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Quarterly Highlights February 2007
Cerro Gordo CARE Grantee Naomi
Bienfang with EPA Region 7's Kath-
leen Fenton
New CARE Projects Kick-Off
Proud moments deserve attention! Many of the 17 new CARE grantees held
kick-off press events across the country. Each event captured the importance
of EPA's CARE funding to the community in a unique way, and most featured
local officials and partners.
Through events and press releases, the CARE message reached wide audi-
ences. Penn State's project was featured on radio. The CARE event in Cam-
den, NJ, was covered by the most-watched television station serving the area.
Local TV stations covered events in Cerro Gordo, IA, Marquette, Ml, and
Rock Hill, SC, as well. Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) issued a
press release in honor of the West Oakland grant. Other CARE communities
received significant print coverage.
Rochester's Neighborhood Toxics Educator Making a Difference
The Neighborhood Toxics Educator Program in Rochester, New York, operated by Action for a Better Commu-
nity, Inc., through Rochester CARE's Center for Environmental Information, is reaching a wide spectrum of
community residents. While raising awareness about risks from toxics in and around the home is important, in
Rochester there have been unexpected positive results.
After hearing a presentation on asthma triggers and lead poisoning, residents
and other community outreach workers asked Ted Murray, the Toxics Educator,
to visit individual homes for more targeted referral. Utilizing a Visual Survey Re-
port model from the Community Environmental Health Resource Center, Mr.
Murray examines homes, points out areas of concern, and educates residents
about basic remediation. When more complex evaluation of remediation is re-
quired, Mr. Murray connects residents with community resources.
During one such visit, in the home of a severe asthmatic who had sought emer-
gency medical treatment repeatedly, the Toxics Educator identified a significant
problem with basement moisture and mold. The Monroe County Health Depart-
ment Indoor Air Quality inspector was called and made an immediate visit to the
home. Working in cooperation with the local housing office and the Department
of Social Services, Mr. Murray was able to help relocate the family to a safer
residence.
1st Year Results
By the end of their 1st year,
the twelve 2005 CARE
grantees had:
Secured over $930,000
in financial and in-kind
support (in addition to
the $600,000 in Brown-
fields support).
Over 300 partner or-
ganizations.
This example of education, community agency cooperation, and advocacy captures the essence of CARE.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program helps communities
address risks from various sources of toxic pollutants in their local environment.
CARE
Mail Code 8001A
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
Phone: 1-877-CAR.E-909
Inside This Edition:
CARE Communities in Action p. 2-3
Featured Resource p. 4
Incorporating Grantee Feedback ....p. 4
LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS. HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
http://www.epa.gov/care
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U.S. EPA CARE Program: Quarterly Highlights - February 2007
CARE Communities in Action:
There are four steps in the CARE process: joining
together, identifying problems & solutions, imple-
menting solutions & reducing risks, and becoming
self-sustaining.
JOINING TOGETHER
Partnerships Formed Around Common Concerns
The Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments
continues to develop its extensive contacts from three
counties (Cibola, McKinley and San Juan) into fully en-
gaged partners. They found that "Educational Forums"
are the best method of gathering rural citizens and pro-
viding baseline information about uranium mining, en-
ergy, and water use.
Seattle, WA
Tacoma-Pierce County, WA
Montana Indian
Country, MT
Marquette, Ml
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i Rochestfr^JY fi ~Jjkr
PhiladeJ hfal^*6"' ^ven
Philadelphia, PA Camden, NJ
Cerro Gordo County, IA
Muskegon, Ml
.West Oakland, CA
Denver, Co
Pueblo, CO
Pacoima, CA
Decatur, GA
Gallup, NM
Cherokee Nation, OK
Tucson, AZ
Savannah, GA
St. Bernard's Parish, LA
^Junakauyak
> Traditional
Council, AK
2005 Grants
2006 Grants
Level I Grant
Level I Grant
29 CARE Communities
Gardner, NH
\
Utica, NY
In Philadelphia, the Clean Air Council continues to ex-
pand its partnership to include more community groups
and residential housing groups in its effort to address environmental risks from the local port. Although their highest
priorities are affordable housing and dealing with drug use, the residential groups united around environmental
causes such as asthma, traffic and diesel emissions from port activities.
IDENTIFYING PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
Toxic Prioritization Achieved
In Level I CARE communities' fourth quarter reports, several grantees detailed successes with consensus-building
and prioritization of toxic concerns.
Pacoima Beautiful (CA) succeeded in ranking environmental risks from all sources and media to create a consen-
sus-based list of the top four risks, namely: diesel exhaust from trucks and non-road equipment, general aviation
emissions, auto body dismantled emissions, and highway traffic emissions. Many partners helped compile the data
and synthesize information on risks. Students from California State Northridge campus and from the local high
school helped map sites. The data were supplemented with input from the City Environmental Affairs Dept. Re-
gional Water Quality Board, California Air Resources Board and EPA. The health collaborative and Neighborhood
Legal Services all worked together with residents on the ranking. The tools and methods used in developing a com-
prehensive understanding of environmental risks will be shared with all CARE communities.
While Oneida County (NY) CARE continues to recruit more businesses, such as Wal-Mart Corporation and Ho-
mogenous Metals, Inc., into its partnership, the community is also
compiling its environmental health concerns and developing criteria
for issue ranking. The CARE Team anticipates the results of the
ranking in its next report.
International District Housing Alliance (Seattle) learned how to
apply existing best practices from the CARE 2nd Annual Training
Workshop in November, and consequently reformulated its ap-
proach. IDHA plans to create an advisory council for the second
year of the Level 1 CARE grant. This advisory council will guide the
project and ensure that community is engaged as the project devel-
ops goals and strategies. In addition, 26 Youth and 12 elder partici-
pants of the IDHA's Wlderness Inner-City Leadership Development
(WILD) Program elected to begin an indoor air quality campaign to
provide education to community residents.
WILD Youth Performing Outreach at International Dis-
trict (Seattle) Summer Fair
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Implementing Solutions & Reducing Risks
Muskegon County (Ml) Environmental Coordinating Council, working
with its partner, Lead Safe Coalition, created a cohesive lead hazards mes-
sage that was distributed to 150 families in a door-to-door campaign. Cur-
rently, the partnership is launching a second campaign targeting another
150 homes in an at-risk neighborhood.
Clean Air Partnership Project (St. Louis. MO) targeted 11 schools for its
anti-idling initiative and secured the partnership of both the St. Louis Public
Schools and Laidlaw Bus Company to establish no-idling zones near the
schools.
Above & Below: Participants of Clarkston
(DeKalb County, GA) Focus Groups
U.S EPA CARE Program: Quarterly Highlights - February 2007
Page 3
Rochester (NY) CARE's small grants committee selected the
following three community projects to reduce mobile source emis-
sions: Genesee Region Clean Communities to offer a workshop
on alternative fuels; the South East Area Coalition to develop a
, . .. , clean air lawn tool lending library and bike repair station; and
A house against the highway in Northeast Denver . Z, > . .. , ,
South West Neighborhood Association to install bike racks and
promote cycling. A "Rochester Speaks" segment on CBS Radio will feature the CARE project. The small business
air pollution prevention (P2) committee identified 10 printers to partner in P2 activities with the screen-printing trade
association.
Involving College Students
After holding several focus group sessions and a town hall meeting last
quarter, DeKalb County (GA) CARE analyzed the information obtained
from the focus groups and determined next steps. Also, the collaborative
added a key partner, Emory School of Public Health, and engaged students
in the CARE program.
This quarter, the indoor air subgroup of Groundwork Denver HAM.) con-
ducted 3 school inventories under EPA's Tools for Schools program. The
group also educated over
800 families about air
quality through their
unique tool, the "Breath
Better Bus," and through community events. Also, the land use
subgroup planned neighborhood visioning sessions and dis-
cussed potential brownfields sites for a Targeted Brownfields As-
sessment (TBA). TBA support is available to CARE communities
through EPA's Brownfields Program.
Becoming Self-Sustaining
Sullivan County (NH) CARE is developing a recycling-based waste management plan for the county. The project
completed a preliminary economic evaluation of pollution reduction and waste management methods, and it is
building support with county and town officials to present a plan that includes cost-savings.
Green New Haven (CT) Initiative used an energy efficiency theme to attract businesses to CARE. Multi-lingual
Yale students signed up 15 businesses for energy efficiency programs through United Illuminating (the local utility).
These businesses have expressed interest in other CARE activities. Also, a member of the Mayor's Office wrote a
paper outlining a vision for a sustainable CARE organization to spark interest and discussion on long-term project
sustainability. This will be shared with other CARE communities.
"A healthy community would be a place that is safe and clean...There would be parks, gardens,
a library, and public space for people to enjoy. Along the streets will be trees and flowers and
water fountains to make the community look beautiful..."
Neighborhood elder, International District, Seattle, WA
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U.S. EPA CARE Program: Quarterly Highlights - February 2007
Featured Resource
Community, Culture and the Environment:
A Guide to Understanding A Sense of Place
Meeting agendas have you stumped? Searching for a way to build invest-
ment in your CARE project goals? Check out Community, Culture and the
Environment: A Guide to Understanding A Sense of Place, located online at
http://www.epa.gov/ecocommunity/pdf/ccecomplete.pdf. The guide ad-
dresses the social and cultural aspects of community-based environmental
protection. Community-based efforts, such as those supported by CARE,
recognize that values held both individually and as a group contribute to the
quality of community life. CARE Project leaders can use the guide to get a
better understanding of how such values can translate into environmental
solutions and action, step three of the CARE process. Filled with practical
worksheets and design tips for interactive meetings, the guide should be part,
of your toolkit as a CARE partner. For copies of the Guide, call the National
Center for Environmental Publications and Information at (513) 489-8190,
(800) 490-9198, or by mail to NCEPI, US EPA Publication Clearinghouse,
PO Box 42419, Cincinnati, OH45242, or by email to ncepiwo@one.net.
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