coordinator:
Yana Bland
Community Health Team
111 Wildcat Hollow
Kyle, TX 78640
EPA Funding:
$19,914
1996
Focus:
Pollution Prevention
Sponsor:
Foundatio
, for a Compassionate Society
Target Audience:
North Kelly Gardens
American.
community, 91% Mexican-
Purpose:
To address water, soil, and air pollution around Kelly
Air Force Base. The Community Health Team believes
this work will provide a model for similarly impacted
communities near U.S. military bases in addressing
high-priority environmental justice issues.
Goals:
Supplement the North Kelly Gardens Health
Study with medical profiles, toxic inventories,
and risk maps.
Improve communication and coordination
among all interested citizens primarily by
making presentations to target audiences,
including Department of Defense, the Greater
Kelly Development Corporation, Kelly AFB,
local school boards, etc.
Train locals (train-the-trainer) to identify
environmental contamination and causes; and
methods for working toward the prevention of
pollution and health hazards.
Methods:
Communicate the findings of the health study
and supplemental findings to all stakeholders.
• Improve the community's capacity to design
and implement activities that address its public
health concerns.
Enhance the understanding of environmental
and public health systems among communities
adjacent to Kelly AFB.
Become a model for other communities
affected by military-industrial contaminants.
Gain recognition for the issue of prevention
and elimination of environmental
contamination on and near military bases and
that it will be given higher priority at a
national and international level.
Successes/Strengths:
Community outreach workers met with residents of a
toxic triangle on the east side of Kelly AFB and
collected health profiles and distributed educational
flyers. Residents participated in regularly scheduled
meetings sponsored by the Committee for
Environmental Justice Action. Produced a booklet
entitled, "Contamination of Neighborhoods Near Kelly
AFB."
###
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma
Grant Number:
EQ-996814-01-0
Project Coordinator:
Phyllis Soxie
P.O. Box 470
Pawnee, OK 74058
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1997
Focus:
Water Quality
Solid Waste Disposal
Sponsor:
Pawnee Nation Business Council
Target Audience:
Pawnee Nation
Purpose:
To address water and solid waste issues within the
Pawnee Indian Country.
Goal:
Establish an education and enforcement
process within the Tribe to protect its water
resources from effects of non-point source
pollution within Pawnee Indian County.
Methods:
Develop a Tribal Solid Waste Management
Plan and Tribal Water Quality Standards.
Successes/Strengths:
Achieved an increase in the level of awareness
throughout both the Tribal and non tribal community
concerning non-point source (NFS) pollution. An
effective Tribal process is in place for educating,
reporting and enforcing all solid waste and water quality
issues. The Pawnee Tribe is now an active participant
in both the Payne County and Pawnee County Solid
Waste Management Program. There is an
environmental education process via Pawnee Blue
Thumb to provide hands-on educational activities and
environmental tips for the community.
The Tribal and non tribal people now have a localized
and tangible solid waste management program
providing for reporting, enforcing and education. The
Solid Waste Management Plan goals are to: 1) stop
illegal dumping on Pawnee
Indian Country; 2) provide Tribal rural areas access to
an economical means of disposal; 3) develop
enforcement codes for lands within Pawnee Tribal
jurisdiction; 4) develop cooperative agreements with
local, State and Federal agencies to develop provisions
for solid waste management; and 5) research and
develop waste muiimization program.
The Tribe applied for certification to establish the Tribal
Water Quality Program and Tribal Water Quality
Standards, CWA Sections 106 and 303, respectively.
The 106 certification was issued in June 1998 and the
Tribe is waiting for approval of its 303 certification.
Tribal Water Quality Standards were developed and will
be consistent with that of the State of Oklahoma.
Staff purchased an "Enviroscape Watershed" model for
hands-on NPS activities for the youth in the community.
Educational activities include:
Tribal Health Fair
• Pawnee Outdoor Classroom Day
• Youth Conservation Fan-
Tribal Meetings to present NPS
issues within the Pawnee Indian
Country
• Provide curricular support via
"Enviroscape" to local school
teachers for educating the youth on
NPSs and effects.
• Several brochures (addressing proper
application of land applied
chemicals, proper septic tank
maintenance, and general water
quality issues) were printed for
distribution in the Tribal Reserve
area, county courthouse, and other
areas.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Raw Nation of Oklahoma-Washunga Bay Cleanup Initiative
Grant Number:
EQ-996616-01-0
Project Coordinator:
Wanda Stone
Drawer 50
Kaw City, OK 74641
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1996
Focus:
Vacant Land Reuse
Target Audience:
Kaw Nation
Purpose:
To clean up and restore to original condition, an
existing "dump site" located west of the Chilocco
Indian School campus. This was an extension to the
Washunga Bay Clean up Initiative Project.
Goals:
Appoint a clean-up coordinator
Initiate bid process and select subcontractor
for manpower and equipment for cleanup
activities.
Clean up and remove household trash, metal
cabinets, desks, beds, springs, debris, cement
chunks from Kanza Reservation northeastern
boundary area adjacent to Chilocco Campus.
Restore "dump" to pristine condition.
Methods:
A coordinator was appointed.
Bids were solicited and approved in April
1998.
Ponca City Solid Waste Department
coordinated transport of waste to Ponca City
landfill.
Approximately 15 loads of scrap were
removed from the site and transported to
Ponca Iron.
Successes/Strengths:
Accomplished cleanup of four illegal
dumpsites.
it if it
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
REGION VII
GroundwaterProtection for the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska
Grant Number:
EQ997176
Project Coordinator:
Mark Versch
P. O. Box 368
Macey, NB 68039
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1997
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Residents of the reservation of the Omaha Tribe of
Nebraska
Purpose:
To protect the surface and groundwater on the
reservation or areas of surrounding water which Tribal
Members use. There were many groundwater wells
which were abandoned improperly which could
contaminate the groundwater itself, the soil around it,
and other groundwater. This also meant that the wells
could not be used in later years if needed.
Goals:
Establish an Environmental Justice program
focus within the Omaha Tribe's
Environmental Protection Department by
employing an Environmental Technician to
initiate the work activities.
Initiate a systematic inventory of abandoned
wells located within the external boundaries of
the reservation and generate a computerized
database of the information obtained.
Develop rational criteria for evaluating
abandoned well sites and produce a list of
priority well closures of those abandoned wells
that have been located.
Strengthen the cooperative working
relationship with the Papio-Missouri River
Tributaries Natural Resources District, as well
as other non-tribal units of government on the
Reservation.
Demonstrate the proper sealing of abandoned
wells (both drilled and hand dug).
Develop appropriate data storage and
management systems to permit information
analysis and reporting.
Develop the technical capability of the
Environmental Department staff of the Omaha
Tribe of Nebraska to properly fill wells to
prevent environmental contamination and
protect the safety and health of the residents on
the Reservation.
Inform and educate the members of the Omaha
Tribe, and other residents of the Reservation,
regarding the significance of properly closing
wells.
Methods:
Inventory of abandoned wells
Training of Tribal staff to close wells
• Coordination with property owners to inform
them of the process and gain permission for
closure
Communication with the Tribe at-large
regarding project
Perform closings of wells
Products/Results:
A database was established which identified all
abandoned well-sites on the Omaha Reservation.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Approximately 44 large diameter, hand-dug wells were
filled and another 65 were stabilized by removing the
pump mechanisms and associated pipes and capping
them with a locking lid. Filling the well consisted of
putting sand and chlorine inside the well to protect
groundwater, which also prevents reuse of the well.
The method of removing the pump mechanisms and
associated pipes and capping them with a locking lid
not only protects the ground water, but it allows for the
reuse of the well.
Environmental Protection Department of Nebraska took
part in fulfilling the goal of protecting the surface water
and groundwater which Tribal members use and they
also educated the community about the importance of
keeping their wells in good condition so that later
generations would be able to use the same natural
resources that the generations and forefathers before
them were able to use.
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Open Airways for Schools
Grant Number:
EQ 997056
Project Coordinator:
Terrie Magruder
1118 Hampton Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63139
EPA Funding:
$5,000
FY 1994
Focus:
Indoor/Outdoor Air
Quality
Target Audience:
Children with asthma and their families and school
nurses
Partners:
Public School Administrators, Public School Health
Service Workers and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority in East St.
Louis, Missouri.
Purpose:
To provide an interactive approach to teach children to
recognize and manage their asthma symptoms, solve
problems with medications, plan for safe participation
in physical activity and improve their academic
performances. Also, introduce Open Airways for
Schools (OAS) as a pilot program in St. Louis to
determine if it could be successful in helping children,
with assistance from their parents and school nurses,
manage their asthma.
Methods:
Enlighten parents, teachers, school nurses and
physicians about Open Airways for Schools,
an innovative, elementary school-based,
asthma education program for children ages
eight to eleven.developed by Columbia
University.
Covered six lessons related to asthma which
included: (1) Basic Information/Feelings
About Asthma; (2) Recognizing and Managing
Asthma Symptoms; (3) Solving Problems with
Medicines/Deciding How Bad Symptoms Are;
(4) Finding Triggers and Controlling Asthma;
(5) Keeping your Battery Charged~How to get
Enough Exercise; and (6) Doing Well at
School
Coordinated with the St. Louis City Public
School Administration, St. Louis City Public
School Health Services, and the Zeta Phi Beta
Sorority (a national African-American
professional women's sorority which has
adopted OAS on a national level as a service
project). The five inner-city public schools
that participated in this pilot program were
Roe, Hodgen, Mullanphy, Webster, and
Kennard.
Trained five school nurses on asthma, second
hand smoke, and indoor/outdoor air quality
(March 1994 and October 18, 1994).
Implementation of OAS began October 24,
1994 and continued through graduation on
December 3, 1994.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
• Zeta Phi Beta met with parents of the children
in OAS to collect data and qualify emergency
room visits and missed school days which
would be included in the study. This meeting
was to engage the parents and educate them on
environmental controls and the importance of
good asthma management.
Products/Results
Educated parents/teachers on environmental controls
and how they tie into good asthma management.
Specifically, the use of mattress covers and removal of
carpet to control dust mites and avoidance of smoke,
dust, pesticides, strong odors, and pet dander are
considered good asthma management. On January 24,
1995, had a follow-up meeting with nurses to collect
feedback on their experiences and perceived
effectiveness of the program. Unanimously, the nurses
agreed OAS was an important tool in teaching asthma
management.
The program was evaluated using numeric data and
professional opinions. Amongst the results were:
The median number of Emergency Room
visits for the children who participated in the
project was 1.4 visits per child per year, and in
the year after OAS it was .4 visits per child per
year.
• Children reported a significant increase in their
likelihood of taking a break from play to
prevent wheezing following completion of
OAS program intervention.
There was a significant reduction in the
number of reported missed school days
following completion of OAS program
intervention.
Children reported a significant increase in then-
likelihood to take asthma medication during
wheezing and coughing episodes following
completion of OAS intervention.
All participating partners recognized the program as
beneficial. To substantiate this endorsement, in
February 1995, ALAE, in conjunction with Washington
University and St. Louis University, applied for and
was awarded a contract with the National Heart, Lung,
Blood Institute to conduct a five-year research program
in the St. Louis City Public elementary schools.
jf it II
37
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EnvironmentaUustice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
REGION VIII
Clean Water Fund
Grant Number:
EQ998496-01
Project Coordinator:
Sherry Shadley
118 N.Broadway
Fargo, ND 58102
EPA Funding:
$10,000
FY 1996
Focus:
Environmental Stewardship
Target Audience:
Hispanic migrant farm laborers in North Dakota
Purpose:
To bridge the existing language barriers between
Hispanic farmworkers and their employers (primarily
sugar beet growers in the Red River Valley) that had
previously prevented farmworkers from gaining access
to workplace safety information and training.
Goals:
Idenlify the necessary improvements in
communication and coordination among all
responsible parties, and then work to address
disproportionately high rates of pesticide
exposure within the migrant farmworker
community.
• Motivate the general public to be more
conscious of their local environmental justice
issues and involve the community in efforts to
address these concerns to improve living and
working conditions for Hispanic migrant
farmworkers.
Methods:
• Evaluate FY 1995 grant project activities and
follow up on those activities.
. Provide "Train the Trainer" workshops to
reach 100 Hispanic community leaders with
pesticide and workplace safety training.
• Provide more intensive, one-on-one training to
Hispanic leaders to ultimately reach an
additional 500 migrant workers.
• Add a community forum component to bring
together responsible parties for a day-long
discussion to improve living and working
conditions.
Products/Results:
• Conducted a three day "Train the Trainer"
workshop in June for ten Hispanic community
leaders.
• Held a day long community forum in June
with more than 80 farmworkers and other
stakeholders participated.
• Cosponsored Hispanic Food Festival with
more than 400 Hispanic residents attending
and learning about pesticide safety and
household hazards.
• Hired a former migrant farmworker as a
summer intern and spoke with nearly 1,500
farmworkers about their issues.
Added 150 names to mailing list for future
dissemination of materials. Also used a
bilingual sign-up sheet to get feedback on
unsafe working conditions in the fields.
« Conducted educational outreach in eight
communities in North Dakota.
Successes/Strengths:
By hiring a bilingual intern, three times as many
farmworkers were reached as originally expected.
Many of the farmworkers who participated in the "train-
the-trainer" program brought their children to the
workshops and involved them in the learning which was
beneficial since often the children work in the fields
right next to their parents.
til i n
TTTTTT
38
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Native Ecology Initiative
(A Project of the Jobs & Environment Campaign in South Dakota)
Grant Number:
EQ998493-01
Project Coordinator:
Lillian Wilmore
P.O. Box 470829
Brookline Village, MA 02147
EPA Funding: Focus:
$ 10,109 Environmental Stewardship
FY 1996
Target Audience:
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation residents (low-income
communities)
Purpose:
To create a partnership between the Oglala Sioux Tribe,
Native Ecology Initiative, and Lakota community
institutions, grassroots groups and individuals.
Goals:
• To educate targeted community about
environmental regulations and their impact.
• Continue to develop environmental regulatory
codes.
• Establish a baseline environmental study.
• Provide technical assistance to write a Generic
Tribal Pesticides in Groundwater Protection
Plan.
Methods:
• Setup community meetings to do outreach and
educate people about environmental issues.
• Complete drafting of regulatory codes.
• Conduct soil surveys and assess vulnerabilities
from these surveys.
• Continue to develop and write the Generic
Tribal Pesticides in Groundwater Protection
Plan
Products/Results:
Grassroots contacts raised a number of issues about
environmental concerns which include:
3.
They asked about the quality of the drinking
water regarding radioactivity/radon issues.
They were given educational materials
produced by EPA and they were also referred
to the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Radioactivity can
be tested and people were offered test kits, but
no one wanted a kit. Research on this issue
indicates the fears about contamination from
uranium mining.
General questions about pesticides and native
plant gatherers' health and safety were raised.
This was addressed with materials from EPA
and a toll-free number was given to contact
USGS concerning malformed amphibians
(such as frogs) and the possible causes. As
required under the EPA Draft Proposed Rule
for Tribal Management Plans, a Quality
Assurance ProjectPlan (QAPP) was developed
for the FIFRA - Groundwater Protection Plan.
This activity was not one of the goals of the
project, but was completed as a sub-task under
the generic plan.
The group also did soil surveys and used
assessment to help write Generic Tribal
Pesticides in Groundwater Protection Plan.
EPA has done the formal review of the generic
plan and changes were made as recommended.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service
has also asked for changes which were
incorporated. Still awaiting courtesy
concurrence from the State of South Dakota on
the plan.
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
4. Updated the bibliography, "Environmental
Justice: An Indian Country Guide," which had
been prepared from a FY 1995 EJ Small
Grant.
Successes/Strengths:
The formation of a partnership among the three groups
to work on issues affecting their communities. Also,
the completion of the Generic Tribal Pesticides in
Groundwater Protection Plan indicates we can move
forward to work on the Pesticide Specific Plans for the
reservation. Established a Quality Assurance Project
Plan for FIFRA for the Tribe.
it ii ti
IT it"11"
National Safety Council for Wyoming and Montana
Grant Number:
EQ998490-01
Project Coordinator:
Nyki Brandon-Palermo
1019 19th Street, NW #401
Washington, DC 20036
EPA Funding:
$19,907
FY 1996
Focus:
Indoor Air Quality
Target Audience:
Mothers and children in low-income communities, low-
income minority communities, and tribal reservations
in Wyoming and Montana
Purpose:
To develop an indoor environmental community
education kit for targeted audience to empower these
communities to take additional responsibility for
improving the quality of their lives.
Goals:
Established a local advisory committee to
decide what issues need to be covered in kit.
• Created and developed an Indoor Air
Community Leader Kit.
• Provided a one-day intensive training
workshop.
• Local groups committed to do outreach
workshops to target audience after attending
the one-day training.
Methods:
• Send out letters and make calls to recruit
members to sit on local advisory committee.
. Develop first draft of the guide and continue
working with committee on changes.
Start developing a support group to participate
in one-day training.
• Provide one-day training and work with
leaders to provide outreach workshops.
• Community leaders provide evaluations and
feedback to National Safety Council on how
information is received in outreach workshops.
Products/Results:
The advisory committee consisted of professionals from
existing community groups in Montana and Wyoming,
grass-roots organizations, and others. Revisions were
made to the existing Indoor Air Community Leader Kit
to target low-income, minority, and tribal mothers and
children using the guidance, suggestions and materials
from the advisory committee. The new kits were
completed and contain a video (English and Spanish),
a slide and overhead presentation and script, fact sheets
on indoor pollutants and other materials to support
outreach programs. Eleven of the fourteen members of
the advisory committee pilot tested the kit. Each
community leader presented the kit materials three
different times to target audiences.
Successes/Strengths:
Lots of positive feedback was received from trainers on
the colorful tools used to help educate the public.
Approximately 164 people were trained during the
outreach workshops, and a commitment was made to do
a six-month and one year follow-up with the
community leaders. Community leaders received free
radon test kits and lead wipe test kits to give to their
community members. ###
40
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in Colorado
Grant Number:
EQ998672-01
Project Coordinator:
Cindy Crist
P.O. Box 448
Tpwaoc, CO 81334
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1997
Focus:
Environmental Stewardship
Target Audience:
Low-income Ute Mountain Ute Tribal members (241),
Navajo Nation members (60), and non-Native
Americans (4).
Purpose:
To identify, assess and address inequitable
environmental impacts to the White Mesa Community
from the uranium mill
Goals:
Hire an environmental consultant with
technical expertise to analyze and interpret
existing data from the mill.
Assess data results and make
recommendations to the White Mesa Council.
Develop a report that can be easily interpreted
by the community members.
Facilitate communication with community
members about the opportunities to get
involved in environmental decision making.
Promote information exchange between the
Tribe, State of Utah, Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, White Mesa Uranium Mill and
local stakeholders.
Methods:
• Hire a consultant who will have approximately
six months to complete the project.
• Obtain data from the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission and assess data and make
recommendations.
• Information exchange will be in the form of
newsletters and public meetings.
Consultant will give oral presentation to White
Mesa Ute Council at monthly board meetings
so that the public can give their feedback on
the project.
Products/Results:
Twenty-four organizations were involved in the
partnership on this grant to provide input on the
uranium mill contamination. As a result of the
assessment, the White Mesa Ute Council wrote a formal
letter to the International Uranium Corporation (IUC)
requesting: (l)a monitor for airborne radiation near the
White Mesa Community; (2) that copies of the
semiannual monitoring reports from the NRC be sent to
the Tribe; and (3) that IUC incorporate notification and
evacuation procedures for White Mesa residents into the
White Mesa Uranium Mill's emergency response plan.
Successes/Strengths:
The residents of White Mesa have become more aware
of the environmental issues associated with the White
Mesa Uranium Mill. If the IUC complies with the
requests, adequate protection to the White Mesa
Community from exposure to radiation will be
addressed.
II fjji
'It II ir
41
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Fort Belknap Indian Community Council in Montana
Grant Number:
EQ998497-01
Project Coordinator:
Ina Nez Perce
R.R. 1, Box 66
Harlem, MT 59526
EPA Funding:
$19,787
FY 1996
Focus:
Environmental Stewardship
Target Audience:
Fort Belknap Indian Reservation with resident
population of 3,600 and unemployment rate of 70%.
Purpose:
To raise environmental awareness through
information/education activities and facilitate
community partnerships which will result in action to
address local environmental concerns.
Goals:
• Increase environmental consciousness on the
reservation.
• Create a public forum to address
environmental justice issues on Indian lands in
Montana from a tribal perspective.
• Invite tribal members, as well as other tribes,
to participate in the public forum to help form
new partnerships.
Methods:
• Produce and distribute a quarterly
environmental newsletter.
• Sponsor a public forum titled, "Environmental
Justice on Indian Lands in Montana."
• Facilitate community partnerships and form
new ones with other tribal communities.
Products/Results:
Four newsletters were produced and distributed to
2,100 residents; two workshops were held to reinforce
information in newsletters. A one-day public forum
was sponsored and a video was produced from the
forum for further outreach. More than 20 new
partnerships were formed from the public forum and
other activities.
Successes/Strengths:
Expanded existing and created new partnerships as a
result of the project. Partnerships allow the community
to form a trusting relationship with the program staff
and build an environmental support network to further
common environmental causes. This also offers
credibility to the Tribal Environmental Protection
Program staffs efforts.
II IL-U-
###
42
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Utah Society for Environmental Education (USEE)
Grant Number:
EQ998678-01
Project Coordinator:
Tim Brown
350 South 400 East, Suite G4
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1997
Focus:
Environmental Stewardship
Target Audience:
Low-income and minority schools and community-at-
large located along the Jordan River Corridor.
Purpose:
To facilitate education, stewardship and use of the
Jordan River by students, teachers and the community
Goals:
Provide understanding to students of
relationship between safety of an area and the
attitude toward and use of that area.
• Provide stewardship of river area - including
control of litter and vandalism.
• Prevent illegal dumping and address problems
with water runoff.
• Address problems related to solid waste and
water quality.
Improve communication and coordination and
enhance community understanding of
environmental justice..
Establish environmental and public health
information systems for local communities.
Methods:
USEE will serve as liaison, facilitator for
schools, community groups and agencies.
• Recruit additional stakeholders and increase
partnerships.
Publish a monthly newsletter
environmental issues along the river.
on
• Conduct Teacher workshops and projects to
further education on environmental justice.
Assist students in developing feasible solutions
to river problems.
Products/Results:
Nine out of twelve schools initially identified
participated in the project. Teachers from the schools
along the Jordan River used the river to teach science,
language arts and social studies. Forty teachers
attended the USEE conference and participated in the
eight "Community Night Out" events held along the
river, and five major community projects. Project
partners were increased by more than 50 and partners
conducted outreach visits including 150 school visits
and 15 community visits.
Successes/Strengths:
As a result of this project, community projects now
have strong support and credibility. Students learned
about the environment and how to improve the
environmental quality in their communities. Students in
elementary and high school had an opportunity to
produce environmental school projects.
###
43
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
REGIONIX
Environmental Justice Youth Leadership Project
Grant Number:
EQ999495-01-2
Sponsor:
San Francisco L
Project Coordinator:
Memo Tabuso
2088 Oakdale Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94124
jf Urban Gardeners
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1996
Focus:
Environmental Stewardship
Target Audience:
The program targets three main audiences : (1)
Approximately eight at-risk youths aged 14 - 17 from
Bayview-Hunter's Point; (2) Each youth's friends,
families and community members; and (3) Local
environmental justice leaders and established
community groups, city officials, public and
environmental health officers.
Purpose:
To identify and train effective youth leaders and
community leaders who will use their newly acquired
skills and knowledge to help educate and organize the
Bayview-Hunter's Point community around
environmental justice issues.
Methods:
Train the students in presentation techniques,
public speaking, leadership and advocacy.
• Connect the environmental justice movement
with a variety of issues including food
security, siting of toxic facilities in
communities, solid waste management, and
the importance of public participation in the
decision-making process.
• Provide youth with real-life opportunities to
present their experiences and viewpoints on
issues.
Products/Results:
After learning about presentation and leadership skills,
and about environmental justice issues, the youth took
charge and organized against targeted tobacco
advertising in their community — an environmental
justice issue throughout the country. Throughout the
course, the youth presented more than 15 presentations
to public agencies, political organizations, and to local
elected officials. The students introduced a resolution
to city supervisors limiting the power of tobacco
companies on an international scale. After listening to
the youth's presentation at a public hearing, San
Francisco supervisors passed a version of the resolution
on June 15,1998. The resolution is a statement of the
will of the people of San Francisco.
SLUG created curriculum for an alternative youth
program focusing on environmental justice education,
training and leadership opportunities for high school
youth. Youth learned about environmental justice
issues in their community and had the opportunity to
design and implement solutions.
Successes/Strengths:
Students have completed one year of training in the
Environmental Justice Youth Leadership Program. At
the beginning of this project none of these students had
heard of the environmental justice movement or had
experience with the local decision -making process.
This project demonstrated that high school students can
become active members of their community and an
important voice for the environmental justice
movement. Many of the participants complained that
many times the issues discussed in their regular
classroom are not relevant to their lives. The
environmental justice movement provides a vocabulary
and familiarity that the students need to be able to voice
their concerns about what is happening in their
communities. This youth leadership project could serve
as a model for youth participation in the grassroots
movement.
44
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
The teens will use their newly acquired skills and
knowledge to help education and organize the Bayview-
-Hunter's Point community around environmental
justice issues. The next round of student leaders have
begun training and will continue working on tobacco
and other local environmental issues.
it it it
it'll'IT
Radon and Indoor Air Pollution Project
Grant Number:
EQ999682-01-0
EPA Funding:
$16,500
FY 1997
Project Coordinator:
Barbara Perkins
P.O. Box 921898
Sylmar, CA 91392-1898
Sponsor:
National Council of Negro Women in the San Fernando Valley. California
Focus:
Indoor Air Quality
Target Audience:
Low-income and minority residents of the San
Fernando Valley.
Purpose:
To reduce the public health risks of radon and indoor air
contamination by conducting radon tests and
distributing home use radon tests in the San Fernando
Valley.
Goals:
• To motivate the local community residents to
test their homes and mitigate for radon
especially in high risk areas
To educate the community on how to take
preventive action against other sources of
indoor air pollution, including second hand
smoke and carbon monoxide.
Methods:
• Partner with organizers of Black History
Month activities to increase access to
predominantly African-American residents at
highest risk of asthma and exposure to indoor
air pollution.
Set up Indoor Air Quality Information Centers
at public events and schools.
• Distribute home use radon tests to residents at
high risk of exposure to unhealthy indoor air.
Successes/Strengths:
In 1998 the National Council of Negro Women
(NCNW) sponsored the Black History Month Festival
at Los Angeles Mission College in the city of Sylmar,
California. During this festival the NCNW presented a
workshop on Indoor Air Quality and distributed
hundreds of radon test kits to low-income and minority
residents of the San Fernando Valley. The festival was
well attended reaching 300 community residents and
organizational representatives. As a result of this
project, NCNW set up similar Indoor Air Quality
Information Centers and distributed educational
information about reducing public health risks of radon
and indoor air contamination at other events later in the
year.
###
45
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Hualapai Used Oil Recycling Project
Grant Number: Project Coordinator:
EQ999693-01-3 Elena Navarro
Senior Program Manager
P.O. Box 179
Peach Springs, AZ 86434
Sponsor:
Hualapai Tribe, Department of Public Services.
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1997
Focus:
Pollution Prevention
Target Audience:
Residents, administrative departments and businesses
within the boundaries of the Hualapai Reservation that
currently change their oil and dump the used oil in the
landfill, soil or other inappropriate places.
Purpose:
To project the environment and natural habitat of tribal
lands by establishing and publicizing a used oil
recycling center.
Goals:
• The tribe expects to reduce improper disposal
and wildcat dumping of used oil and educate
the community on the link between recycling
and larger environmental issues, such as
landfill capacity and water quality.
Methods:
• The Hualapai Department of Public Services
surveyed tribal residents to assess their
knowledge about recycling and willingness to
recycle oil.
• The Tribe set up a service where used oil
could be picked up and dropped off. They
also built a "kwik" pit for customers to change
and easily recycle their motor oil.
Fifty-five gallon temporary oil storage drums
were put at sites throughout the reservation.
* Information about recycling and disposing of
used oil was disseminated in newsletters and
published in the local newspaper. The Gamyu
and community demonstrations are part of the
ongoing community outreach efforts.
Pro ducts/Results:
Oil recycling is now possible and has begun on the
reservation. The "kwik" pit opened in the Fall of 1998
and 55 gallon temporary oil storage drums were put at
sites throughout the reservation. Used oil recycling was
added to the tribe's integrated waste management plan.
Maintenance of the facilities will continue as part of
their ongoing efforts.
The primary challenge with recycling used oil is
contamination from mixing materials such as antifreeze,
water, brake fluid and other automotive fluids. To aid
in prevention of this problem, the recycling center
added other common fluids to its list of acceptable
items.
Successes/Strengths:
The Hualapai reservation is an isolated rural community
located along the south rim of the Grand Canyon in
Northern Arizona. The unemployment rate is close to
60% and a large percentage of people change their own
oil. For years people on the reservation had to drive 55
miles away to Kingman, Arizona to dispose of their
dirty used oil. Some people made this drive, but it was
more likely that the dirty oil ended up in the local
landfill, on the soil, or in other inappropriate places.
Today, residents of the Hualapai Reservation have a
cleaner and more convenient option.
This project was modelled after a similar project
completed on the Hopi Reservation and funded through
the Environmental Justice Small Grant Program the
previous year. In addition to serving as the model for
this project, the staff of the Hopi Department of Natural
Resources provided critical technical advice to the
Hualapai Tribe, resulting in a more efficient and
effective project.
###
46
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Brownfields Environmental Justice Working Group
Grant Number:
EQ-999495-01-2
Project Coordinator:
Torrie Estrada
P.O. Box 29908
Presidio Station
San Francisco, CA 94102
Sponsor:
Urban Habitat Program, San Francisco, California.
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1997
Focus:
Environmental Stewardship
Target Audience:
Residents, community groups and nonprofit
organizations representing the Bay Area's urban centers.
Purpose:
To revitalize the economy and environment in urban
communities of color throughout the Bay Area.
Without the participation of neighborhood residents,
who bring a strong awareness of the environmental
justice issues to their advocacy, the full potential of
economic and environmental revitalization may not be
realized. Urban Habitat's Brownfields Environmental
Justice Project is working to ensure that community
activists in the Bay area are at the table to incorporate
the principles of environmental justice and
sustainability into the design and implementation of
Brownfields policies and redevelopment policies.
Goals:
To ensure that community activists in the Bay
Area are at the table to incorporate the
principles of environmental justice and
sustainability into the design and
implementation of Brownfields policies and
redevelopment projects.
To help communities gain the technical
understanding to participate in a
knowledgeable and effective manner.
To develop regionally sustainable and
environmentally just strategies for Brownfields
redevelopment.
To ensure that government officials and
agency representatives involved in
Brownfields redevelopment have an
opportunity to understand and evaluate the
environmental justice issues that relate to
Brownfields redevelopment.
Methods:
• Ensure multi-stakeholder participation in the
Regional Bay Area Brownfields Working
Group, including EPA and local agency
representatives as well as community
organizations and other Brownfields
stakeholders.
Convene and facilitate regular meetings of the
Regional Bay Area Brownfields Working
Group.
Products:
• Fact sheets on Regional Brownfields Pilot
projects.
The Community Guide to Brownfields; A
regional Resource Guide on Brownfields
Revitalization.
Successes/Strengths:
Today the Regional Brownfields Working Group is a
collaboration of approximately 70 community groups
nonprofit organizations, academia, and public and
private sector representatives. The establishment of a
formal multi-stakeholder working group and the
community guidance document should serve as a model
for integrating environmental justice considerations into
Brownfields Pilot Projects nationwide. The
Brownfields working group has been successful because
it includes local government and regulatory agency
staff, community residents, environmental justice
leaders, community developers.
it ii it
il'li Ir
47
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
REGIONX
Summer on the Columbia Slough with the Portland Urban League
Grant Number:
EQ990671-01
Project Coordinator:
Michael Pullen, Director of Marketing
10 N. Russell Street
Portland, OR 97227
EPA Funding: Focus:
$20,000 Water Quality
FY 1996
Target Audience:
Residents of North Portland and Northeast Portland and
other users of the Columbia Slough.
Purpose:
To help constituents safeguard their natural
environment by focusing on a local waterway that
illustrates several environmental justice issues.
Goals:
* To introduce residents to the Slough, its
problems and the groups and agencies that are
working to solve them.
• To help establish permanent information
sources about local pollution
Methods:
• Sponsor a series of special events at the
Slough to Increase community awareness of
the Slough.
• Build a sense of community ownership and
demonstrate the scope of environmental
problems in the Slough. Some of the events
include: Community History Day, Community
Tree Planting Day, Community Outreach Day,
and Reclaim the Slough Day.
Products/Results:
More than 370 local residents, youth and community
leaders participated in the events. More than 1,230
community members were directly informed or
contacted. Television and print news coverage brought
the issues and activities around the Slough to the people
of the Portland metropolitan region. Created a database
of 90 organizations and contacts. .
Successes/ Strengths:
Surveys indicated that 65% knew nothing at all before
the program, and 79% rated the issues as high or
somewhat high priority after the program. Partnered
with local and regional agencies influencing the
Columbia Slough. Established collaborative
relationships with a number of community
organizations.
II it It-
###
48
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Ground Water Testing in the Toppenish Basin of the Yakima Indian Reservation
Grant Number: Project Coordinators:
EQ990918-01 Virginia Brown, Chan-
Science and Mathematics
Hossein Divanfard, PhD,
Professor of Chemistry
Heritage College, Project Director
3240 Fort Road
Toppenish, WA 98948
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1997
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Stakeholder members of the Yakima Indian
Reservation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the
Indian Health Service.
Purpose:
To address potential groundwater contamination in the
Toppenish Basin of the Yakima Indian Reservation.
Water samples from wells were collected and analyzed
to determine the amount of chemical contamination
they contain from agricultural irrigation, applications of
fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and other chemical
treatments.
Goals:
To enhance community understanding of
environmental and public health information
systems, and generate information on pollution
in the community.
Facilitate communication and information
exchange, student involvement in science and
the environment, and create partnerships
among stakeholders to address
disproportionate, high and adverse
environmental exposure to chemicals.
Methods:
Heritage College environmental science
students were trained to monitor 20 testing
sites. Testing took place for more than a 10-
month time period. The final month allowed
for analysis and presentation of the results.
Products/Results:
More than 300 water samples were taken from around
the Toppenish Basin to determine the quality of the
drinking water. Able to identify areas where residents
are exposed to contaminated drinking water and target
areas for further work. A cadre of trained
environmental science students are now qualified to
participate in periodic ongoing water quality control
activities of the Yakima Indian Nation. A better-
informed resident population. The information helps
monitor the health of humans and wildlife in the
community.
Successes/ Strengths:
Involved a diverse group of environmental science
students and provided them with hands-on experience.
Encouraged minority students to pursue careers in
science and the environment. Strengthened
partnerships and understanding of local groundwater
issues. The results will serve to provide information in
a plan for long-term safe drinking and irrigation water.
###
49
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Quality from the Kootenai Landfill Area
Grant Number: Project Coordinators:
EQ990665-01 Ernest L. Stengar, Chairman
Coeur d'Alene Tribal Counsel,
David Barr, Natural Resources Division
Route l,Box 11-F.A.
Plummer, ID 83851
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1996
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Kootenai County Commissioners and staff and local
residents.
Purpose:
To examine the operations of the Kootenai County
Fighting Creek Landfill to determine if there was a need
for modifications which would reduce or eliminate the
emissions of gas and the resulting odors.
Goals:
• To address the issue of the methane-like gas
emitted from the Fighting Creek Landfill, and
to coordinate the development of a common
ground for resolving the odor problem.
• To obtain an unbiased report assessing the
environmental issues relating to the Landfill.
Methods:
• Surveys were done to determine what effects
the emissions from the site had on these
residents.
• A formal monitoring site using EPA
equipment determined the makeup of the
emissions.
A summary report was prepared showing the
trends from the water monitoring data taken by
the Fighting Landfill Staff. Provided the
information to the downstream residents as a
continuing education process. The tribe took
water samples on a monthly basis and
incorporated into a final report.
Products/Results:
An "Assessment of Noxious Landfill Odors" study was
completed. Articles were printed in the local
newspapers, the Press, Roundup, the Handle and
Kootenai County. This report was retained to develop
an unbiased report showing what measures could be
taken by the landfill to upgrade the collection and
burning of the landfill gases.
Successes/ Strengths:
As a result of community involvement, attendance at
county commissioner meetings, the Commissioners
have agreed to address the problem. Education and
outreach addressing a local
Environmental issue.
###
50
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
The Native Village ofKwinhagak
Grant Number:
EQ990443-01
Project Coordinator:
Mr. Wassilie Bavilla, President
Wurnhagak IRA Council
Quinhagak, AL
Anthony Caole
General Delivery
Quinhagak, AK 99655
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1995
Focus:
Water Quality
Target Audience:
Tribal Community, Visitors and Sportsmen
Purpose:
The purpose is to lower the levels of coliform and
enterococci bacteria in the Kanektok River caused by
waste left from sport fishermen and campers. The
waste may cause potential health hazards if the
untreated water is consumed. A program is needed to
educate all users of the surrounding river area of the
importance of controlling and reducing all types of
waste. This grant enabled the Council to take a
proactive step toward eliminating the health risks
associated with fecal contamination of the village's
water.
Goals:
• To eliminate the health risks associated with
fecal contamination in the Kanektok River.
This will allow the local villagers continue to
use the river for fresh untreated drinking water
without a threat to their health.
To educate users of the river on ways to
control and reduce waste.
Methods:
A River Ranger program will educate the sport
fishermen, floaters, boaters, campers, and
other nonresident users to the effects of
leaving waste.
The Knock & Talk method is used to inform
users of the rules and regulations on the river.
Products/Results:
As a result of the River Ranger's efforts, the Council
expects to see fewer instances of trash left behind, of
fish left on the banks to rot, and of improperly disposed
of human waste. Students were also involved in
development of an educational brochure.
Successes/Strengths:
The River Ranger gave warnings on the Wilderness
Boundary lines and informed other River Rangers as to
the regulations, therefore reducing the trespass
violators. Newly distributed trash containers were
always full, indicating that the plan has been working to
minimize waste. The River Ranger informed people of
the new regulations while distributing brochures with
the listed goals.
###
51
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Correlation of Environmental Pollution Assaults on Minority Health and Disease
in Pierce County
Grant Number: Project Coordinators:
EQ990674-01 Thomas Dixon, President
Tacoma Urban League,
Gary D. Winston, Vice President
Program Services, Tacoma Urban League
2550 South Yakima Avenue
Tacoma, WA 98405
EPA Funding:
$20,000
FY 1996
Focus:
Pollution Prevention
Target Audience:
Minority and low-income communities of Pierce
County, the Tacoma area, and the Puyallup Indian
Nation reservations
Purpose:
To assess environmental contaminant levels in air,
water, and soil for Tacoma-area industrial facilities and
examine the health risks of these pollution levels to
minority and low-income residents.
Methods:
• Collection and consolidation of environmental
databases that contain information on
facilities, contaminated sites, and air and water
pollution data.
Gather health data from hospitals, clinics from
the surrounding area.
• Identify low-income and minority population
in the County using census information.
• Develop methods and analyze data relative to
the target population.
Initiate community outreach, education, and
training in pollution prevention.
Products/Results:
This study examined the clusters of contaminated
facilities in Tacoma in relation to the clusters of
diseases in the Salishan low-income minority
community. The report titled, "A Study on the
Correlation of Environmental Contamination Effects on
the Salishan Low-Income and Minority Community of
Tacoma, WA." includes a number of maps, tables and
data used in the analysis. The study indicated that there
is a disproportionately higher incidence of disease
within Salishan when compared to all of Tacoma and
Pierce County.
Successes/ Strengths:
Increased community awareness and understanding of
environmental justice issues through workshops,
newspaper articles, and other outreach efforts.
Involvement of students and local residents in
evaluating the information and educating the
community in pollution prevention. The identification
of local environmental health threats and
recommendations for further action in the diverse low-
income Salishan community.
###
52
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Appendix A
Index to Projects by State Location
PROJECT LOCATION
Alabama
Alaska . . .
Arizona
California
Colorado
District of Columbia
Georgia
Illinois
Massachusetts
Michigan .
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Dakota
Ohio ....
Oklahoma
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Utah
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming
PAGE
NUMBER
53
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Appendix. B
Index to Projects by Focus Area
FOCUS AREA
Air Quality
Environmental Stewardship
Lead & Carbon Monoxide
Education
Pollution Prevention
Vacant Land Reuse
Water Quality
STATE: v; '. .rc^^^iW'''-^
California
lissouri
lontana
Texas
Jyomi ng
Alabama
California
Colorado
District of Columbia
Georgia
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
Montana
New York
North Dakota
Ohio
South Dakota
Tennessee
Utah
Maryland
Massachusetts
Virginia
Wisconsin
Arizona
New Hampshire
Texas
Washington
Rhode Island
I llinois
Oklahoma
Alaska
Connecticut
Idaho
Maryland
Minnesota
Nebraska
New Jersey
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Oregon
South Carolina
Texas
Washington
PMg:;r* iHl
45
30
40
31
40
19
44,47
41
13
17
6
23
16
42
9
38
25
39
18
43
12,14
4
11
27
46
8
32
52
7
21
34
51
5
50
15
24,26
35
10
29
33
48
20
30
49
54
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Appendix C
EPA Regional Offices and State Breakdown
EPA Regional Offices and
State Breakdown
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
AL
AK
AZ
AR
CA
CO
CT
DE
DC
FL
GA
HI
ID
IL
IN
IA
KS
KY
LA
IV
X
IX
VI
IX
VIII
1
III
III
IV
IV
IX
X
V
V
VII
VII
IV
VI
Mains
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
Now Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Dragon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
ME I
KS !"
Ml V
MN V
MS rv
MO VII
MT VIII
NE VII
NV IX
NJ II
NM VI
NY II
NC IV
NO VIII
OH V
OK VI
OR X
R? !"
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
American Samoa
Canal Zone
Guam
Puerto Rico
Trust Territories
Virgin Islands
SO IV
SO VIII
TN IV
TX VI
VT l""
VA III
WA X
WV III
Wl V
WY VIII
ci 1X
^ !?
TT
VI II
Region II
NH
Rl
VT
NJ
NY
PR
VI
RogtonlV AL
GA
KY
MS
NC
SC
TN
Region VI AR
NM
OK
TX
Region VIII CO
MT
NO
SD
UT
WY
Region IX AZ
CA
HI
NV
AS
GU
Region X AK
ID
OR
WA
55
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
Appendix D
Environmental Justice Grant Contacts
Region I
Region 2
Region 3
Region 4
Region 5
Region 6
Region 7
Region S
Region 9
Region 10
Connecticut, Maine. Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
Ronnie Harrington, (617) 918-1703
USEPA Region 1 (SAA)
One Congress Street - 11th Floor
Boston, MA 02114-2023
New Jersey N&v York, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands
Natalie Loney (212)637-3639
USEPA Region 2
290 Broadway, 26th Floor
New York, NY 10007 ,
Delaware District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
Reginald Harris. (215) 814-2988
USEPA Region 3 (MC-3ECOO)
1650 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Tennessee
Gloria Love (404) 562-9672
USEPA Region 4
61 Forsyth Street, SW
Atlanta, GA 30303-8960
Illinois Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin
Margaret Millard (312) 353-1440
USEPA Region 5 (MCT-175)
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60604-3507
Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
Teresa Cooks (214) 665-8145
USEPA Region 6 (6EN)
1445 Ross Avenue, 12th Floor
Dallas, Texas 75202-2733
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska
Althea Moses (913) 551-7649 or 1-800-223-0425
USEPA Region 7
726 Minnesota Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66101
Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming
Nancy Reish (303) 312-6040
USEPA Region 8 (8ENF-EJ)
999 18th Street, Suite 500
Denver, CO 80202-2466
Arizona. California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam
KatyWilcoxen (415)744-1565
USEPA Region 9 (A-2-2)
75 Hawthorne Street ,
San Francisco, CA 94105
Alaska, Idaho. Oregon, Washington
Susan Morales (206) 553-8580
USEPA Region 10(MD-142) ;
1200 Sixth Avenue !
Seattle, WA 98101
National Program Manager
Mary S. Settle (202) 564-2594
USEPA Headquarters
401 M Street, SW MC 2201A
Washington, DC 20460
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Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Emerging Tools for Local Problem-Solving
To Order Copies
ADDITIONAL COPIES ARE AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE BY CONTACTING:
National Center for Environmental Publications and Information (NCEPD
P.O. Box 42419
Cincinnati, Ohio 45242-2419
Telephone: 1-800-490-9198.
Fax: 513-489-8695
When ordering, please include the following EPA publication number: EPA 200-R-99-001
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