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EPA's Environmental
Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
2201A
Washington, DC 20460
EPA 300-R-06-002
December 2006
www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustice
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Welcome Message
In just a short time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental
Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (CPS) Program has grown and evolved. The
backbone of this exciting new program is the Environmental Justice Collaborative
Problem-Solving Model (CPS Model).
EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model is a handbook for all
stakeholders to understand the basic tenets of the CPS Model and, through practical
examples, it describes how the CPS Model is used to address environmental and/or
public health issues in distressed communities.
The Office of Environmental Justice presents an overview of the CPS Model in this pub-
lication in order to share this dynamic approach with all environmental justice stakeholders.
We invite you to explore the CPS Model and see how it can work for your community.
Barry E. Hill, Director
Office of Environmental Justice
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CPS Element 1: Issue Identification, Community Vision,
and Strategi c Goa I -Sett i ng 6
CPS Element 2: Community Capacity Building and
Leadership Development 9
CPS Element 3: Consensus Building and Dispute Resolution 10
CPS Element 4: Multi-Stakeholder Partnership and
Leveraging of Resources 12
CPS Element 5: Constructive Engagement by Relevant
Stakeholders 13
CPS Element 6: Sound Management and Implementation 15
CPS Element 7: Evaluation, Lessons Learned, and
Replication of Best Practices 16
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Chapter 1:
Introduction
In 2004, the Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) developed a grant program to provide direct financial and
technical assistance to selected community-based organizations. OEJ established a
cooperative agreement program around the framework of the Environmental Justice
Collaborative Problem-Solving Model (CPS Model). The concepts of collaborative problem-
solving were initially examined by EPA and other federal agencies through the Federal
Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Environmental Justice after gathering accomplishments
and many lessons learned from the IWG's 30 demonstration projects in communities around
the country. Since then, OEJ has developed the CPS Model into an effective approach to
addressing local environmental and/or public health issues in a collaborative manner with
various stakeholders such as communities, industry, academic institutions, and others.
Through OEJ, EPA created the CPS Model as part of its ongoing commitment to ensure
environmental justice for all communities, including low-income and/or minority commu-
nities. Ensuring environmental justice means not only protecting human health and the
environment for everyone, but also ensuring that all people are treated fairly and given
the opportunity to participate meaningfully in the development, implementation, and
enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
Environmental and/or public health issues arise in urban, rural, and tribal communities
that are environmentally, economically, and socially distressed. Situations where communi-
ty residents are exposed disproportionately to environmental harms and risks require the
application of science (both physical and social), environmental and civil rights law, public
policy, urban planning, and other academic disciplines pertaining to community health,
community development, natural resource management, and dispute resolution. These sit-
uations, more often than not, fall outside of the regulatory or programmatic responsibilities
of any single governmental agency. It is virtually impossible for any single organization,
institution, or sector of society, no matter how large or well established, to adequately
address the environmental and/or public health problems experienced by communities.
Considerable progress has been made since Executive Order 12898 (Federal Actions to
Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations,
issued on February 11, 1994) to address environmental and/or public health conditions
in communities around the country. Despite this progress, however, some communities
still lack the means to address the complex, interrelated factors related to environmental
justice, such as environmental, public health, economic, and social concerns. Thus,
OEJ began exploring the use of collaborative problem-solving to provide a systematic
approach for communities to build partnerships with other stakeholders to improve their
environmental and/or public health conditions in local areas.
Introduction
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The EPA's Environmental Justice
Collaborative Problem-Solving Model is
designed to give readers a basic under-
standing of the CPS Model and how it can
be used to address local environmental
and/or public health issues. This booklet
will provide an overview of the CPS Model
and its relationship to the Environmental
Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving
Cooperative Agreement Program (EJ CPS Program) and how some communities are
already using the CPS Model successfully around the United States. A basic overview of
the CPS Model is discussed in Chapter 3, followed by several sections devoted to each
of the CPS Model's seven elements.
This publication is intended for a diverse audience of environmental justice stakehold-
ers, including: 1) community-based organizations, 2) federal, state, tribal and local gov-
ernments, 3) industry, 4) non-governmental organizations, and 5) academia. It provides
insights on how such entities can work together to use the CPS Model's techniques to
address environmental and/or public health issues in local communities. In addition,
this document can be used by EPA staff and members of the public who are interested
in EPA's EJ CPS Program, which is further discussed in Chapter 5.
EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
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Chapter 2:
Collaborative Problem-Solving
and Environmental Justice
B
efore examining to the CPS Model in great detail, this chapter discusses the con-
cept of collaborative problem-solving and the need for partnership-building to
address multi-stakeholder interests and concerns related to environmental justice.
Collaborative problem-solving simply means that various stakeholders agree to work
together to address a particular issue or concern. In situations involving environmental
justice issues, stakeholders often have to reconcile divergent interests in order to address
complex and interrelated environmental, public health, economic, and social problems in
local communities. Many of these problems are deeply rooted and difficult to resolve
without the concerted effort and active participation of all the stakeholders. When multi-
ple stakeholders work together, they create a collective vision that reflects mutually bene-
ficial goals for all parties. Such collaboration fosters the conditions that enable the par-
ties to mobilize the resources necessary to realize stronger, more lasting solutions.
Collaborative problem-solving, in the context of environmental justice, involves proactive,
strategic, and visionary community-based processes that bring together multiple parties
from various stakeholder groups (e.g., community groups, all levels of government, indus-
try, and academia) to develop solutions to address local environmental and/or public health
issues. Partnerships and negotiations are required to achieve such a goal. Partnerships
refer to arrangements by which different stakeholders work together to achieve a common
goal. These partnerships can range from informal working relationships to very structured
arrangements in which goals, membership, ground rules, and operating principles are
clearly defined. Negotiations refer to processes, ranging from informal to formal, by
which different stakeholders agree to come together and resolve disagreements.
The next chapter describes the CPS Model and its seven elements. The CPS Model is a
flexible approach that can be applied to many situations that require collaboration but is
particularly useful when dealing with environmental justice issues that are complex and
involve many stakeholders, and where conflicts need to be resolved. There are many
benefits to using the CPS Model. For instance, it provides a framework for leveraging
the necessary human, social, intellectual, technical, legal, and financial resources to
make long-term progress in communities disproportionately affected by environmental
and/or public heath issues. Also, the CPS Model encourages consensus-building process-
es and skills to help ensure successful collaborations and negotiations. Finally, it
addresses the ongoing capacity-building needs of community-based organizations, as
well as those of government, industry, academia, and civic organizations.
Collaborative Problem Solving and Environmental Justice
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Chapter 3:
The Collaborative Problem-
Solving Model
The CPS Model represents a systematic, community-based approach for stakehold-
ers to achieve lasting solutions to local environmental and/or public health issues
or concerns. It provides the framework for the CPS Program, which is
discussed in Chapter 5.
There are seven elements in the CPS Model. These elements can be used in distressed
communities where people are committed to working together to bring about positive
change. Each element is discussed in detail in the sections that follow.
Community
Vision
& Strategic
Goal-Setting
Community
Capacity-Building
& Leadership
Development
N
Evaluation, Lessons
Learned & Replication
of Best Practices
Elements of the
Collaborative
Problem-Solving
Model
Consensus Building
& Dispute
Resolution
7
Sound
Management
& Implementation
Constructive
Engagement
by Relevant
Stakeholders
Multi-Stakeholder
Partnerships &
Leveraging of
Resources
These elements are cross-cutting and interdependent and should be utilized in a proactive,
strategic, and iterative manner. Determining which elements to undertake, and in what
order, can vary greatly, however, depending upon the unique facts and circumstances sur-
rounding each environmental and/or public health issue. Not all the elements are required
to be used in every situation. Rather, the CPS Model and its seven elements can be
viewed as a "tool box" filled with different tools that can be used as needed.
The CPS Model has been used successfully in many situations around the country. The
seven elements can help pave the way for anyone interested in bringing environmental
justice to their community. For instance, Chapter 4 describes how the CPS Model was
used effectively in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where a community-based organization
The Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
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called ReGenesis brought together the community, government, and industry to overcome
tremendous obstacles to realize a vision of addressing long-standing local environmental,
public health, and socio-economic ills. In doing so, all the stakeholders took part in
improving the community's quality of life and creating the potential for economic growth
and sustainability. Each of the sections that follow refers to the ReGenesis example.
Furthermore, Chapter 5 briefly describes how the CPS Model is being applied by other
communities through the EJ CPS Program.
The first element involves identifying the problem, such as environmental contamination;
envisioning possible solutions; and then setting goals to achieve those solutions.
Situations in which community residents are exposed disproportion-
ately to environmental risks and harms invariably involve complex
issues. Community-based organizations should think strategically to
ensure that their community's limited resources are mobilized effec-
tively to achieving priority goals. Involving the broader community
in strategic planning activities usually leads to greater clarity in set-
ting goals, establishing common understanding and trust, and hon-
ing the ability to act collectively. Strategies should not only address
the problem but also lead to greater community capacity, viable
partnerships, and more resources being leveraged.
Most organizations or partnerships start with an awareness of a prob-
lem. People come together when they realize that something is
wrong. At some point, individual concerns transform into an organ-
ized community effort to address those concerns. The concerns can
include "substantive issues," such as the high incidence of asthma
or higher than normal rates of lead poisoning in children. They also
can include "process issues," such as lack of meaningful involvement in the decision-mak-
ing processes of government or industry.
Collaborative problem-solving seeks to move beyond identifying environmental and/or pub-
lic health problems to formulating viable strategies to address and resolve them. This goal
is realized by: 1) creating a vision that articulates the desired outcomes to be achieved,
and 2) developing a strategy that identifies the actions needed to produce such results.
In a visioning process, the participants think about what they want their community to
eventually look like. In essence, the community visualizes what their own version of a
CPS Element 1 at a glance:
Build upon existing leadership and
experience in the community.
Involve community residents early
in identifying concerns.
Identify partners.
Build on community plans and
goals.
Involve community residents in
planning and goal-setting (e.g.,
forums, workshops).
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healthy and sustainable community might be. Focus groups, leadership forums, retreats,
and planning charettes can be used to accomplish this process. The visioning process
helps to establish the community's goals. They serve as the basis for subsequent plan-
ning and action. Ideally, the vision should reflect the aspirations of the whole community
rather than a small group of individuals.
Using stories or images can effectively communicate a community's goals to others.
Stories or images also can help all stakeholders understand the community's environ-
mental and/or public health concerns.
Goals should be based on a community's vision of a healthy and sustainable community.
They are formulated as specific solutions or desired outcomes to the particular public
health and/or environmental problems identified. Goals should be strategic and accomplish
several objectives simultaneously. Through a visioning process, community organizations
develop a vision of their aspirations of a healthy and sustainable community. Specific
goals in areas such as environmental cleanup, transportation, economic development,
housing, public safety, green space development, and health/medical care are components
of that vision. For instance, here is ReGenesis' goal statement with several components:
The goal of the ReGenesis Redevelopment Project in the
Arkwright-Forest Park communities of Spartanburg's South Side is to prepare a plan
of action for this 500-acre site, which has been adversely affected by pollutants from
industry and landfills.
» Environmental objective: To provide a healthy and safe community that is free of air
and water pollution caused by industrial facilities and landfill sites.
» Housing objective: To provide good housing conditions for existing and potential new
residents. Where relocations are deemed necessary in order to clean up industrial
pollution, relocation housing should be made available within the immediate area.
» Community objective: To provide community facilities which will not only serve the
immediate ReGenesis neighborhoods, but will also have a regional benefit drawing
diverse populations and interests.
» Transportation objective: To enhance the community with improved vehicular and
pedestrian access - especially emergency services - as well as local and regional
access for shopping and employment opportunities.
» Infrastructure objective: To provide the same high level of service for power, water,
sewer, and telephone as are prevalent in Spartanburg neighborhoods.
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• Economic objective: To ensure stable economic growth with a sound environment to
improve economic conditions for residents.
• Implementation objective: To establish an implementation strategy to ensure that the
Redevelopment Plan is carried out in a timely fashion.
Techniques to identify issues, cre-
ate a vision, and set goals:
Build upon existing leadership and
expertise in the affected community.
Conduct local outreach, education,
fact-finding, and assessment.
Involve affected residents early to
identify issues and concerns.
Identify potential partners from all
stakeholder groups.
Build upon a strong understanding
community history and practices.
of
Collaboration between different stakeholder groups, government
agencies, and academic disciplines is critical to coalescing a
community's vision and goals. Mapping tools, like Geographic
Information Systems (GIS), represent one way to foster such col-
laboration. GIS enables stakeholders to appreciate the conditions
and issues of the particular community. Once the information is
compiled and configured, GIS maps can also become effective
tools for integrated problem-solving. GIS tools allow for the
simultaneous examination of the physical and social environ-
ments, as well as the natural and human-made environments.
GIS tools also help to overcome fragmentation by promoting inte-
grated approaches to problem-solving across different agencies
and disciplines.
Community groups also should pay close attention to power imbal-
ances during the process of setting goals. For instance, more
powerful groups often exert pressure to further their own agendas.
"Who sets the agenda?" is an important question. It speaks to
the issue of ensuring that the community defines its own prob-
lems, understands its own vision and interests, and develops its
own agendas and strategies. Likewise, community-based organi-
zations should realize that non-community stakeholder groups and
outside experts will provide good ideas and needed information.
Finally, the community group should not underestimate the value
of building strategic relationships with potential partners early on. These relationships
can come into play later when such partners are needed to help implement a vision.
Planning charettes are effective tools for bringing together community residents, government
leaders, and experts to translate the community's aspirations into realistic visions. In addi-
tion to a structured schedule and an open process for participation, the charette includes
three defined mechanisms: 1) idea generation; 2) decision making; and 3) problem-solving.
In Chapter 4, ReGenesis used a charette exercise sponsored by the Department of Energy to
engage all of Spartanburg's stakeholders, particularly the local residents, in a visioning
process to shape their new community (see page 26).
Build upon a clearly articulated com-
munity vision of its goals.
Employ tools for involving affected res-
idents in planning project activities.
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The second element calls for what's known as community "capacity building," which
means finding a way to provide interested parties such as residents with the skills, infor-
mation, and resources they need to achieve their goals.
Once a community-based organization has identified an environmental and/or public
health concern, it must:
• Educate itself about the issue
« Gather appropriate information about the issue
« Conduct assessments regarding the causes of and potential solutions to the problem
« Identify and mobilize persons and organizations who can provide technical assistance
• Educate residents about the problem and involve them in formulating solutions
and strategies
Community-based organizations devote considerable time and resources to educating
community residents on a multitude of issues. They provide
awareness and understanding not only of the environmental and/or
public health issues at stake, but also the government policies
and programs, industry practices, potential solutions, remedies,
and other areas of concern.
Community education activities often focus on the scientific, legal,
and policy aspects of environmental and/or public health impacts.
When community residents develop a greater understanding of their
own environmental and/or public health concerns, they have a better
understanding of the options available to address these concerns.
As a result, they acquire a greater capacity to meaningfully engage in
negotiations or participate in other decision-making processes.
However, building community capacity also includes addressing
organizational development and management issues. Just how well
a community-based organization is managed affects the overall suc-
cess of a community-based collaboration with other stakeholders.
Basic management issues, such as organizational governance,
financial management, and personnel policies, are critical. Any
community-based organization that has matured to the point of adopting a proactive,
strategic vision must address issues of organizational development.
CPS Element 2 at a glance:
Build upon community efforts/work.
« Identify ways to work with community
needs.
• Ensure community leaders and mem-
bers have the ability to participate in
collaborative problem-solving processes.
« Provide training, mentoring, technical
help, and funding support.
• Nurture the leadership skills of key
individuals in a project.
« Build trust.
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Techniques to boost community
capacity building:
Tailor specific capacity-building activi-
ties to community assets and project
goals.
Community-based organizations require resources and training to focus on organizational
development and management needs. Institutions such as universities, civic organiza-
tions, and government agencies can help meet some of these
organizational development and management needs, but the com-
munity-based organization should proactively develop its own
independent organizational capacity and infrastructure.
Institute training, mentoring, and
technical assistance activities.
Provide training to those community
representatives directly involved in col-
laborative problem-solving processes.
Develop sustainable processes that
ensure capacity building and leader-
ship development for community
residents in the future.
Most importantly, leadership development is the key ingredient to
community capacity building. Though the attributes are unique to
each individual, the essential qualities of leadership strengthen a
person's ability to think strategically, create a vision, manage
processes, communicate effectively, build consensus, and achieve
results. In many cases, it takes only one person to change the
course of action in a community, and yet it is the task of the entire
community to grow its own leaders to continue to serve as their
champions. In the ReGenesis example in Chapter 4, the qualities
of leadership are embodied in Harold Mitchell, who steadfastly
brought his community to the table and built a vibrant partnership
with government and industry to resolve the nagging environmental,
health, economic, and social problems that plagued Spartanburg for
decades (see page 21). By empowering the community—particular-
ly engaging the youth in leadership and job skills training—Spartanburg is assured of a
new crop of leaders to sustain their future progress.
CPS Element 3 at a glance:
• Ensure partnering organizations are
treated fairly and can participate.
« Build trust.
« Establish a common set of ideas and
plans to address concerns.
• Help organizations develop agree-
ments.
« Resolve conflicts; use techniques like
dispute resolution when necessary.
The third element entails "consensus building" and "dispute reso-
lution," which means finding effective ways of making group deci-
sions, involving all appropriate parties and, when necessary,
resolving disagreements. This is perhaps one of the most complex
and challenging elements in the CPS Model.
Even though this is presented as the third element in the Model, it
represents an ongoing process that generally begins prior to vision-
ing and goal-setting and continues throughout any collaboration.
What is consensus building? Collaborative problem-solving efforts
involve decision making by consensus. Such processes encourage
all participating stakeholders to seek common ground and derive
mutual gains. Building consensus means seeking agreement
among different and, often times, competing interests. In the col-
laborative problem-solving process, consensus building meets the
EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
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needs and interests of each member of the group and requires members to work togeth-
er to seek creative solutions. While building consensus is important to reaching agree-
ments, it also serves to create and strengthen the relationships that form the basis for
current and future collaborations.
Collaborative problem-solving efforts involve decision making by
consensus. Such processes encourage all participating stakehold-
ers to first build and bridge trust in order to seek common ground
and derive mutual gains. In the collaborative problem-solving
process, consensus building meets the needs and interests of each
member of the group and requires members to work together to
seek creative solutions.
Using consensus-building processes to achieve common goals also has
the secondary effect of enhancing the problem-solving capacity and
leadership skills of the key players. Overcoming challenges involving
extreme stress is like going through a "ring of fire," from which an
individual emerges stronger and clearer than before. Additionally,
relationships among stakeholder groups are strengthened.
What is dispute resolution? Invariably, conflicts arise in some
cases. Where there is disagreement, dispute resolution processes
can be used to work through conflicts. A dispute happens when a
conflict between different parties has reached an impasse. To
resolve disputes, there is a full spectrum of techniques for which
parties have varying levels of control over the process and out-
comes, depending upon the particular process used. Dispute resolution processes are
both adjudicative (e.g., litigation or arbitration) and consensual (e.g., mediation or
negotiation) in nature.
The following dispute resolution processes support the consensus-building approach: 1)
unassisted negotiation, 2) facilitation, 3) mediation, 4) neutral fact-finding, and 5) the
use of an ombudsperson. These processes provide the parties with greater control over
the process and outcomes. Communities and other stakeholders seeking to address
adverse and disproportionate environmental and/or public health issues can benefit from
a greater understanding of these processes. Such processes are often needed in cases
involving disproportionate environmental and/or public health impacts
Other essential components. There are other important components to note in this ele-
ment of the CPS Model. The first is to correctly assess the conflict at hand. Conflict
assessments are structured analyses that can be used to make informed decisions prior
to and/or during consensus-building and dispute resolution processes. While assessing
the conflict, disagreements about facts or the interpretation of data may arise in virtual-
ly all situations involving disproportionate environmental and/or public health issues.
When such disagreements occur, the stakeholders can jointly choose to use an expert or
Techniques to build consensus
and resolve disputes:
Design processes, both formal and infor-
mal, to ensure fair treatment and mean-
ingful participation of all stakeholders.
Promote the development of a common
vision and goals among all partners.
Utilize facilitators or mediators to
assist in the communication and
negotiation processes.
Identify, nurture, and promote win/win
scenarios and mutual gains.
Utilize alternative dispute resolution
techniques to resolve crystallized
disputes.
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team of experts to conduct fact-finding in a neutral manner. Another key component
when coming to consensus is to factor in contingency conditions that ensure agreements
are implemented or enforced. Such conditions can provide for monitoring of the agree-
ment or can trigger certain activities to occur if certain circumstances arise.
The stronger and more effective the overall collaborative process is, the greater positive
impact it will have on the group's ability to resolve disputes. Chapter 4 illustrates this
point; ReGenesis and Rhodia, Inc. used a dispute resolution technique called a facilitated
dialogue, which used a neutral third-party to assist in crystallizing the issues and finding
mutually agreeable long term solutions (see page 27). The dispute involved community
concerns about the Rhodia chemical manufacturing facility, which the community
believed had caused environmental impacts and is located in the middle of a redevelop-
ment area that the community's revitalization plans envisioned. The community and the
company entered into a facilitated dialogue that produced several actions by the compa-
ny, including ground water testing, odor control, emergency preparedness exercises, and
support for community redevelopment efforts. Because this dialogue took place in the
context of a well-developed community vision, the participants explored a wide range of
options that addressed the community's concerns as well as the company's interests.
CPS Element 4 at a glance:
• Talk early and often with possible
partners who need to be involved in
addressing concerns.
• Create a common vision, goals and
objectives among the partners.
« Develop a clear and workable plan to
address identified issues.
• Identify and invite partners to share
their resources (e.g., human, institu-
tional, technical, legal, financial).
« Look for new partners to help address
issues as new issues and needs are
identified.
The fourth element involves creating partnerships with key stake-
holders. Environmental justice efforts across the nation have pro-
duced some remarkable partnerships between communities, faith
groups, philanthropic organizations, universities, all levels of gov-
ernment, business and industry, and academia. These partner-
ships seek to examine problems together, develop action plans,
and bring together the resources necessary to achieve everyone's
goals. But exactly which stakeholders come together and
when/how is unique to each situation or circumstance, as evident
in this section.
Partnerships consist of diverse individuals and organizations who
agree to work together to achieve a common goal. Partnerships
enable different groups to examine a problem together, leverage
resources, or achieve a mutually agreed-upon goal. They repre-
sent an important mechanism for a community to achieve its
short-term goals as well as its long-term vision of a healthy and
sustainable community. In some cases, out of necessity, some
partnerships are formed from the most unlikely of allies.
Multi-stakeholder partnerships, consisting of entities representing different sectors of
society (e.g., community, government, business and industry, academia) enable these
entities to access needed resources. In situations where community residents are
EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
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adversely and disproportionately exposed to environmental harms and risks, the various
stakeholder groups might require different kinds of assistance to ensure their effective
participation a collaborative problem-solving process. For example, community groups
might need support in accessing government resources, while industry might need edu-
cation on how to work effectively and proactively with communities. Well-designed part-
nerships are important vehicles for mobilizing the needed
resources- human, institutional, technical, legal, and financial -
to address a problem. In this way, partnerships are a critical part
of a capacity-building strategy. Such partnerships enable commu-
nity-based organizations to access individuals with needed expert-
ise. Likewise, a government agency may enter into a partnership
with a community-based organization to more effectively provide
public information and services to the local community.
Techniques for achieving
well-structured multi-stakeholder
collaborative partnerships:
Building a successful partnership is a critical investment that
requires vision, clearly defined goals, organizational capacity and
commitment, individual leadership, technical expertise, financial
resources, and, in some cases, use of a facilitator. Each partner-
ship should be tailored to the community-based organization's
existing capacity, as well as the capacity of other stakeholders.
Although many organizations may enter into a partnership, the
effectiveness of that partnership usually depends on understand-
ings and working relationships between individuals. When circum-
stances make for unfavorable working relationships (including the
time, effort, and resources involved in maintaining it), a group
should end the partnership.
Chapter 4 clearly demonstrates ReGenesis' ability to develop
multi-stakeholder partnerships and leverage the necessary
resources in order to realize the community's vision (see page 26).
Also, ReGenesis and the city and county of Spartanburg formal-
ized their agreement by signing a Memorandum of Understanding
to establish a Community Development Task Force, thereby mobi-
lizing the people and resources of local government agencies to
focus attention on this community (see page 25).
Establish dialogues that lead to possible
partnerships with all relevant stakehold-
ers/parties, including the community,
businesses, and government.
Ensure clarity of common vision,
goals, objectives, strategies, and
actions among the partnership.
Develop a clear, workable organizational
structure and workplan to address com-
munications and coordination needs of
the collaborative partnership.
Identify and recruit partners to address
the resource needs of a project
(e.g., human, institutional, technical,
legal, and financial).
Strengthen partnerships as new issues
and relationships are understood.
Add processes that allow for the inclu-
sion of new partners as they emerge.
The fifth element calls for an active, supportive role by other stakeholders, such as busi-
nesses, academia, civic organizations, and all levels of government. These relevant non-
community stakeholder groups can play an important role in participating and assisting
in the collaborative partnership. The possible roles that each of these stakeholder
groups can play are outlined in this section.
The Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
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GPS Element 5 at a glance:
Identify where the government can
support the efforts of the community to
address issues through information
resources, technical assistance, finan-
cial assistance, or even policy changes.
Seek support and cooperation from
industry or business.
Government agencies at the federal and state level can play many roles in collaborative
problem-solving efforts. They can: 1) act as a convener or facilitator, 2) provide techni-
cal assistance, information, and organizational capacity, 3) assist in coordination and
communications, 4) provide financial resources or services, 5) enforce applicable provi-
sions of laws or regulations, 6) focus attention on a problem, and/or 7) provide legitima-
cy to an effort. For example, government agencies make regulatory and/or enforcement
decisions, provide technical assistance and resources, and help ensure that all relevant
stakeholders come to the table. Even though state and federal agencies play significant
roles in the creation and development of certain partnerships, they cannot maintain a
high level of commitment to all partnerships indefinitely. Local
government involvement is crucial for the sustainability of long-
term efforts to address local environmental and/or public health
issues. It is therefore important that community organizations
seeking to resolve a problem formulate a clear strategy to foster
proactive engagement by government agencies at the local, state,
tribal, and/or federal levels. In the ReGenesis example, the feder-
al, state, and local government each played a critical role to sup-
port the collaborative partnership and put vital improvements into
motion (see page 23).
Use academic institutions for techni-
cal assistance such as research and
analysis.
Engage civic organizations to help
raise the community's awareness of
the issues and mobilize support.
Historically, business and industry groups perceived themselves to
be the object of allegations that their activities exposed communi-
ty residents disproportionately to environmental and/or public
health risks and harms. Nevertheless, this perception may be
slowly changing as more companies see the benefits of being
more open and proactively involved in the local community and
that many misperceptions are rectified through changes in busi-
ness policies and practices and increased communication with the
community. Chapter 4 provides positive accounts of how two businesses, Rhodia and
Vigindustries, became unlikely but crucial supporters of the Spartanburg community's
revitalization efforts (see pages 25 and 27).
Academic and civic organizations include universities, nonprofit public interest groups,
faith-based organizations, labor organizations, and philanthropic organizations. They can
be an invaluable asset in a collaborative problem-solving process and provide innumer-
able support to community-based organizations. For instance, universities and public
interest groups can provide information, training, and technical assistance in many areas
(e.g., research, issue analysis, organizational development, and facilitation), while foun-
dations can provide financial resources. Academia and civic organizations can also play
an intermediary role by linking communities to money, material goods, services, experts,
and decision-makers. For this reason, government and philanthropic organizations have
funded university-based programs to provide technical services to communities. In
Spartanburg, technical outreach service centers provided ReGenesis with fact-finding
assistance by analyzing and interpreting results for the community during its facilitated
dialogue with Rhodia and EPA Region 4.
EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
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CPS Element 6 at a glance:
The sixth element involves developing sound organization and
management to produce results. This means developing and car-
rying out work plans with clear goals and a clear timeframe and
giving responsibilities to various people. This element also
involves choosing who will be a leader, spokesperson, or decision-
maker within each group. Results-oriented activities include:
« Partnership design, which fosters consensus around a common
vision, defines the role of partner organizations, and establishes
clear operating procedures.
• Management plans, which ensure proper communications, coor-
dination, and utilization of resources.
« Action plans, which include clear objectives, timelines, organi-
zational commitments, and delegation of responsibilities.
Ensuring sound management is particularly challenging for community-based organizations
that are working on projects to address specific environmental and/or public health issues.
These organizations are often understaffed and underfunded and lack management systems
and expertise. These organizations are often hard pressed to address day-to-day issues of
organizational and staff development, governance, budget, administration, and personnel.
Government and philanthropic assistance programs should focus their support on manage-
ment and implementation matters when providing technical assistance, skills development,
and financial resources to community-based organizations.
Techniques to Promote Sound Management and Implementation:
« Seek clear results and improve
community conditions.
• Clarify commitments of each partner.
« Clarify plans and timelines.
« Use community's abilities and talents.
« Use strengths of partners.
• Identify and build upon small
successes.
« Organize work to maximize time and
resources.
• Be visionary, but guard against
setting unrealistic goals.
« Focus on tangible outcomes
and improvements in community
conditions.
• Develop strategies tailored to
the community's assets and
deficits.
• Design projects that build on
the strengths and capacities of
partners and resources.
• Ensure clear commitments from
all partners.
« Develop a cogent and clearly
visible organizational structure.
• Produce clearly defined, well-
formulated action plans and
timelines.
« Cluster and order tasks to pro-
mote the efficient use of time
and resources.
• Develop plans and provide people
to facilitate regular and productive
meetings.
• Provide structures for coordination
and communications.
• Build in space and time for
training and capacity building of
all partners.
• Build in evaluation from the
very beginning.
« Identify and build on small
successes.
The Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
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Addressing management and implementation issues should start as early as possible in
the collaborative problem-solving process. The lead in this process, such as a communi-
ty-based organization, should make every effort to ensure continuing cooperation among
different parties, maintaining partnership focus and momentum, and keeping key deci-
sion makers involved. Equally important considerations are the community-based orga-
nization's: 1) decisions about the issues it chooses to address, 2) strategies it seeks to
pursue, and 3) collaborations it forms. To the extent possible, the organization should
think carefully through these questions as part of its initial goal-setting and strategic
planning process, not as an afterthought.
As noted in the case study in Chapter 4, the establishment of the Environmental Justice
Partnership—the steering committee comprised of multiple stakeholders—not only
shaped the process but is working effectively to implement the vision. Each stakeholder
group has a seat at this table and has a vested interest in making sure that the vision is
realized (see page 23).
CPS Element I at a glance:
Periodically evaluate progress.
Use lessons learned as the project
proceeds.
Clearly describe measures of success.
The seventh element calls for reviewing the lessons learned over time and deciding what
is working or not working. Evaluation helps determine whether a program is achieving
its goals. Evaluation is a valuable tool when undertaking any project, especially for
measuring results. In its broadest definition, evaluation is a sys-
tematic way to learn from past experience by assessing how well a
project is working. It also helps move the project into the future
by building on strengths and correcting problems. The ability to
summarize progress in quantitative, qualitative, institutional, and
social terms, as well as to incorporate lessons learned into a con-
tinuous process, is critical to sustaining the work. And finally, the
project's best practices should be identified and communicated so
that others can learn and use them.
Document and share information on
successes.
Although presented as the last element in the CPS Model, evalua-
tion should be incorporated from the very beginning of a project and
woven in as an integral part of all its phases; doing so will make any
effort more effective and valuable to others. Not only will evaluation help projects make
adjustments and stay on course, but it will also help provide more meaningful lessons
learned. To replicate best practices broadly, lessons learned should be shared with the
affected community residents, as well as other communities and stakeholders.
Why is evaluation important? Projects that incorporate evaluation from the very beginning are
usually stronger projects, with a clearer idea of vision, goals, objectives, strategies, actions,
and measures of success. Evaluation helps to clarify the project's underlying assumptions
and causal relationships. In addition, evaluation can enable the participants to proactively
identify opportunities and deficiencies and make adjustments as early as possible.
EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
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Evaluation can help the projects meet two different but interrelated goals: 1) addressing
the program development needs of community-based efforts and 2) addressing the
accountability needs of the organizations that provide resources
(i.e., financial and technical assistance) to such community-based
efforts. Resource-providing organizations typically are concerned
with responding to competing demands for investments and
demonstrating investment results to their stakeholders. EPA is an
example of such a resource-providing organization.
Techniques used in
the evaluation process:
• Use a logic model to develop a
"template" for the project plan.
In the case of ReGenesis, evaluation comes in several forms, such
as the regular meetings with its community advisory board as well
as partner meetings and the Environmental Justice Partnership
steering committee. Likewise, the ongoing facilitated dialogues
among ReGenesis, Rhodia, and EPA Region 4 result in the develop-
ment of an annual status report that evaluates their performance
and achievements in terms of environment and health protection,
job creation, and community revitalization. Moreover, ReGenesis
manages several federal, state, and local grant projects, each of
which requires evaluation mechanisms.
Proper evaluation requires appropriate and realistic measures of success. Measurement
is the ongoing monitoring and reporting of project accomplishments against pre-estab-
lished goals. A measure is the indicator used to gauge performance; it may be qualita-
tive or quantitative. "Qualitative" refers to data or comparisons that are a narrative
description of a change rather than numerical. "Quantitative" refers to data or compar-
isons based on numerical changes. It is important to distinguish "evaluation" from
"measurement", as well as to understand that they are closely related. Measurement
seeks to record or track what is happening, and evaluation seeks to explain or diagnose
what is happening.
What are lessons learned and best practices, and why should these be shared? A successful
evaluation should be more than an information-gathering activity. It is only valuable if
the results are communicated and they meaningfully impact decision making. The find-
ings from an evaluation should be shared with project partners, so they can make
informed decisions to improve project performance. Lessons learned are significant
conclusions regarding activities and outcomes, both positive and negative, which had an
impact on the project. Best practices refer to specific actions taken that helped make
the project successful. Lessons learned should be shared with other community groups
and interested stakeholders, so they can replicate best practices in their own efforts to
address similar issues. Evaluation results are important elements in the overall process
of analysis and feedback. The benefits extend beyond a specific project. They can be
used to enhance ongoing and future program performance.
The lessons learned from Spartanburg have been shared in dozens of workshops around
the country. Their story has been presented in various symposia and conferences, and
• Define clear measures of success for
project outputs and outcomes.
• Develop mechanisms to integrate the
lessons into future efforts as new
issues and challenges emerge.
• Share, publish, and disseminate
lessons learned and best practices.
The Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
-------
their successes have been documented and analyzed by others in numerous occasions -
in print, media and over the Internet - including some peer-reviewed academic publica-
tions. And finally, ReGenesis has partnered with the University of South Carolina
Upstate on an ambitious plan to design an academically based Environmental Justice
Institute to systematically develop and disseminate best practices and lessons learned.
EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
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Chapter 4:
ReGenesis - A Practical
Application of the CPS Model
"When you have a situation where the local governments come to the table, when
industry comes to the table, when the community is driving the effort, it's really
hard not to be involved and be engaged and be excited about it because this is
the type of thing that needs to happen in so many other places."
?7 ** "*lr4!i> fe'
;-^I:,',^V,AV«
,f«. *• ..IHH^
Cynthia Peurifoy, EPA Region 4
This chapter presents the case study of a nonprofit, communi-
ty organization called ReGenesis and its use of the CPS
Model. This is a story about one partnership—with commu-
nity groups, all levels of government, industry, and a university—
working together to address the environmental and public health
issues in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Spartanburg is an "every community." In general, this means that
the environmental, public health, economic, and social challenges
in Spartanburg can be found in any community facing similar neg-
lect and degradation. What is unique is how this community was
able to use the CPS Model to envision a brighter future, which they
are closer to realizing each day.
This story is presented in chronological order to preserve the
sequence of events, and the significant events are highlighted and
referenced in terms of the CPS Model's seven elements. This chap-
ter shows how the CPS Model can be applied to any given situation
in which collaborative problem-solving is used to address environ-
mental and/or public health issues.
Key players:
* Harold Mitchell and ReGenesis, Inc.
• City of Spartanburg, SC
* County of Spartanburg, SC
• SC Department of Health &
Environmental Control
* EPA and other federal agencies
• Spartanburg Housing Authority
* University of SC Upstate
* Vigindustries, Inc. (a subsidiary of the
Mosaic Company, formerly IMC Global)
* Rhodia, Inc.
• Tetra Tech EM, Inc.
\, *,
jf
Map of Spartanburg, SC
Located within Spartanburg County, the city of
Spartanburg (population 40,000) has been profiting from
a downtown renaissance, with a new hotel, new business
ventures, and new goals for growth. However, less than 2
miles from the city center—literally, on the other side of
the tracks—lie the Arkwright and Forest Park communi-
ties, with a combined population of about 5,000. These
neighborhoods were established around textile mills and
Applying the Model
-------
industrial facilities, many of which have since closed—a place where residential neigh-
borhoods and industry exist side by side, due to few zoning restrictions or land use
controls in the 1970s.
Based on the 2000 U.S. Census, the poverty rate in Arkwright and Forest Park was 25
percent, and 10 percent of the population was unemployed. Residents of these predom-
inantly low-income and African-American communities live among two hazardous waste
sites and an active chemical manufacturing plant.
This area is, in many ways, just like many similar to other communities in the United
States, where people of color or indigenous or low-income populations may be dispropor-
tionately exposed to environmental hazards. In these communities, environmental issues
are often linked to other concerns such as: 1) lack of access to adequate healthcare, 2)
public safety problems, 3) substandard housing, 4) transportation problems, 5) lack of
economic development, 6) high rates of unemployment, and 7) lack of social services.
In these neighborhoods, residents often feel helpless, and the broader community often
seems indifferent, with no one willing or able to reverse the downward trend. Change
requires new thinking, new strategies, new models—and new partnerships.
Today, the communities of Arkwright and Forest Park boast a new, $2 million health
center, brand new housing developments, and plans for a sports complex, a much-need-
ed highway, green space, new job opportunities, and more.
Some of the seeds of the community's initial
growth—and its decline—were planted in
1910, when a company called International
Minerals & Chemicals (IMC) Global Inc.
opened a fertilizer plant within one mile of
more than 4,000 residents in the Arkwright
community. Employing many residents from
the nearby mill village, the plant operated
until 1986. A year later and without a com-
plete cleanup, IMC sold the 45-acre property.
It was eventually acquired by another compa-
ny to use as a storage warehouse for textile
mill parts. When the county condemned the property in 1999, the new company
attempted to demolish the facility.
On a separate front, in 1954, the city opened a 30-acre solid waste landfill, known as
the Arkwright Dump, within a quarter-mile of more than 200 residents. It operated with
little supervision until it closed in 1972. Covered with only a thin layer of topsoil, barely
concealing the municipal, medical, and automobile wastes buried beneath, the landfill
was sold to a private citizen in 1976.
EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
-------
Environmental standards were not as rigorous in the old days, and no one questioned
the fertilizer plant practices back then; no one wondered what was being thrown into the
dump. But in the late 1990s, after a community resident named Harold Mitchell began
to link neighborhood health concerns with the fertilizer plant practices, he requested
that the federal government get involved because residents perceived that there were
high rates of illnesses, miscarriages, stillbirths, and deaths, and that there was a rela-
tionship between those health issues and the environmental contamination that began
to be uncovered.
Environmental and health issues were just some of the problems these communities
faced over the years, however. Another major problem was the lack of economic devel-
opment. So-called "urban renewal" efforts in the 1970s wiped out 70 black-owned
businesses in the community. Homes and businesses were condemned and left in
dilapidated conditions, and later used by drug dealers. Today, whole sections of the
Arkwright and Forest Park area of town are still devoid of commercial development. In
addition, much of the public housing was old and severely distressed, dating from the
1950s. Even recently, residents still lacked access to retail stores and play areas for
children, and have been concerned about public safety.
As a result of these and other problems, potential new residents haven't wanted to move
to the area. And because they lacked the resources, current residents have been unable
to move away. Despite these conditions, little was being done.
Harold Mitchell and his family are long-time residents of
the Arkwright community, having lived there since 1931.
His childhood home was located just a few feet from the
IMC fertilizer plant. Based on his observations and his
own health problems over the years, however, he began to
feel that something was wrong in the community. But it
was his father's suffering and death from lymphoma at age
,aa^^^^^^^^^^mmi 59 that catapulted Harold into action.
In 1996, he began talking to residents, asking questions informally, such as"How many
people in your family have been sick or have died?" "What did they die of?" "Where
did they live and work?" He organized his data in terms of the residents' proximity to
the radius of the fertilizer plant and found that many of the local residents were suffer-
ing from the same illnesses.
With his findings, Harold took his concerns to EPA in
1997. He was directed to EPA's regional office in
Atlanta. A representative from EPA's Region 4 office
conducted an initial site visit of the Arkwright Dump
and the former IMC facility. Although no contaminants
were found that would pose an immediate, short-term
threat to human health or the environment, the physi-
cal evidence led EPA to conduct more investigations.
Applying the Model
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Harold conducted additional research on his own, using the "Freedom of Information
Act" to obtain data, maps, and aerial photographs from the city and county. He also
conducted Internet research on chemicals and their health effects.
Harold convened a community meeting in 1997 to present all of his information and
concerns about the environmental problems. More than 100 local residents, including
the city mayor, attended. Based on this information, people began to believe that their
families' illnesses and deaths may not be isolated cases.
Also at the meeting, a map was taped to the wall,
showing the location of the two hazardous waste
sites (Arkwright Dump and former IMC fertilizer
plant) and the operating chemical plant (Rhodia,
Inc.) in relationship to the community. Local govern-
ment representatives who hadn't really understood
the proximity of the neighborhood to the facilities
suddenly realized why people were so concerned.
In 1998, Harold founded a nonprofit community
organization called ReGenesis to provide leadership
and to represent neighborhood interests in cleaning
up the contaminated sites and revitalizing the sur-
rounding community. ReGenesis began by merging
existing neighborhood associations in Arkwright
and Forest Park.
To educate the community about the issues at hand, ReGenesis organized several workshops
about toxic waste and about community revitalization. At the same time, Harold traveled to
Washington, D.C. and also attended meetings at local universities to educate himself.
Between 1998 and 1999, EPA conducted addi-
tional tests of the fertilizer plant and the
Arkwright Dump. At the former IMC property, EPA
detected chemicals associated with fertilizer
products, such as nitrate, fluoride, sulfate, and
phosphorous, in the ground water. At the
Arkwright Dump, EPA found dioxins as well as
toxic heavy metal pollutants, such as mercury,
lead, and cadmium. EPA designated both areas
as Superfund sites, which are abandoned or
uncontrolled hazardous waste sites that may need
to be cleaned up if they pose current or future
threats to human health or the environment. EPA
earmarked $100,000 for redevelopment planning
at these sites.
EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
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Building the Partnership and
the Supportive Role of Government
A meeting in August 2000 was a major turning point for the development of the project
partnerships. More than 100 people, including representatives from federal agencies,
the city, the county, businesses, universities, and ReGenesis, came together to discuss
the issues. It was a group of people that had never come together before. There were
uneasy relationships among many of these parties. For instance, the city and county of
Spartanburg were reluctant at first because they didn't know how the community was
going to react during the meeting and whether they would be blamed or sued for the
conditions that existed in these neighborhoods. But because Harold felt that the resi-
dents didn't have time for rallies and protests and civil disobedience, he explained the
communities' concerns in a calm and organized manner.
ReGenesis Environmental Justice Partnership
At this breakthrough meeting, the community presented ideas of what its residents had
envisioned for themselves, and government officials talked about what they could pro-
vide to the community. The more everyone
talked, the more the groups realized that goals
such as improving public health, eradicating
crime, improving housing, and creating jobs
were actions everyone wanted.
It was at this time that EPA suggested an orga-
nizational structure for the project. This resulted
in a mutual agreement among the city, the
county, ReGenesis, EPA Region 4, the South
Carolina Department of Health and
Environmental Control, and later the
Spartanburg Housing Authority and the
University of South Carolina Upstate, to serve as
a steering committee on an equal representation
basis. This was the beginning of the ReGenesis
Environmental Justice Partnership.
With EPA Region 4's help, ReGenesis was also designated as one of the first 15 national
demonstration projects of the Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice
in 2000, which gave ReGenesis access to resources, advice, and information. This Working
Group was established by Executive Order 12898 and consists of 11 federal agencies (see
page 1). With this designation, the doors to funding were opened, and federal, state, and
local agencies began to take notice of the gravity of the situation in Spartanburg.
"Maybe the environmental justice mantel woke us all up. Maybe it put a pres-
sure on us to change the way we do business."
— Bill Barnet,
Mayor of Spartanburg
Applying the Model
mGeiwtn
aunty
housing Au
U.S. EPA
Region 4
Other federal/state/local agencies
Business/Industry
Other stakeholders
-------
By trial and error and through advice from others, Harold learned that many different agen-
cies offered something ReGenesis could use, but he had to be sure to seek the right kind of
help from each agency. He began identifying agencies whose purpose matched what
ReGenesis needed and sought to bring them on as partners. He also realized that ReGenesis
did not have the people, resources, or ability to do everything alone, so other partners helped
out in areas that ReGenesis lacked. In addition, as a nonprofit organization, ReGenesis was
not eligible to apply for or administer certain kinds of grants, but the city and county could.
"Harold was out in front, but he needed that support, and it was, I think, govern-
ment's responsibility to help him with that."
— Jim Hartmann,
former Spartanburg County Manager
In another important milestone for the partnership, EPA suggested that some of the
problem areas in Spartanburg be designated as "brownfields." A brownfield is an aban-
doned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial property where expansion or rede-
velopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. EPA's
Brownfields Program helps clean up these areas and assists in attracting reinvestment.
Together, ReGenesis and Spartanburg County received $200,000 in brownfields assessment
grants from EPA and, ultimately, six sites in the ReGenesis project area—including the old
Arkwright Mill and several dump sites—have been designated as brownfields for assessment
and redevelopment. As a result, contamination was found at the mill and dump sites, and
additional grants from the federal, state, and local government have been secured to facili-
tate their cleanup. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control
has committed nearly $490,000 towards brownfields redevelopment.
"It may offer jobs for the community. It also improves property values for the com-
munity. So it really affects a lot of ways, economically as well as just community
spirit-wise, to have some of the potential problems addressed and revitalized."
— Gail Jeter, Brownfields Coordinator,
South Carolina Department of Health &
Environmental Control
The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development also awarded an $848,000
grant to ReGenesis and the city. This money was earmarked to help buy up "problem
properties" such as the brownfields sites and take control of how they are redeveloped.
The money has been used to test for lead-based paint and asbestos at the mill site and
to pay for initial studies before building a new plant at that location.
-------
In addition, the city of Spartanburg entered into an agreement with EPA Region 4 and
has spent approximately $1.2 million to assess the nature and extent of contamination
at the Arkwright Dump site, evaluate the potential risks to human health and the envi-
ronment, and evaluate cleanup alternatives.
As a result of this agreement, the city conducted ground water monitoring at the
Arkwright Dump, and plans to conduct ground water remediation and install a cover to
contain the contaminated soils. The city also volunteered to arrange and fund a techni-
cal advisor for the Arkwright Dump site to work with the community to more effectively
involve people in the Superfund process.
But things weren't always as easy as they sound. Like any project, the stakeholders had
their own interests and didn't always work well together. As mentioned earlier, the city
feared that it might be held responsible for the Arkwright Dump site—and the cost to
clean it up. The same was true for the county because it felt that investing in and rebuild-
ing the community was going to take a lot more money than what it was ready to commit.
"After the first meeting, it was clear to me that there was an expectation being
built. I was very nervous that that expectation would include funding from the
county government, which, just frankly, was not there in any substantial form."
— Jim Hartmann,
former Spartanburg County Manager
Ultimately, the county established a Community Development Task Force with representa-
tives from many county departments and agencies to take a more comprehensive
approach to community development concerns, such as demolishing abandoned housing.
To formalize their relationship—and to spell out each partners' specific roles and respon-
sibilities—the city, county, and ReGenesis signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
Formal agreements such as this solidify relationships so that partners are clear on their
level of participation, while also ensuring that the partnership will remain intact.
In 1999, the former IMC site changed
hands once again. Vigindustries, a sub-
sidiary of IMC, now the Mosaic Company,
purchased back the fertilizer plant.
Vigindustries is now working with EPA
and state officials to properly clean up
the site. In addition to using a decon-
struction plan developed with nearby resi-
dents, the company placed air monitors
around the property at ReGenesis'
request. It pitched in $50,000 for a
technical advisor for its site. The company also and committed $1 million to cover EPA
oversight costs and nearly $2 million for the assessment and remediation of its site.
Applying the Model
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In 2001, the community visioning process began, in the form of design charettes, fund-
ed in part by a Department of Energy grant. A charette is a creative brainstorming meet-
ing often used to work through difficult planning challenges confronting communities.
Charettes involve listening to problems and ideas, defining needs, envisioning new ideas,
and literally, drawing and sketching. Several design charettes were held in Spartanburg,
resulting in drawings for a parkway, a community park, shopping areas, an entertainment
center, a job training center, a technology center, and more.
"/ said, 'Hey, just dream. Just think outside the box for a second and go back to
what we once had—before urban renewal- and just picture the commercial,
retail, housing, parks, and things of that nature.' And then they began to come up
with a concept for the new housing and things that they could have if they had a
safe neighborhood once again."
— Harold Mitchell, ReGenesis
Since then, 2003 brought a new wave of partnerships and improvements. With a
$650,000 grant from the federal Department of Health and Human Services, ReGenesis
opened a small, temporary Community Health Center. Astoundingly, it saw more than
2,000 patients within the first 90 days of operation. It was a breakthrough for this
medically underserved community.
In 2005, the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare *"
System and the ReGenesis Community Health
Center formed a relationship to bring healthcare
closer to residents of Arkwright and Forest Park.
The Community Health Center relocated to a state-
of-the-art facility donated by the University of
South Carolina Upstate. This location is three
times larger than the old site, allowing for more
patient visits and services. Everyone involved agrees that the availability of health servic-
es is one of the most vital aspects of uplifting the community.
With all of these positive changes in Arkwright and Forest Park, the community was on
the road to becoming a place where people actually wanted to live.
EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
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*,*y -*=<
But one other issue remained to be
addressed. Sharing a fenceline with a hand-
ful of residents, Rhodia, Inc. is an operating
chemical plant located on 35 acres in the
Arkwright Community. When a South Carolina
businessman purchased this site in the
1970s, he told residents he would be build-
ing apartments. Instead, he built a chemical
warehouse, later changing it into a chemical manufacturing plant. Rhodia purchased this
plant in 1998 and makes ingredients for home and health care products.
The initial relationship between Rhodia and ReGenesis was not friendly. Many residents
in the community felt strongly that having a chemical manufacturing facility in the
neighborhood was incompatible with plans to improve their quality of life. Rhodia, how-
ever, didn't want to move because it felt that it had a right to stay in the community.
Also, the company felt its facility was not causing any adverse impacts on public health
or the environment.
Ultimately, because both sides wanted to avoid hostility and an expensive legal debate,
they agreed to use an approach known as a "facilitated dialogue." A facilitated dialogue
is a form of "dispute resolution," which is often more civil and productive than a law-
suit. In this case, it involved using an independent third-party facilitator.
"My role was to be an honest broker, to make sure that I represented the interests
of Rhodia, ReGenesis, and EPA Region 4 in this dialogue. I think they both realized
there was no other way to resolve the issues between them. The only way to resolve
the issues was for them to sit down at the table and talk, but they were unwilling to
have that dialogue unless there was someone there who they viewed and both
respected as an honest broker to make sure that both sides were given an equal
voice and given a fair say in how the resolution of those issues was arrived at."
— Tim Fields, Tetra Tech EM, Inc.
The facilitated dialogue has resulted in
improved noise and odor control, enhanced
health and safety procedures, new air and
ground water monitoring, job creation for mem-
bers of the community, new emergency pre-
paredness procedures, and facility beautifica-
tion. These changes have come about over sev-
eral years as a result of weekly telephone con-
ferences and frequent face-to-face meetings.
Applying the Model
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"You just cannot short-circuit this process. You can't speed it up. It's not a six-
month process. No matter how much you want it to be a short process, you just
have to sit down, and it takes time. And it takes a lot of dedication, and it takes
a lot of effort—to build that trust."
— Jim Trafton, Rhodia Plant Manager
For a facilitated dialogue to be successful, three critical factors are needed: an organi-
zation, like ReGenesis, that can unite and speak for the community; a company, like
Rhodia, willing to be a good neighbor; and supportive government officials such as those
in EPA Region 4 who are willing to be part of the dialogue to help resolve the issues.
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Ultimately, through the collaborative effort of more than 200 agencies, the ReGenesis
project has acquired $141 million in funds as of 2006. And the work continues. The
ReGenesis partners still meet frequently. In fact, different subcommittees—dealing with
specific issues such as transportation or housing—meet as often as twice a week to
present updates on current projects and talk about plans for the future. The work in
Spartanburg is still moving forward with a vision.
Along with the Spartanburg Housing Authority, ReGenesis is currently a partner in a $102
million housing project grant, known as "Hope VI." The Hope VI grant is being used to
remove old public housing units, some of which had become a haven for drug dealers,
and replace them with brand new homes.
Before
After
"As a result, we committed to removing 184 distressed public housing units and
coming back with over 500 units in the community of both rental and home own-
ership... [WJhat's especially amazing to me is the fact that we're taking such a
large area that's deteriorated and there's been ill health concerns, and other types
of issues, and turning it around and making it a completely new neighborhood—
completely changing the face of that particular environment and bringing some-
thing back that's so healthy and that's going to draw so many people to it. It's
just amazing to be a part of that."
— Roy Johnson, Spartanburg Housing Authority
EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
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ReGenesis is also encouraging the participation of
minority and women-owned businesses in the dem-
olition of an old housing complex and the construc-
tion of new, safer subdivisions. The organization
has also been providing job training in vocational
skills to formerly unemployed residents. As a result,
job creation has been an essential part of the effort
to revitalize the entire community.
"This is a long-term project—not only to deal with the brownfield issues or the
environmental issues of this specific site, but to really take this to a much differ-
ent level; to have a vision that's not just about fixing a brownfield site or an envi-
ronmental problem, but rather, to open up an area to economic development, to
create a new set of expectations for a community. So we're focused on rebuilding
our neighborhoods, rebuilding our job market, getting people to really believe that
this is a community into which they should invest jobs and dollars."
— Bill Barnet, Mayor of Spartanburg
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Green Space
| Industrial Sites
Residential Areas
•^— New Highway
Forest Park •
i '
Community *
!'
At the same time, the community has become a
model for the National Diabetes Collaborative for work-
ing to prevent the disease and provide nutrition coun-
seling. In fact, the community health center now pro-
vides services to more than 14,000 patients who did-
n't previously have a medical home.
Looking into the future, ReGenesis is developing an
Environmental Justice Institute and has partnered with
the University of South Carolina Upstate to form an
international center for research, education, and train-
ing on environmental issues, focusing on the impact
of environmental contamination on communities. It
will also bring the "Spartanburg story" to people
around the world.
Summary
r~-—
Proposed Redevelopment of Project Area
The ReGenesis and its partners and stakeholders con-
tinue to forge ahead with its vision for the community.
The way that this Spartanburg community developed
its vision and is bringing all its stakeholders together
to realize it, despite all odds and obstacles, is a prime
example of how the CPS Model works. Here is a syn-
opsis of the seven elements in terms of ReGenesis'
experience:
Element 1: Issue Identification, Community Vision and Strategic Goal-Setting - For example,
Harold Mitchell initially identified health issues and brought them to the attention of
EPA and state and local officials. The residents of Arkwright and Forest Park developed
a vision to improve the community. And, through the use of charettes, the stakeholders
and partners crystallized that vision and developed strategic goals.
Element 2: Community Capacity-Building and Leadership Development - Through Harold's
leadership and the support of partners and stakeholders, ReGenesis improved its capaci-
ty to represent the community in the ongoing dialogue and redevelopment activities.
One result of this process is that more and more residents have signed up for city- or
county-sponsored training to learn new job skills.
Element 3: Consensus Building and Dispute Resolution - Through the facilitated dialogue
among ReGenesis, Rhodia, and EPA Region 4, these entities agree by consensus to
make specific improvements in Spartanburg.
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Element 4: Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Leveraging of Resources - Over time,
ReGenesis successfully built the essential partnerships to revitalize Spartanburg.
Through the partners, ReGenesis was and continues to be able to leverage much-need
resources through grants, technical assistance, and in-kind assistance.
Element 5: Constructive Engagement by Relevant Stakeholders - As the community's repre-
sentative, ReGenesis has been able to engage members of the community as well as
industry, academia, and civic organizations, and all levels of government in order to work
together to realize the community's vision.
Element 6: Sound Management and Implementation - The Environmental Justice Partnership
steering committee has built in the administrative, management, and coordination process-
es needed to ensure that the project activities are implemented as planned.
Element 7: Evaluation, Lessons Learned, and Replication of Best Practices - Evaluation
processes have been instituted in the activities of steering committee, grant projects,
and the facilitated dialogue. The lessons learned and best practices have been docu-
mented and shared across the country through speeches, presentations, training work-
shops, educational seminars, a video, and publications such as this one.
ReGenesis and its stakeholders and partners have made an indelible impact on
Spartanburg for generations to come. Through the use of collaborative problem-solving,
they are on their way to realizing the community's vision to revitalize the community.
Almost a decade has passed since Harold Mitchell began his quest and now, thanks to
this amazing partnership among many stakeholders, Spartanburg has come a long way.
Harold's words best sum his experience with using the CPS Model:
"The satisfaction out of this is looking back nine years ago and thinking I was
like some of the other community members at the big public forums in
Washington, not knowing where to go or who to turn to, to resolve the major
issues in my community. But now, by being a part of the CPS process, we have a
roadmap that other communities can use to find out what they need to do and
with whom they need to engage, to turn around those complex issues that are
impacting their communities."
— Harold Mitchell, ReGenesis
Note: All the quotes mentioned in this case study were derived from a series of film
interviews for an OEJ-produced training video entitled Environmental Justice: The Power
of Partnerships - The Collaborative Problem-Solving Model at Work in Spartanburg,
South Carolina, to be released in 2007.
Applying the Model
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ChapterS:
The Environmental Justice
Collaborative Problem-Solving
Program
In 2003, OEJ launched the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving
(CPS) Cooperative Agreement Program to provide $100,000 in financial assistance
to local community-based organizations that wish to engage in collaborative problem-
solving activities. Through this grant program, these organizations use tools that EPA
and others have developed to find viable solutions for their community's environmental
and/or public health issues/concerns. In addition, the CPS Program seeks to achieve
certain goals, which include:
• Empowerment: Community-based organizations engage directly in collaborative prob-
lem-solving activities (e.g., partnership building, consensus building, negotiation,
alternative dispute resolution) with other stakeholders to address environmental and/or
public health issues.
• Strategic Planning: Community-based organizations understand the distinction
between short-term and long-term environmental and/or public health outcomes, and
plan and act accordingly.
• Education: Community-based organizations understand the potential links between the
environment, public health, and good government, and sharing this knowledge with
members of the community.
• Good Government: Community-based organizations engage the federal, state, or local
governments as potential partners in collaborative problem-solving processes, which
enables community residents to participate meaningfully in the government's environ-
mental decision-making processes.
• Sustainable Development: Community-based organizations secure and wisely use
resources (e.g., community-based, intellectual, social, technical, financial, and insti-
tutional) now and in the future. In doing so, ongoing benefits will be created through
the continuation of collaborative problem-solving activities that provide others with
valuable lessons learned.
OEJ developed the CPS Model as the framework for the CPS Program and help achieve
the goals stated above. As stated in Chapter 2, the CPS Model can be applied to almost
The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Program
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any environmental justice circumstance. With the
first round of CPS projects unfolding over the past
two years, the grant recipients have had ample
opportunities to put the CPS Model elements into
practice. These selected community-based organi-
zations and their partners have already realized
many of their short-term goals by carefully applying
the CPS Model's seven elements. Since each com-
munity's circumstances are unique, the elements
were customized to suit their needs. Each grantee
has also identified performance measures to track
and evaluate their progress in meeting their goals.
Here are some of the projects' best examples of
using the CPS Model:
Element 1: Issue Identification, Community Vision and Strategic Goal-Setting - In Anahola,
Hawaii, the Anahola Homesteaders Council's project (Project Imua) documented the
environmental conditions and cleaned up the solid waste of a 20-acre brownfield in
order to jump-start a larger vision of a comprehensive multi-purpose community center
called Project Faith. This center will serve the social, economic, educational, and cultur-
al needs of Hawaiians living on their homelands.
Element 2: Community Capacity Building and Leadership Development - Pioneer Valley Project
in Springfield, Massachusetts, is working with local Vietnamese nail salons, vocational
schools, and health care providers to address the issue of workers' risk of exposure to
harmful chemicals in the nail care products. With their leadership, the partnership has not
only built a model salon but will also develop and provide training on the use of proper pro-
tective gear and equipment and the proper handling and disposal of salon products. They
are also working with local health care professionals to properly diagnose, communicate,
and treat health symptoms resulting from exposure to these chemicals.
Element 3: Consensus Building and Dispute Resolution - When West End Revitalization
Association's project documented high levels of contamination in local surface water in
Mebane, North Carolina, this community-based organization brought this environmental
and public health issue to the attention of the city, which is now working to correct this
issue by providing basic amenities such as sewer and drinking water services.
Element 4: Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Leveraging of Resources - Make the Road by
Walkingiormed a partnership with a local hospital and the city health department to pub-
lish a report and develop and disseminate outreach materials on indoor asthma triggers
and barriers to proper asthma treatment in the Bushwick section of New York City.
Element 5: Constructive Engagement by Relevant Stakeholders - In Tacoma, Washington,
the Indochinese Cultural and Service Organization engaged the community's youth and
elders, other grassroots groups, and state and local government agencies in a project to
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raise awareness about safe and sustainable shellfish harvesting and thereby reduced the
incidence of shellfish poisoning among Tacoma and Pierce Counties' Asian and Pacific
Islander residents.
Element 6: Sound Management and Implementation -
Neighbors Assisting Neighbors' ambitious local
cleanup project in six communities and one
waterway in St. Louis, Missouri, removed and
properly disposed of approximately 250 tons of
bulk waste and 1,200 tires.
Element 7: Evaluation, Lessons Learned and
Replication of Practices - As part of its exten-
sive project workplan and evaluation, Pacoima
Beautiful in Los Angeles, California, developed a
set of indicators of community sustainability to
help guide efforts to address multiple community
quality of life issues.
These are only some of the many significant ways in which the CPS Model has already
touched the lives of several communities around the country. The potential to reach
even more communities depends on the level of funding for the CPS Program.
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OEJ recently asked the CPS Program's current grantees for some reflections from their
projects. In their own words, here is what they have to say about using the CPS Model:
• "We created a vision of community health and sustainability, and developed strategies
to achieve it. "
• "We used innovative approaches to involve and educate our local community residents
and youth. "
• "We leveraged other resources using the partnerships we formed through this program,
including partnerships with former adversaries. "
* "We learned that environmental statutes can be a useful tool to solving our local
issues. "
• "We achieved tangible environmental and health improvements in our communities. "
• "Government agencies played a critical role in supporting our community's efforts to
form collaborative partnerships. "
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Chapter 6:
Conclusion
The CPS Model is a valuable tool to help distressed communities and other stake-
holders work together to address their local environmental and/or public health
issues in a positive, non-adversarial way. In particular, when stakeholders use the
CPS Model's seven elements, they greatly enhance their ability to address these issues.
As presented in the ReGenesis case study in Chapter 4, the CPS Model can be viewed
as a tool box from which several tools can be used to deal with specific situations.
Indeed, each of the seven elements is a valuable tool in and of itself and has many
facets, as described in Chapter 3. However, when these tools are used together in an
iterative process, a collaborative partnership not only takes shape but can also be quite
effective in dealing with the complex environmental, public health, economic, and social
factors that often compound environmental justice issues.
EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
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