INVIKfKVMI\!,\l IIJMK I
Case Studies
From the Environmental Justice Collaborative
Problem-Solving Program
*
Models for Success
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CONTENTS
Introduction , 3
Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving
Cooperative Agreement Program 5
Lessons Learned 9
Case Studies: Five Models for Success 13
> Indochinese Cultural and Service Center (ICSC):
Tacoma, Washington. 14
> Pacoima Beautiful; Pacoima, California 17
> End Revitalization Association, Inc. (WERA):
Mebane, North Carolina 21
> Anahola Homesteaders Council (AHC):
Anahola, Hawaii 24
> Make the Road by Walking (MRBW):
Brooklyn, New York 27
Conclusion......... .31
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INTRODUCTION
Federal agencies have made much progress in helping to address environmental
and public health issues in communities throughout the country since Execu-
tive Order 12898 ("Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minor-
ity Populations and Low-Income Populations") was issued on February 11, 1994- But
despite this progress, some communities still lack the means to address the complex,
interrelated factors involved with environmental justice, such as environmental, public
health, economic, and social concerns.
To continue working toward environmental justice for all, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA's) Office of Environmental justice (OEJ) began promoting
the use of "collaborative problem-solving." Collaborative problem-solving simply means
that various partners, or stakeholders, agree to work together to address a particular issue
or concern. These stakeholders often must come to a "meeting of the minds" in order
to address the numerous environmental, public health, economic, and social problems
in local communities. Many of these problems are deeply rooted and difficult to resolve
without concerted effort and active participation by all stakeholders. When stakehold-
ers work together, however, they can create a collective vision that benefits everyone.
Working together in this manner can also foster the conditions necessary to mobilize
resources and realize strong, lasting solutions.
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Environmental Justice Collaborative
Problem-Solving Cooperative
Agreement Program
In 2004, OEJ developed the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-
Solving (EJ CPS) Cooperative Agreement Program to provide direct financial
and technical assistance to selected community-based organizations, OEJ
established the program around the framework of the EJ CPS Model, which stresses
seven elements:
1) Issue Identification, Community Vision, and Strategic Goal Setting
2) Community Capacity-Building and Leadership Development
3) Consensus Building and Dispute Resolution
4) Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Leveraging of Resources
5) Constructive Engagement by Relevant Stakeholders
6) Sound Management and Implementation
7) Evaluation, Lessons Learned, and Replication of Best Practices
In the first year of the program, EPA awarded 30 cooperative agreements (grants) to eli-
gible organizations across the country. Each grantee received $100,000 to address one or
more local environmental and/or public health issues using the EJ CPS Model (see Table
1). Grantees submitted work plans to OEJ explaining how they would use the grant, and
then proceeded with their projects.
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Table 1: Questions for Grantees to Consider Before Starting a Project
Issue Identification, Community Vision, and Strategic Goal Setting
Have I clearly identified the environmental and/or public health issue that the
community wants to address?
Is the issue something that the community views as important? Is the issue some-
thing that the community should view as important?
Is the issue too broad or complex for my organization to handle?
What do I ultimately hope to gain from working on this particular issue?
Is the goal that I set consistent with the issue that I identified?
Is my goal realistic?
What are the steps I need to take in order to reach the goal? Do those steps make
sense? Are the steps in the right order?
Do I have an alternate strategy if something unexpected happens? Can I modify
my strategy?
Community Capacity-Building and Leadership Development
What resources does the community have that I can tap into to reach the goal?
What resources are lacking within the community, and what will this project do to
address the deficiency?
Are community residents aware of the issue and the potential impacts on the envi-
ronment and their health? How will I make them aware?
What role does the community play in the project? What role should they play in
the project?
What leadership qualities (e.g., technical knowledge, interpersonal skills, admin-
istrative capability) are essential to making this project a success?
How will I develop those leadership qualities? Who needs leadership develop-
ment (e.g., staff, residents, partners)?
Development of Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Leveraging
of Resources
What partners are essential to making this project a success?
What do these partners have to offer (e.g., technical expertise, social capital, fund-
ing)?
How am I going to bring the partnership together? What are the challenges I need
to be aware of?
Am I working with the right person in the partner organization? Do I need to en-
gage a senior person or someone with more technical knowledge?
What are my partners' motivations for working on this project? What do they hope
to gain?
Are there any group/personal dynamics that could impact the success of the proj-
ect?
Do my partners have connections with other potential partners?
Is the partnership too large or too small?
What are the partners expecting from my organization?
[6]
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Consensus Building and Dispute Resolution
What are the potential conflicts (e.g., between residents and my organization,
between the community and industry, between the community and government
entities)?
Is the community outreach worker the right person to work with the community?
Does the community trust him/her?
* Is the community composed of various groups with their own unique interests?
Will this be a source of conflict?
Is this a fractured community?
Is the community distrustful or suspicious (e.g., of the government, industry, my
organization, or one of my partners)?
Do I have a strategy to handle potential conflicts?
* Do I need to hire an expert (e.g., a facilitator or a mediator) to help us resolve
conflicts?
Constructive Engagement by Relevant Stakeholders
Are there other entities, that might not necessarily be appropriate as partners, that
can assist in this project?
Sound Management and Implementation
Does rny organization have the capacity to manage the type of project I am pro-
posing?
Does my organization have the capacity to lead the partnership?
Have I allocated the work to the right staff and to the right partners?
Does my project manager have the skills and technical expertise to manage the
project? Does he/she have the trust of the community?
If the project manager is lacking the skills or technical expertise, how will I ad-
dress this problem (e.g., hire an assistant, provide training, get help from a part-
ner)?
* Are my staff's skills being fully realized?
Are the partners' roles clearly denned? What is expected of them? What is ex-
pected of my organization?
* Are the partners' knowledge, skills, and experience being utilized to the fullest?
Evaluation, Lessons Learned, and Replication of Best Practices
How am I going to track my project's progress? How will I know if 1 have achieved
my goal?
Will I evaluate my project periodically to see if I need to make adjustments to my
project strategy, activities, or goal?
At the end of my project, how will I explain what I did?
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Lessons Learned
In 2006, two years after grantees began implementing their projects, OEJ per-
sonnel traveled to the project sites to assess the grantees' progress and to glean
insights into the effectiveness of the collaborative problem-solving approaches
that the grantees have been employing.
Effective Collaborative Problem-Solving Strategies
The grantees that made the greatest strides in attaining their desired environmental and
public health results were the ones that laid out a clear problem-solving strategy (see
Table 2). OEJ found that projects with clear problem-solving strategies had:
* Defined the environmental and/or public health concern: Before beginning the
project, organizations had already clearly identified the issue they wanted to ad-
dress with specificity.
Articulated the environmental and/or public health results desired: Organiza-
tions that had clearly articulated what they hoped to accomplish through the
project were able to develop appropriate, realistic, and logical activities for their
projects. In addition, these organizations established clear goals, milestones, and
benchmarks to track success.
Understood the causes of the environmental and/or public health concern:
Organizations must fully understand the causes of their environmental and/or
public health concern before they developed steps to achieve their goal. This
understanding helps organizations develop an effective strategy.
Identified the key changes, or "attributable events," that must occur to produce
the desired results: "Attributable events" are those key events, such as a change
in policy, institution of a program, or change in behavior, that enable the desired
environmental and/or public health result to occur. The successful organizations
were able to formulate their strategy for achieving their desired goals based on
identified attributable events. Projects that had multiple attributable events had
multi-faceted strategies.
Executed activities that enabled the attributable events to occur: Activities
must be clearly tied to the attributable events and have a specific purpose. Suc-
cessful organizations based activities on the appropriate collaborative problem-
solving approach to maximize the results of their project.
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Table 2: Example of Effective Strategy Development
Define the environmental and/or public health concern
Residents in the affected community are disproportionately impacted by high rates of
asthma triggered by indoor air pollution.
Articulate the environmental and/or public health results desired
Reduce residents' exposure to indoor air asthma triggers in the community.
Understand the causes of the environmental and/or public health
concern
Landlords refuse to repair or maintain rental units, which contributes to the poor indoor
air quality.
Identify the attributable events that must occur to produce the
desired results
Landlords must make repairs and maintain rental units to reduce or eliminate potential
asthma triggers.
Execute activities that enable the attributable events to occur
Educate residents about landlord-tenant laws so they understand their rights in regard to
timely rental unit repair and maintenance.
Common Problems in Developing Collaborative Problem-Solving
Strategies
Based on the site visits, OEJ found that, while many grantees focused on the "collaborative"
portion of collaborative problem'solving, not all of them paid as much attention on "problem-
solving."
While the five case studies in this report highlight successful strategies using collaborative
problem-solving approaches, these and other communities also faced several common barriers in
addressing each local environmental and/or public health concern;
* The community defined the environmental and/or public health concern too vaguely
or broadly: Before an organization can begin to formulate a strategy to combat a prob-
lem, it must fully understand the problem and then clearly define the environmental
and/or public health concern. The more specific an organization is in defining the con-
cern, the better equipped it will be in developing a well thought-out strategy for address-
ing the concern.
[ 10 ] Lessons Learned
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Example of a vague environmental/public health concern: Poor air quality.
Example of a specific environmental/public health concern: Residents are exposed
to diesel exhaust from idling trucks.
Organizations did not articulate the environmental and/or public health results that
the community desired; By not articulating the desired environmental and/or public
health results, organizations tail to establish a reasonable goal for themselves. Organiza-
tions should avoid goals that are too general and instead strive to be as specific and clear as
possible in defining their desired outcome. The clearer an organization is about what it is it
hopes to accomplish, the easier it will be to formulate a strategy for achieving that goal.
Example of a goal that is too broad: Improvement in environmental quality.
Example of a specific goal: Reduction in resident exposure to lead in older housing
stock.
Organizations did not correctly identify the causes of the environmental and/or public
health concern: Organizations can run into problems when they start to implement
project activities if they do not understand the true causes of the environmental and/or
public health concern.
For example, if the biggest contributor to asthma in the community is poor outdoor
air quality caused by vehicle emissions, training residents about indoor air quality
may have minimal impact on addressing the asthma issue. Once organizations iden-
tify the true causes of the environmental and/or public health issue, it will be easier
to develop activities likely to result in improvements.
Organizations did not identify the key changes (attributable events) that will lead to
the desired environmental and/or public health result: To develop an effective strat-
egVi organizations must identify the attributable events that need to take place, which
will lead to the desired environmental and/or public health result. Identifying the causes
of the environmental problem will help in identifying the key changes.
For example, if the cause of the problem is a lack of awareness on the issue among
residents, the attributable event would be residents becoming aware of the issue.
Implementing a backward planning process helps in identifying the causes and the
attributable events; organizations can start at the point where they want to end up
and work their way backwards to identify attributable events and develop activities
around those events.
Lessons Learned [ 11 J
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Organizations stuck to "tried and true" activities, but those activities were not tied to
the attributable event: Many organizations conduct activities that they feel comfortable
performing because of their past successes working on those activities. These activities
may not be effective, however, if they are not closely linked to attributable events or if
they do not logically lead to the desired environmental and/or public health results.
For example, if the project is designed to affect policy changes, training residents
might not necessarily be the most appropriate activity. Organizations must ask
themselves how training is going to lead to the policy changes. If it does not, they
will need to consider other activities chat will help them attain the desired out-
comes.
[ 12 J Lessons Learned
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CASE STUDIES-
FIVE MODELS FOR SUCCESS
T
he following case studies highlight five organizations that
developed effective strategies using collaborative prol>
lem-solving approaches:
Indochinese Cultural and Service Center (ICSC): Tacoma, Washington
Pacoima Beautiful: Pacoima, California
West End Reviralization Association, Inc. (WERA): Mebane, North
Carolina
Anahola Homesteaders Council (AHC): Anahola, Hawaii
Make the Road by Walking (MRBW): Brooklyn, New York
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Indochinese Cultural and Service
Center (ICSC)
Introduction
ICSC has provided continuous, ever-expanding services to Southeast Asian refugees and inv
migrants in Pierce County, Washington, since it was established more than 20 years ago. ICSC's
founders were refugees with a vision of providing assistance to their peers to help them adjust to
life in the United States and cope with the numerous challenges they face in their new environ-
ment, including cultural and language barriers and financial difficulties.
According to ICSC, 58,000 Asian/Pacific Islander (API) (people of Cambodian, Vietnamese,
Laotian, Korean, Filipino, and Samoan descent) residents of Pierce County are potentially ex-
posed to chemically and biologically contaminated shellfish from unclean waters. The contami-
nated shellfish can cause a variety'of illnesses and even death. These populations are especially
vulnerable since they frequently fail to understand and comply with local beach closure warnings
due to language barriers and illiteracy.
In 1999, ICSC, the Korean Women's Association, key leaders in the API community in Pierce
County, and staff from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife formed a group known
as Marine Resources for Future Generations (MRFFG). Since its formation, MRFFG has held
regular meetings to discuss the subsistence shellfishing issue and to improve the enforcement
of harvesting laws. In addition, the group has expanded to include other members, such as the
Washington Department of Health, the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department, and the
Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team.
PROJECT SNAPSHOT
Environmental and/or Public Health Concern: Resident expo-
sure to chemically and biologically contaminated shellfish from
subsistence shellfish harvesting.
Environmental and/or Public Health Result Desired; Reduction
in resident exposure to contaminated shellfish,
Causes of the Environmental and/or Public Health Concern: 1}
The Asian/Pacific Islander community lacks awareness of the health
risks of subsistence shellfish harvesting; and 2) government entities
do not coordinate to inform residents about beach closures.
Attributable Events: 1) Residents avoid exposure from contaminated shellfish because they are aware
of the health risks associated with subsistence shellfish harvesting; and 2) government entities develop a
beach closure plan to better inform residents of beach closure days.
[ 14 J Case Studies: Indochinese Cultural and Service Center (ICSC)
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Project Strategy
ICSC decided to work towards two attributable events: 1) residents avoid exposure from con-
taminated shellfish because they are aware of the health risks associated with Subsistence shellfish
harvesting; and 2) government entities develop a management plan to better inform residents
of beach closure days. But ICSC found providing information about the potential health risks
of consuming contaminated shellfish difficult for two primary reasons; 1) the API community in
Tacoma speaks many different languages and consists of a variety of ethnic groups; and 2) the
API community distrusts the government.
To address the language barrier, ICSC asked select community members to translate technical
information supplied by the county health department and the state fish and wildlife service on
safe and sustainable shellfish harvesting practices and on how to access and understand beach
closure notices. These residents translated brochures and other educational information into
Korean, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Samoan languages so ICSC could distribute them to the
community.
To address cultural sensitivities, ICSC and its partners trained community liaisons to provide
information to the API community, which reduced the community's fear of government officials
and gained the community's trust regarding the usefulness of the government information about
shellfish. These individuals also provided a reality check to the ICSC project team by educating
them about the API community's general acceptance of the risk of temporary illnesses from eat-
ing contaminated shellfish. This information was particularly useful in determining how best to
communicate the more serious risks.
To maximize the effectiveness in reaching the affected community, ICSC also educated and
involved community youth. Per die advice of the community elders, ICSC used an inter-genera-
tional and culturally appropriate approach to reach all members of the API community. In many
API cultures, for example, it is inappropriate for children to "teach" their parents about any
subject. The elders (e.g., grandparents), however, are more receptive to listening to the youth
(usually their grandchildren), in part because they want to encourage their educational develop-
ment. Elders are less likely to listen to their adult children, but the adult children must listen to
their elder parents.
With an understanding of these cultural traditions, project partners approached API elders
and asked them to give the' youth permission to teach them about safe and sustainable shellfish
harvesting. The elders in turn would educate their own children (the youth's parents) about the
issue. This communication strategy helped to reach many parents whose jobs would limit their
access to the liaisons and events intended to change harvesting behaviors. These events includ-
ed beach walks, education sessions by government employees, laboratory tours, and ethnic events
featuring information booths.
Through the project, ICSC also established a resource center where community residents can
find out what beaches are open or closed, where to buy a fishing license, and how to get more
information about rules and regulations, This center is staffed by individuals who have received
intensive training from the local health department, the state fish and wildlife agency, and the
state department of health.
----- ........ ...
Case Studies; Indochinese Cultural and Service Center {ICSC) [ 15
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ICSC also used the MRFFG partnership to develop a beach closure management plan. The plan
utilizes information ICSC gained from the API community on how information flows to the dif-
ferent groups and how to present the information in a manner that is culturally and linguistically
appropriate. The plan identifies each responsible party and the actions they will take to ensure
that the API community will be kept up to date on the status of all beaches (i.e., closed or open
to shellfish harvesting) in Pierce County. For example, information about beach closure infor-
mation flows from the state health department to local health departments to community-based
organizations. These organizations then inform the trained staff (e.g., resource center staff) and
youth, who in turn teach the elders and leaders in the community, who then share the informa-
tion with the larger community. The plan also includes the steps necessary to harvest shellfish
safely and legally.
ICSC developed a number of educational materials as well. Key elements of the plan were presented
in a large poster format with a safe and legal harvesting checklist and a newly developed recom-
mended beaches map. Other educational tools include a sports fishing rules pamphlet, a Guide to Safe
Shellfish Harvesting, an information hotline, Web site information, and an important news bulletin.
Involving the community in the development of the plan led to an effective shift in the balance
of power at MRFFG meetingsaway from the government representatives and other stakehold-
ers and towards the community, as API coordinators began to facilitate the meetings using a
bilingual format. In addition, API coordinators started to assume complete responsibility for
the meetings by providing the meeting facilities, developing the agenda (with input from all
stakeholders before each meeting), recording the meeting minutes, and disseminating meeting
minutes. This emphasis on community leadership has been instrumental in communicating the
information to the API community.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
* Distributed program brochures and other educational materials in Korean, Cam-
bodian, Vietnamese, and Samoan about the dangers of shellfish harvesting.
* Trained community liaisons to provide information to the API community, which
reduced the community's fear of government officials and gained the community's
trust regarding the usefulness of the government information about shellfish.
* Used an intergenerational training approach to effectively provide information on how to access
information about beach closings to the API community.
Conducted numerous activities such as beach walks, education sessions by government employees,
laboratory tours, and staffing booths at a number of ethnic events to raise awareness among the API
community.
Established a community resource center.
* Created a beach closure plan that ensures that the API community will be kept up to date on the
status of all beaches (i.e., closed or open to shellfish harvesting) in Pierce County.
Empowered the API community to address the environmental and/or public health concern.
[ 16 J Case Studies: Indochinese Cultural and Service Center (ICSC)
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PACOIMA BEAUTIFUL (PB)
Introduction
PB is dedicated to the creation of a healthy, environmentally safe, prosperous, and sustainable
community in Pacoima, California. Founded in 1995 as a volunteer beautification commit'
tee composed of five individuals, the organization became a 501(c)3 nonprofit environmental
justice and environmental health, community-based, organization in February 2000. It operates
through the support of a policy board consisting of residents and professional advisors. During fis-
cal years 2005 and 2006, PB employed a 12-person staff and operated with a budget of $690,000.
PB runs three programs for this Los Angeles community of approximately 98,000 occupants, in a
total area of approximately 3 square miles:
* Community Inspectors Program; This program helps residents identify the sources of
environmental health risks and find simple solutions to reduce risks.
Youth Environmentalists Program: This program assists youth so that they can partici-
pate in activities that will improve the environment in Pacoima.
Safer Homes for a Healthy Community Program: This program helps residents create
healthy homes for their families as a means to prevent environmentally related health
problems such as lead poisoning, asthma, and respiratory stress from mold contamination.
Many of the 22,035 homes in this high-density, low-income, mostly Latino community are more
than 30 years old and still contain lead-based paint, leading to a significant concern about lead
poisoning. Children (ages 0 to 6) are especially vulnerable to adverse health effects
PROJECT SNAPSHOT
Environmental and/or Public Health Concern: High rates of
lead poisoning by children ages 0 to 6 because of old housing
stock.
Environmental and/or Public Health Result Desired: Reduc-
tion in resident exposure to lead, primarily in children ages 0 to 6,
Causes of the Environmental and/or Public Health Concern:
1) Parents and other residents lack awareness of the danger lead
poses to children; 2) residents are unable to afford improvements to
their residences to decrease exposure to lead; and 3) existing hous-
ing code laws do not adequately address lead exposure issues.
Attributable Events; 1) Residents, particularly parents, become aware of the dangers of lead and make
simple changes to reduce lead exposure; 2) residents take advantage of services that provide home im-
provements and repair free of charge or through low-interest loans; and 3) existing laws that help reduce
resident exposure to lead are enforced, and future laws are enacted to address lead exposures.
Case Studies: Pacoima Beautiful (PB) [ 17 j
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from lead because they are most likely to ingest the paint chips and dust that can contain high
concentrations of lead, and their bodies are still developing. PB believes that the residents of
this community are disproportionately impacted by lead'based paint because the majority of
die residents are not aware of the dangermany do not speak English, have low literacy rates
in their own native language, and/or are mistrustful of the organizations that offer assistance in
protecting their children, often due to the fear of deportation if the residents are undocumented.
Project Strategy
PB decided to work toward three attributable events: 1) residents, particularly parents, become
aware of die dangers of lead and make simple changes to reduce lead exposure; 2) residents take
advantage of services that provide home improvements and repair free of charge or through low-
interest loans; and 3) existing laws that help reduce resident exposure to lead are enforced, and
future laws are enacted to address lead exposures.
PB began to investigate lead-based paint issues in 1999, when it organized a survey with Califor-
nia State University at Northridge (CSUN) to assess the community's knowledge about envi-
ronmental hazards and health. The survey results confirmed PB's belief that the community was
not knowledgeable about lead and other environmental hazards in homes and in the community.
For example, the survey results indicted that residents of only about 20 percent of the households
eligible for blood lead testing were in fact being tested.
From 2000 to 2002, PB coordinated with CSUN, the University of California at Irvine, the
University of California at Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
(LAC DHS), and Valley Care Community Consortium (VCCC) to conduct a pilot project to
identify the health hazards in one of the high-risk neighborhoods in Pacoima. This research
project was the springboard fot a major PB program, Safer Homes for a Healthy Community.
The program received initial funding through a planning grant from the Community Environ'
mental Health Resource Center, an organization that provides resources to grassroots groups
working for social justice in low-income communities around the country. The pilot project and
the initial program concluded that;
Only about 25 percent of the children that are eligible for free lead testing are being
tested.
* Parents are not actively seeking out blood lead testing, partly because their physicians
are not recommending that they do so.
* Healthcare providers are not informing parents about elevated blood lead levels in their
children unless the levels exceed national thresholds.
* Housing in Pacoima is severely overcrowded and degraded, with multiple families liv-
ing in single-family residences and ancillary structures, including garages and attics of
garages.
Most housing enforcement centers on tenants' rights in apartments, not on tenants in
single-family housing.
* Most owners of rental property live in Pacoima and are related to their tenants.
............
[ 18 ] Case Studies: Pacoima Beautiful (PB)
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To raise awareness of the lead issue, PB established an essential
communication link with the community through the training of
trusted community members called promotoras, community health
advisors who are paid by PB to visit residents and discuss a wide
range of health and social issues, such as prenatal care, drug and
alcohol abuse, crime, and affordable housing. The promotoras
received specific training and flyers on many tead-related topics,
including the importance of testing 0- to 6-year-olds for blood
lead levels and making changes in housekeeping activities to
minimize lead exposures. A number of PB partners conducted
the promotora training, including the LAC DHS, Neighbor-
hood Legal Services (NLS), and VCCC. In addition, CSUN
analyzed existing data and prepared maps that helped PB and
the promotoras target the households that were most likely
to have the highest lead hoards and young children. The
promotoras also revisited the households that had agreed to
have their young children tested to make sure the residents of
these households had all the information and support they needed
to follow through with their intentions.
PB identified and trained a number of healthcare workers to become champions for the goal
of increasing the percentage of young children who receive a blood lead screening test. These
champions were asked to train their colleagues at Pacoima healthcare clinics. VCCC assisted in
this effort by providing a communication link to the various healthcare clinics and their person-
nel.
In addition, the promotoras obtained permission from residents to conduct tests on the blood
lead levels of children in the community. They then discussed the results of the tests with each
resident and, for those households with high lead concentrations, assisted the residents in iden-
tifying their eligibility and obtaining access to free services or low-interest loans to repair sources
of lead contamination, PB developed a form for healthcare providers to use to disclose and inter-
pret screening results and provide for referrals to community resources to reduce household lead
exposures. PB prepared, and the promotoras distributed, information on the laws governing lead
testing and lead abatement and how to qualify for grants and/or loans for lead abatement. In the
process, the promotoras informed the residents that applying for grants or loans would not result
in deportation of any family members.
As a result of these efforts, the PB program tested 675 children for blood lead levels, provided in-
formation to 2,500 residents on safe cleaning practices and other simple measures to reduce lead
levels, and tested 300 homes for lead contamination. Of those homes, 31.4 percent exceeded the
lead dust criteria for floors and windows. Of those that exceeded the criteria, 27 percent have
been renovated, or PB referred the residents to free services or low-interest loans to remove the
lead hazards. PB is currently developing a registry of homes that have been abated for lead.
Case Studies: Pacoima Beautiful (PB) [ 19 ]
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Finally, PB and its partners, including NLS and local officials, met to strengthen the enforcement
of lead-free repair laws, which prohibit certain construction techniques, such as dry sanding, in
homes that contain lead-based paint, PB revised the majority of its existing outreach activities,
including three major programs and various related community events, to include information
about exposures of the community's young children to lead in their homes.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Trained promotoros to work with residents to raise awareness of the risks of lead-
based paint, the importance of lead testing in children, and the need for home
testing and abatement.
* Tested 675 children (ages 0 to 6) for blood lead concentrations.
* Provided information to 2,500 residents on safe cleaning practices and other
simple measures that can reduce lead hazards.
Tested 300 homes for lead contamination; renovated 27 percent of the homes exceeding the lead
dust criteria for floors or windows or referred residents to free services or low-interest loans to re-
move the lead hazards.
Developing a registry of homes that have been abated for lead.
[ 20 ] Case Studies: Pacoima Beautiful (PB)
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WEST END REVITALIZATION
ASSOCIATION, INC. (WERA)
Introduction
Founded in 1994, WERA is Alamance County, North Carolina's first and only community
development corporation. WERA provides services to residents, homeowners, and landowners
of three communities in Alamance and Orange counties. These communities were settled by
former slaves shortly after the Civil War, just beyond Mebane, North Carolina's city limits, and
are 85 to 95 percent African-American.
Many residents of these communities face health risks due to contamination from failing septic
tanks, to which they are exposed by: 1) drinking contaminated well water, 2) coming in contact
with the effluent that is draining from their own septic tank, or 3) coming in contact with local
surface waters that have received runoff from contaminated effluent from nearby properties' sep-
tic tanks. This issue potentially impacts the residents of 500 homes,
WERA believes that these exposures disproportionately impact the residents of these communi-
ties because the local authorities have not provided them with access to the city sewer and water
system, even though one of the communities borders the sewage treatment plant and the other
two communities border newer, high-income subdivisions and businesses that have access to city
water and sewer services. The affected communities are situated just beyond the city limits and
within the city's "extraterritorial jurisdiction," or ETJ. In North Carolina, cities are
not required to provide city water and sewage lines in ETJ zones,
and the residents of those zones are not required to pay city taxes.
PROJECT SNAPSHOT
Environmental and/or Public Health Concern: Resident
exposure to contaminated well water and resident contact with
untreated effluent on properties or in local surface waters due to
failing septic tanks.
The Environmental and/or Public Health Result Desired:
Reduction in resident exposure to contaminated "well water and
untreated effluent.
Causes of the Environmental and/or Public Health Concern:
1) The city lacks an incentive to connect the affected communities
to sewer and water services because residents are outside of the city limits; 2) the city lacks the financial
resources to connect the affected community to sewer and water services.
Attributable Events: 1) The city becomes interested in connecting the affected community to sewer
and water services; and 2) funding to connect affected residents to sewer and water services becomes
available.
Case Studies: West End RevitaHiatton Association, Inc. (WERA) [ 21 J
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Project Strategy
WERA decided to work toward two attributable events: 1) the city becomes interested in con-
necting the affected community to sewer and water services; and 2) funding to connect affected
residents to sewer and water services becomes available.
In 2001, WERA received a $15,000 small grant from OEJ to collect information to support
the need to replace the failed septic systems. The School of Public Health at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) provided significant technical support to WERA.
The project resulted in a final report that described the ages and conditions of the failing septic
systems and presented analytical evidence of bacterial contamination in surface water and well
water in the three communities. It also indicated that the high rate of septic system failure in
these communities resulted from soil conditions rather than poor maintenance by the residents.
WERA shared the information in this report with residents and local authorities and then voiced
the communities' concerns to the local authorities and emphasized their right to be connected to
the city sewer system.
In the years following the report, WERA did not believe that the local authorities were taking
significant steps toward connecting residents to the city sewer service despite the public health
threat. WERA again engaged UNC-CH as a major partner and applied for the EJ CPS grant in
order to:
Provide more definitive data on the causes and extent of bacterial contamination in the
surface and ground water within the three affected communities.
" Apply collaborative problem-solving techniques in an effort to engage local authorities
in addressing the residents' concerns.
Anticipating that the local authorities would continue regarding the septic system issue as a low
priority, WERA wanted to form a partnership that would require numerous public meetings with
participation from a larger number of stakeholders and keep the issue in the public spotlight.
WERA and its main partners (UNC-CH and the Haw River Assembly) identified the other
stakeholders that needed to be informed of the issues and motivated to attend the public meet-
ings, such as the general public; the local news media; community residents; and various federal,
state, and local officials.
WERA conducted two main activities to formulate and distribute data and information through-
out the life of the project: 1) prepared and delivered training for residents in preparation for their
participation at the public meetings, and 2) prepared and presented data and information on the
issues to alt stakeholders in workshops (facilitated by WERA's board, staff, and partners) and at
public meetings. Because of WERA efforts, the continued problems associated with failing septic
systems could no longer be ignored.
[ 22 J Case Studies: West End Revitalization. Association; Inc. (WERA)
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WERA not only recognized the need to gather data on the environmental and public health
concerns associated with the exposures, but also gathered information on possible funding
sources to defray all or a portion of the costs of installing sewer and water lines. Together, the
partnership developed an extensive list of possible funding sources, and due to these efforts, local
authorities formed a city/county task force in an effort to locate block grant funds.
Ultimately, as a result of all of these efforts, city authorities installed sewer lines for 40 houses
in one section of one of the affected communities, funded by a $400,000 block grant with a
$120,000 match from the city. The city has also received approval for an additional $750,000
block grant with a $140,000 city match for a new water/sewer installation project for another
47 houses, and located additional funding and conducted the necessary investigations to install
sewer lines in the remainder of this community.
The WERA board members and residents of the community serve as advisory board members for
the city to make street selections for each phase of the water/sewer installation project.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
* Presented the findings of a report, developed in conjunction with UNC-CH, to
local authorities documenting the condition of the septic tanks, the nature of the
contamination, and the fact that the onsite septic system failures were not the
fault of the residents.
Identified and invited stakeholders to form a partnership to address the septic
tank issue.
Provided training to residents and stakeholders and presented data to inform public meetings and
workshops.
* Worked with local authorities to form a city/county task force in an effort to locate block grant
funds to extend municipal water and sewer lines to the affected communities.
* Succeeded in getting city authorities to install sewer lines for 40 houses in one section of one of af-
fected communities, which was funded by a $400,000 block grant with a $120,000 match from the
city.
* Succeeded in getting the city to commit to installing sewer lines for another 47 houses, which will
be funded by an additional $750,000 block pant with a $140,000 city match from the city.
* Succeeded in getting the city to locate additional funding and conduct the necessary investigations
to install sewer lines in the remainder of the community.
* Organized the WERA board and residents of the community to serve as advisory board members for
the city to make street selections for each phase of the water/sewer installation project.
Case Studies: West End Revitalization Association, Inc. (WERA) [ 23 J
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ANAHOLA HOMESTEADERS COUNCIL (AHC)
Introduction
In 1994, a group of Native Hawaiians formed AHC as a nonprofit corporation to serve a mostly
rural community that is approximately 70 percent Native Hawaiian. The AHC mission is to
provide a better quality of life for Native Hawaiians living on homestead land in Anahola,
Kaua'i. AHC believes that Native empowerment will bring about self-sustainability, so the or-
ganization has been actively pursuing an economic plan through collaborative partnerships and
working with a volunteer board of advisors and consultants.
Part of the AHC plan is "Project Faith," a multi-purpose community center that will house facili-
ties such as an elderly care home, a charter school, a health and social service center, a cultural
center, and a number of Native Hawaiian businesses. This center will be vital for community
life, as common amenities, services, and employment opportunities are not currently within
proximity. AHC obtained a license from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) to
use a 20-acre property in Anahola for this center. Soon after, the county recognized the property
as a Brownfields site, and AHC's plan for the community center received a green building design
award.
AHC was unable to make immediate use of the property, however, because it was littered with
a variety of illegally dumped solid wastes, such as abandoned cars, appliances, and car batteries.
Moreover, some of the soil on the property had been contaminated with arsenic and mercuric
compounds from the pesticides and herbicides that were applied by the sugar
cane companies that previously had occupied the
property and much of the other land on Kauai.
PROJECT SNAPSHOT }
Environmental and/or Public Health Concern: Resident expo-
sure to soil contaminants and solid waste on a 20-acre lot desig-
nated for use as the community's economic, cultural, and social
center.
Environmental and/or Public Health Result Desired: Productive
use of the 20-acre lot as an economic, cultural, and social center in
an environmentally sustainable way.
Causes of the Environmental and/or Public Health Concern:
1) The community illegally disposes of solid waste on the land; 2) the community lacks support to main-
tain the land; and 3) the community lacks resources to remove contaminants from the 20-acre lot, which
has been designated as a Brownfields site.
Attributable Events: 1) Residents stop disposing of their solid waste on the property; 2) residents take
pride in their community and are motivated to see the Project Faith vision fulfilled; and 3} resources
become available to remove contaminants from the 20-acre lot.
[ 24 j Case Studies: Anahola Homesteaders Council (AHC)
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Project Strategy
AHC decided to work toward three attributable events: 1) residents stop disposing of tbeir solid
waste on the property; Z) residents take pride in their community and are motivated to see the
Project Faith vision fulfilled; and 3) resources become available to remove contaminants from
the 20-acre tot.
The first and most immediate need was to remove debris from the property, but to achieve this
goal, AHC first had to document the extent of the solid waste problem. This task was compli-
cated by the fact that the site was covered by tall grass. To help locate the debris, one of AHC's
partners took aerial photos of the site, AHC then leveraged resources by having the city provide
in-kind support to haul away debris at no cost to AHC. Specifically, the city hauled away 47
propane tanks, 92 car batteries, 149 junked cars, and numerous washing machines.
These actions removed all of the solid waste but only served as a temporary remedy because solid
waste could easily accumulate again if residents continued to discard their waste on the property.
Therefore, AHC developed a strategy to deter residents from illegal disposal of their waste. First,
AHC obtained a commitment from one of its partners to mow the property so it would no longer
be an ideal place for concealing abandoned cars and other waste. In addition, AHC fenced off
the 20-acre parcel and erected signs and flags to keep trespassers off the property. AHC also held
community forums to discuss the solid waste issue and how to prevent illegal dumping within
the community. Finally, although AHC could not begin the redevelopment process until the
land was clear of arsenic and other contaminants, the organization started the "Native People's
Marketplace," a type of flea market, on the property to generate income for Project Faith.
This initial work solve the solid waste issue showed AHC that a larger, systemic problem pervad-
ed the community: a general sense of apathy among some of the residents concerning the envi-
ronmental health of the community and the redevelopment of the site. Community support was
vital to seeing the Project Faith project through to completion because the kupuna (respected
elder leaders of the community) are instrumental in establishing the community's agenda. Ako,
because Project Faith is such a large endeavor, AHC needed the support of all of the community
residents.
To motivate the community to action, AHC decided to work on an issue that concerned ev-
eryone: water quality. Residents had expressed concern about the water quality in the area; of
particular concern was an outbreak of leptospirosis, a bacterial disease transmitted to humans by
livestock and wild animals through direct contact with contaminated water (e.g., swimming).
The disease left an Anahola man without the use of his legs. To address this issue, AHC began a
water testing project and collaborated with government and nongovernment experts to develop
a curriculum for community youth on water quality education and testing.
By educating the children, the project in turn educated the parents and kupuna about possible
exposure and risk. After collecting and analyzing water samples, the children presented their
findings to the kupuna at an end-of-the-year celebration. AHC compiled the results into AHC's
2005 Water Quality Report and disseminated the findings to the public through a local radio pro-
gram, the local newspaper, public forums, and the AHC Web site. AHC also used the findings as
Case Studies: Anahola Homesteaders Council (AHC) [ 25 ]
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supplemental information for the Environmental Impact Statement for the redevelopment plan,
required under the license agreement between AHC and DHHL.
But more importantly, the water quality testing exercise allowed the community to come to-
gether to discuss other pressing environmental concerns, such as the status of redevelopment
plan and solid waste issues. The activities involved youth, parents, and grandparents so that the
entire community became involved in the effort, AHC regularly held meetings before and after
water sampling excursions to discuss the state of the environment and the community. AHC
also developed the Anahola.net Web site to keep the community informed about the state of the
environment and the progress towards achieving the Project Faith goal.
All the support from community residents still could not assist in financing Project Faith. Rec-
ognizing that the EJ CPS assistance only provides $100,000 in funding, AHC used activities
such as the solid waste removal and water quality testing to attract attention to the issues and to
obtain other funding sources. For example, working with the government partners on the water
quality testing activities allowed AHC to make connections with various stakeholders and lever-
age funding and other resources. The EJ CPS cooperative agreement was the first federal grant
the organization obtained, but AHC also obtained funding from EPA Region 9's Brownfields
grant and the U.S. Health and Human Service's Administration for Native Americans grant.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
* Removed 47 propane tanks, 92 car batteries, 149 junked cars, and numerous
washing machines from the 20-acre site.
Prevented additional contamination of the Project Faith site by ensuring that the
property would be mowed regularly, fencing off the property and posting signs,
holding community forums, and starting the "Native People's Marketplace,"
Began a water testing project with community youth, collaborating with government and nongov-
ernment experts to develop a curriculum on water quality education and testing.
* Developed the AHC 2005 Water Qualify Report, which will assist the Project Faith team in prepar-
ing an Environmental Impact Statement, a conditional requirement to obtain the license to use the
20-acre property slated for Project Faith.
Developed the Anahola.net Web site to keep the community informed about the state of the envi-
ronment and the progress towards achieving the Project Faith goal.
Used the E] CPS cooperative agreement as a springboard for obtaining other monetary and non-
monetary support to fulfill the Project Faith vision.
[ 26 j Case Studies: Anahota Homesteaders Council (AHC)
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MAKE THE ROAD BY WALKING (MRBW)
Introduction
Since 1997, MRBW has provided support for self-organizing activities by the unemployed, un-
documented, and working poor in the neighborhood of Bushwick in Brooklyn, New York. It is a
membership-led organization with more than 50 donor organizations and more than 100 individ-
ual donors. MRBW provides community residents with information, advocacy, representation,
and referrals about emergency food, shelter, and assistance. In addition, residents can attend legal
rights training sessions on welfare, disability benefits, immigration, housing, domestic violence,
and the criminal justice system.
The organization develops advocacy skills, promotes collective action, and holds local institu-
tions accountable by organizing campaigns that address issues ranging from lack of translation
services in neighborhood welfare centers to abuses of undocumented immigrant workers. Resi-
dents also organize for a healthier community, targeting high asthma and lead poisoning rates in
children, as well as the need for parks and other open spaces.
In 2001, MRBW received an environmental justice small grant of $15,000. The grant enabled
the organization to identify asthma as a major health issue in the community and to initiate a
capacity-building program to begin educating the Bushwick community and surrounding areas on
some of the causes, preventative measures, and local treatment services associated with asthma.
In 2004, MRBW partnered with the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center (WHMC) and the North
Brooklyn branch of New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to form the
Bushwick Environmental Health Collaborative (BEHC) to address
PROJECT SNAPSHOT
Environmental and/or Public Health Concern;
sure to indoor asthma triggers within the home.
Environmental and/or Public Health Result Desired: Reduction
in resident exposure to asthma triggers.
Causes of the Environmental and/or Public Health Concern:
1) The community lacks access to information on how to avoid a
number of asthma triggers; 2) healthcare is inadequate to address
resident needs in terms of treatment for asthma; 3) landlords refuse to
reduce asthma triggers through maintenance and repair of rental units;
and 4) the city lacks a comprehensive, citywide policy to address asthma.
Attributable Events: 1) Community residents avoid a number of asthma triggers by taking self-protec-
tive measures; 2} healthcare providers extend services and hours to address resident asthma needs;
3) landlords maintain and repair rental units, thereby reducing resident exposure to asthma triggers; and
4) the city establishes a comprehensive, citywide policy to address asthma.
Case Studies: Make The Road By Walking (MRBW) [ 27
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environmental health disparities in Bush wick. Through a series of focus groups with community
members, BEHC decided to target the high levels of asthma in the community,
Project Strategy
MRBW opted to work toward four attributable events: 1) community residents avoid a number
of asthma triggers by taking self-protective measures; 2) healthcare providers extend services and
hours to address resident asthma needs; 3) landlords maintain and repair rental units, thereby
reducing resident exposure to asthma triggers; and 4) the city establishes a comprehensive, city-
wide policy to address asthma.
First, MRBW led an extensive community training program on asthma and other indoor envi-
ronmental hazards. MRBWs approach included both traditional training workshops and other
strategies to educate the residents about asthma. For example, MRBW conducted 1,239 one-on-
one community dialogues with asthmatics. They also hired and trained three asthmatic com-
munity members to complete more than 600 of these dialogues. In the dialogues, participants
discussed each asthmatic's case history and how the person could better control their asthma.
Along with BEHC, MRBW also conducted a number of asthma workshops that focused on
the specific needs of the Bushwick community. The tJiree-part workshop curriculum provided
information on asthma in general, indoor asthma triggers and tenants' rights, and integrated pest
management and its asthma implications.
Finally, MRBW launched an extensive media campaign about asthma in Bushwick, which
referenced a BEHC-published report on the main indoor asthma triggers and barriers to proper
asthma treatment in Bushwick. The report, published in both English and Spanish, was based
on 300 community dialogues diat MRBW conducted. MRBW distributed a summary of the
report to 1,800 members and asthmatics who had participated in the workshops, and organized a
press conference to announce the report. Five citywide television stations and four newspapers
covered the story.
In addition, MRBW partnered with WHMC, one of two hospitals located in Bushwick, which led
to the jointly published report (with the Department of Health and WHMC), Fighting to Breathe:
Asthma in Bushwick, documenting the status of asthma in the community. The hospital also
extended the hours diat its satellite clinics will see asthmatics. The partnership has also helped
WHMC institute its chronic care mode! to better treat chronic asthmatics, This model identifies
the key elements necessary for quality care for chronic illness: community, health system, self-man-
agement support, delivery system design, decision support, and clinical information systems.
Another element of the EJ CPS project involved empowering community residents to take care
of themselves. Many residents were fearful of approaching landlords to ask for repairs on rental
units because they are undocumented residents, have been physically threatened by landlords,
and have no other housing alternative. MRBW worked with residents to teach them about
their rights as tenants because many were unaware of local landlord tenant laws. MRBW has an
environmental justice group, BASTA, that presents information to community members about
asthma, tenant rights, and other environmental justice issues. Nearly HO new participants and
64 new members have participated in BASTA,
[ 28 ] Case Studies: Make The R*jad By Walking (MRBW)
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To provide additional support to residents in dealing with their landlords, the EJ CPS project
helped fund performance-theatre activities using a training method known as "theater of the
oppressed," developed in Brazil. Through this method, actors develop and perform skits, and die
audience actively participates. This type of role-playing activity helped to empower residents by
preparing them for real-life interactions with landlords. MRBW also documented whether resi-
dents approached their landlords and if they did, whether the landlords' responses were mostly
positive or negative.
Oftentimes, environmental and/or public health issues like asthma are addressed by various
groups in a disjointed way, without any coordination among various stakeholders. Realizing that
the roots of Bushwick's high asthma rates are not only locally based but also based in citywide
problems, MRBW expanded its collaborative to include other community groups, service provid-
ers, and city institutions throughout New York City. For example, in March 2006, MRBW and
the New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene convened a meeting of eight
different service providers and community groups in northern Brooklyn to better coordinate
asthma services in all of northern Brooklyn. In addition, MRBW has convened a collaborative
of 10 community groups from around the city to discuss recommending policy changes to city
agencies regarding indoor asthma triggers and housing code enforcement. In June 2006, this
new coalition, called the Coalition for Asthma Free Homes (CAFH), organized a press event in
front of an asthmatic MRBW member's home. CAFH has met with the Bureau of Environmental
Disease Prevention to discuss collaboration on potential citywide policy changes.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Educated 1,239 community members on how they can obtain better treatment for
their asthma and reduce their exposures to asthma triggers.
Conducted workshops on asthma, indoot triggers and tenant rights, and integrat-
ed pest management.
Launched a media campaign about asthma in Bushwick; five television stations
and four newspapers covered the story,
Published a joint report with the community's medical center on the main indoor asthma triggers
and barriers to proper asthma treatment.
Empowered residents to approach landlords to maintain and repair rental units by educating them
on their rights as tenants by:
- Teaching them about landlord tenant laws.
- Forming a street theater group to model the way to approach landlords about controlling asthma
triggers.
Documenting whether residents began approaching their landlords, and if they did, whether the
landlords' responses are mostly positive or negative.
Established collaborations with 10 community groups to discuss recommending policy changes to
city agencies regarding indoor asthma triggers and housing codes.
Case Studies: Make The Road By Walking (MRBW) [ 29
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CONCLUSION
Collaborative problem-solving is an effective tool to address complex and
interrelated environmental, public health, economic, and social problems
in local communities. It involves a diverse number of stakeholders, which
can include nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, faith-based
organizations, and private industry, working together to address a specific issue or
concern. While the issue that needs to be addressed might be complex and deeply
rooted, these case studies demonstrate that when diverse groups work together, it is
possible to achieve permanent solutions to long-standing problems in the commu-
nity. The collaborative problem-solving approach offers a positive, non-adversari-
al model to engage the various stakeholders in order to create a collective vision of
health and sustainability for the entire community.
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United States
Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
(2201 A)
Washington, DC 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
EPA-300-R-08-005
August 2008
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