2000 Livable Communities Grant Program

This project is taking place in the highly urbanized watershed of Chelsea Creek in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Although Chelsea is only 1.8 square miles, it has 52 state designated hazardous waste sites including a 130,000 ton rock salt pile, four major oil tank farms, Logan airport-related traffic and associated air and noise pollution, extremely limited open space, and no access to Mill Creek. Through education, outreach, training, and community planning activities, Chelsea residents will learn how to revitalize and restore one of the last remaining urban salt marshes in the Boston metropolitan area. This project also will be integrated into the redevelopment of Parkway Plaza, Chelsea’s largest area for economic development, and will provide the community leverage for affecting the design of that redevelopment effort.

Measures of Success: Elimination of dumping at Mill Creek, elimination of hazardous substances in and near creek, restoration of the salt marsh, an increase in community residents’ knowledge of the environment and sustainable development, development of open space for recreation, incorporation of indicators of sustainable development and prevention of environmentally harmful human factors into development of Parkway Plaza.

Project Partners: Watershed Institute, BSC Group, Conservation Law Foundation, Appalachian Mountain Club, Massachusetts Riverways Program, ROCA YouthStar, City of Chelsea, Kelly Realty Trust

The Campaign to Protect Chinatown (CPC) is a collaborative project of the Asian American Resource Workshop, the Chinese Progressive Association, and the Harry H. Dow Legal Defense Fund. The CPC incorporates democratic community participation to advance the interests of the Chinatown community in the areas of the environment, land use, and transportation. The goal of the 2000 Campaign for Chinatown Resident Empowerment project is to better prepare residents to participate in the public process around the environmental impacts of proposed developments. As part of this goal, the CPC will develop, field test, and implement an environmental education program consisting of curricula related to asthma and air pollution; motor vehicle exhaust, construction dust and health; housing conditions and health; lead poisoning and health; integrated pest management; and the role of government agencies in protecting the environment. Each module will be prepared in English and Chinese and will consist of a one-page fact sheet, a teaching guide that directs a 10 minute presentation, and visual aids. They will convey basic facts by connecting them to everyday experiences in Chinatown.

Measures of Success:Six ready-to-use, field-tested bilingual environmental education modules; two pilot training workshops; pre- and post-education evaluation materials, qualitative feedback from participants; 200 color copies of student and teacher materials.

Project Partners: Local Chinatown agencies, Asian American Workshop, Harry H. Dow Legal Defense Fund

The Mystic River Watershed Association (MRWA) is involved in numerous collaborative efforts with Massachusetts Riverways, Tufts University, EPA - New England, and other watershed stakeholders associated with defining water quality conditions and determining what is needed to restore the Mystic River watershed. This project will include two components. First, the MRWA will develop a user-friendly data management system which will be used to organize collected water quality data and link the system to the STORET national water quality data storage and retrieval system. Second, the MRWA will analyze existing open space information for the Mystic River watershed, and from a watershed perspective, identify those parcels that would have the greatest beneficial impact if protected. The information that will be developed will be used to provide planning tools to local officials in the watershed to further the goals of the Community Preservation Act and Executive Order 418; provide current information that will assist the efforts of the Mystic River watershed sub-basin team in conducting their assessments and planning as part of the five year basin cycle; and evaluate existing plans and studies for the watershed to determine their potential usefulness for this project.

Measures of Success: Implementation of final data management format in EXCEL or ACCESS; upload of at least one sampling event’s data to the national STORET system; development of a STORET user manual; presentation of results of findings to the Mystic River watershed team, municipal officials, and Mass GIS; preparation of a final report on open space information.

Project Partners: MA Riverways, Tufts University

The Greater Boston Urban Resources Partnership (GB-URP) is a unique partnership of community organizations, private companies, academia, and local, state, and federal agencies. The goal of GB-URP is to better coordinate federal resources and enhance the ability of federal agencies to address issues in communities with the greatest needs. The GB-URP links community organizations and groups with available local resources (financial and technical) to address their environment and public health needs on a range of issues including lead poisoning, asthma, indoor air quality, ambient air quality, transportation, urban rivers and wetlands, vacant lots, open and green space, and urban gardens. This grant will partially support the position of an executive director who will be responsible for managing the GB-URP and administrating the competitive grants funded by the US Department of Agriculture. The funds will also support project-specific work to expand composting quality and availability for residents and community partners throughout the communities of Greater Boston.

Measures of Success: Management of the GB-URP and administration of existing grant projects; support of projects related to compost quality and availability in the Greater Boston area.

Project Partners: Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture

Building Parent Power, a parent-led advocacy and action organization, in partnership with Mitchell Health Consultants, will develop and conduct Integrated Pest Management training for parents and school personnel. In Hartford schools, pesticides are sprayed on a predetermined schedule with no consideration of actual need for pesticide use. This practice uses toxic chemicals more frequently than may be necessary in order to kill the broadest array of potential pests. CRISP is concerned that this current practice of pesticide use may be contributing to the high rates of asthma attacks among students. Through this project, CRISP seeks to improve the indoor air environment in schools by reducing the use of the most toxic pesticides and reducing the frequency of all pesticide use in schools.

Measures of Success: Introduce Integrated Pest Management into twelve Hartford schools; educate parents and school personnel on the affects of pesticide exposure to children and sensitive employees; and minimize the environmental health problems associated with pesticide exposure.

Project Partners: Hartford Environmental Justice Network, Connecticut Council on Occupational Safety and Health, Citizen’s for Connecticut’s Children and Youth, Northend Seniors in Action

The Eastern Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development Area program was created to help local citizens develop and carry out action plans for the social, economic, and environmental betterment of their communities. The goal of this project, funded under the combined Livable Communities and Urban Environmental Initiative Community Grant Program, is to improve the quality of life for residents of the Park River watershed by ensuring that urban natural resources and environmental quality are restored and maintained as assets which contribute to education and recreation opportunities. Last year the project was awarded a grant to begin revitalization efforts along the South Branch of the Park River to restore the ecological integrity and social viability of this forgotten urban resource. The project has been successful in coordinating ongoing community cleanups, community input and design workshops, and a Park River Stakeholder Conference. This year the project will focus on the development of a vegetation plan for watershed management to enhance water and air quality, community garden and farmers market development, and environmental education workshops for local residents.

Measures of Success: Develop watershed management plan; expansion of the Park River partnership; continued revitalization of the project area; community garden & farmers market development; and two community workshops.

Project Partners: Behind the Rocks and Parkville neighborhoods, Greater Hartford Urban Resources Partnership, Connecticut Greenways Council, Warburton Community Church, Trinity College, NRCS, HART, Hartford Housing Authority; Knox Park Foundation, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Hartford Public Library, The Capitol Region Council of Governments, and the City of Hartford

The Hartford Environmental Justice Network is composed of Hartford residents and 24 grassroots community organizations concerned about environmental degradation in the city of Hartford, CT. HEJN seeks to educate and empower residents of local neighborhoods to obtain environmental justice and protect public health. Through this project HEJN will begin efforts to reduce air pollution and the resulting asthma that would be triggered by diesel emissions. HEJN will design and implement a broad-based public education campaign targeted towards community groups and policy makers, focusing on the health effects of diesel emissions and the relationship between diesel emissions and asthma.

Measures of Success: Design and implementation of a city wide diesel education campaign; development of train-the-trainer workshops, community forums, and a legislative briefing;. promotion of awareness and enforcement of the State’s Anti-Idling Law; initiation of discussions with City officials to address concerns over flow of diesel truck traffic through residential neighborhoods.

Project Partners: ONE/CHANE, Inc., Endometriosis Association, Warriors for Real Reform

The Hartford Regional Lead Treatment Center (HRTLC) provides comprehensive treatment, education, temporary lead safe housing, and housing relocation to regional children with lead poisoning and their families. Last year, the Center expanded to serve families with children with asthma as well. This year, HRTLC will enhance their lead and asthma education and outreach component of Healthy Homes with the addition of a nurse to the project team. Children with lead levels between 10 - 19 ug/dL will be targeted for close follow-up and strict home intervention. Families with children that have severe or poorly controlled asthma will receive home based medical support and consultation.

Measures of Success: Education provided to 120 families in the Hartford area that have children with severe asthma; assist families referred by the Easy Breathing program with relocation to healthy homes; reduction in hospitalization and emergency room visits for treatment of asthma; document the extent to which “Healthy Homes” contributes to controlling asthma for referred children: document the extent to which lead poisoning prevention education results in lowered blood lead levels.

Project Partners: Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Saint Francis Pediatric Clinic, Connecticut Citizen’s Research Group, Hispanic Health Council

The Environmental Research Institute, in partnership with the Hartford Health Department is in the process of developing a website which will provide accurate information on a broad range of topics that affect the quality of life in Hartford, Connecticut. Environmental issues to be addressed include lead poisoning prevention, asthma, indoor air quality, outdoor air quality, open space, Brownfields and environmental justice. Funding through this grant will translate the website and briefing book into Spanish.

Measures of Success: Establishment of a Spanish language website and briefing book on a range of environmental health topics.

Project Partners: Hartford Health Department, ONE/CHANE, Inc., Hartford Environmental Justice Network, CT Department of Public Health, CT Department of Environmental Protection, City of Hartford.

The Childhood Lead Action Project (CLAP) was formed to eliminate childhood lead poisoning through education, parental support, and advocacy. It provides leadership for the “Get the Lead Out Coalition”, a statewide membership network of environmental, housing, health, social service, church groups, and advocates promoting public policy changes. CLAP will use grant funding to establish the “Rhode Island Lead Collaborative” for stakeholders involved in lead poisoning prevention education and outreach activities. The grant project will increase communication and coordination among community educators engaged in lead poisoning prevention activities; increase capacity of lead educators to provide “state-of-the-art” training to their communities; convene a training in the Blackstone Valley for agencies and organizations who will then disseminate lead poisoning prevention information to their clients and constituents; and produce and distribute a resource directory statewide providing organizations and agencies with one-stop information on lead prevention services and programs.

Measures of Success: Maintain minutes of Collaborative meetings; finalize Resource Directory for statewide distribution; record distribution of Directory; maintain log system on outreach and publicity for Blackstone Valley Training Session; re-contact a sampling of workshop participants to determine if lead prevention information is being disseminated; document collaborative efforts that take place between stakeholders during project term.

Project Partners: Childhood Lead Action Project
Direct Action for Rights and Equality
UEI - Land Reform Project $10,000

The goal of Direct Action for Rights and Equality’s (DARE) is to provide assistance to communities of color to win social, economic, and political justice. The Land Reform Project organizes families in Providence’s communities of color, principally the South Side, to end the blight of abandoned, junk-filled vacant lots. The project works with the City of Providence Department of Planning and Development to improve mechanisms by which the abandoned lot issue may be addressed. The project will utilize grant funds to provide technical assistance to individuals to use programs and policies already in place such as the “Lots for $1" program. The project will publicize the program to potential lot owners; help prospective lot owners begin and complete the application process; and monitor the program’s impacts and successes.

Measures of Success: Raise awareness of the Lots for $1 program, hold a workshop to assist potential lot owners with application materials; create database with key information for each lot application; hold quarterly meetings with neighbors to assess program and communicate information to the Department of Planning.

Project Partners: City of Providence Department of Planning and Development and DARE

Groundwork Providence was formed in 1997 with the goal of assisting a diverse network of neighborhood groups in projects to improve their physical environments. As part of this project, Groundwork Providence will work closely with emerging community-based groups to identify and design small physical projects in their communities as a first step in developing more comprehensive “smart growth” strategies, such as preserving green spaces while enabling development in suitable areas; protecting and improving existing neighborhoods; helping communities collaborate to develop regional solutions; and enhancing a sense of community and fostering civic involvement.

Measures of Success:: Facilitate the formation of a task force for each project as well as a “visioning” community meeting in each project neighborhood; work with each neighborhood group to develop a feasible plan for community projects; and engage residents in community workdays and environmental testing programs.

The Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC) is a public corporation that was formed in order to improve the water quality of Narragansett Bay and its tributaries. The NBC provides wastewater treatment to Rhode Island communities as well as intensive water monitoring to track pollutants that enter the waterways of the state. The goal of this project will be to locate sources of wet weather impairment to the water quality on the Upper Woonasquatucket River. This will be done primarily through characterization of levels of fecal coliform and selected trace metals in the river during three storm events. The data will help the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) with its assessment of the river’s water quality and with its Total Maximum Daily Load program.

Measures of Success: Final documentation on procedures and a Quality Assurance/Quality Control Plan; submittal of final data and data analysis to the Urban Rivers Team.

Project Partners: Narragansett Bay Commission, RI Department of Enviromental Management, Urban Rivers Team

The Northern Rhode Island Conservation District is a member of the Health and Education Subcommittee of the Urban Rivers Team, a multi-stakeholder group consisting of representatives from community based organizations, environmental groups, community groups, and government agencies that initially joined together to educate urban residents about the “Do’s & Don’ts” for the Woonasquatucket River. With EPA support, the NRICD will continue to expand this education and outreach effort. They will expand the elementary classroom presentations into the City of Providence and the Town of Smithfield as well as revisit classrooms in North Providence and Johnston. They will continue to educate local residents about health risks, environmental sampling and data results, and how to safely use the river. These outreach tools will then serve as a model for other organizations involved with the Urban Rivers Team and other interested stakeholders.

Measures of Success: Distribute 5000 “Do’s and Don’ts” brochures to local residents in the following languages: English, Laotian, Spanish, Cambodian, Portuguese, Vietnamese, and Hmong; expand the geographical area served; develop a transferable model of tools and educational outreach strategies.

Project Partners: Health and Education Subcommittee of Urban Rivers Team, NRICD

The Environmental Health Action Project (EHAP) is focused on promoting capacity building among families affected by asthma and enhancing the services, educational opportunities, and resources available to them. EHAP provides clinic, home, and community based asthma and environmental health education. During the term of this project, EHAP will focus on developing clinic-based educational and advocacy programming which reinforce a continuum of care for families with asthma; working in alliance with local environmental health and asthma education programs to create group-based educational opportunities in which families can learn about environmental justice and community issues; and providing Providence Community HealthCorps clinicians, staff, and participating health professional students with training and support to understand and responsibly address asthma, lead poisoning, and other environmental health issues.

Measures of Success: Conducting home visits with 25 families; develop an environmental healthy home visiting model and home survey which comprehensively addresses asthma, lead poisoning, and healthy home concepts and topics; develop asthma and environmental health curricula for use in the clinic and community workshops; and increased coordination between EHAP and other community organizations which provide education, outreach, and support.

Project Partners: The Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown University, The Center for Environmental Studies at Brown University, The Providence Community HealthCorps (AmeriCorps), The HELP Lead Safe Center, The Draw A Breath Program

The Providence Plan
Woonasquatucket River Watershed American Heritage Program
$10,000

The Providence Plan is an organization which focuses on specific restoration projects and deals with the larger issues of land protection and watershed planning. The two primary goals of the organization are to create a credible message linking environmental improvements with economic benefit and to link local communities with state and federal agencies in order to increase understanding of the real opportunities of the watershed. EPA funding will be used to support staffing and operating costs.

The Tools for Schools Indoor Air Quality Program was developed by the EPA in order to help both students and teachers identify indoor air pollutants in their schools and to think creatively about how to address and resolve potential air quality problems. Through the use of the indoor air management plan and checklists for the entire building, schools can lower their students’ and staffs’ risk of exposure to asthma triggers. The Rhode Island Department of Health will implement the Tools for Schools program in at least 10 Rhode Island schools and train more than 100 school officials on how to use the program.

Measures of Success: Implementation of the program in at least 10 schools, training of more than 100 school officials on how to use the program.

Project Partners: Rhode Island Department of Health

Draw a Breath was organized in 1997 as a comprehensive program of asthma education and advocacy for families and children with asthma in Rhode Island. The goals of the organization are to enhance children’s understanding of the environmental triggers of asthma and to improve the gathering of clinical data on asthma patients. Clinicians will discuss asthma triggers with asthma patients and their families, and project participants will be given cameras with which to document triggers in their homes. The ultimate goal of the project is to decrease asthma morbidity in children of the Providence community. The initiative promotes a partnership which builds community-based capacity and infrastructure to assess, manage, and resolve environmental problems. The Photography Intervention Kit Project will institute a cost-effective prevention model which can be easily replicated elsewhere.

Measures of Success: Production and display of the Gallery Show of photographs taken by children in the program; newspaper and journal articles; new awareness of environmental challenges by the pediatric residents of the families that they serve; presentation of the findings at meetings of the Pediatric Residents and local AAP meetings.

Project Partners: Pediatric Resident Continuity Clinic at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, RI

This program will bring the EPA’s EMPACT “Lead Safe Yards” program to Rhode Island. The goal of the award-winning program, piloted in Boston, is to reduce lead exposure from soils by combining on-the-spot lead testing for homeowners along with training in low-cost remediation techniques. The program, part of EPA New England’s “Children First” Initiative, will focus on in-home daycare centers with the goal of performing testing and cleanups at 25 to 30 sites. This project will include the goals of lead safe homes as well as lead safe yards, resulting in entire lead safe residences. It will expand upon Rhode Island Housing’s Lead Hazard Reduction Program by transferring and demonstrating a sampling, outreach, and soil mitigation model that provides low-cost, community based lead poisoning interventions at homes and/or facilities where children at the most critical ages are likely to be exposed to high lead levels. The project will be implemented in four key Rhode Island cities: Providence; Pawtucket; Central Falls; and, Woonsocket.

Measures of Success: Testing and cleanups at 25 to 30 sites completed; preparation of sustainable landscaping designs.

Partners of Success: South Providence Development Corporation, CleanScape, Inc., Progreso Latino, Visiting Nurses Association, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Health, EPA-New England