Salt Lake City Children's Environmental Health & Environmental Justice Initiative

National Information

Regional Information

On this page:

Background
Upcoming Events
Newsletters
Resources
Photos & Videos
Related Opportunities
EPA Contact

Background

EPA Region 8, together with state, county, city, non-profit, and community organizations, is working with nine neighborhoods in central and west Salt Lake City on a community-based Children’s Environmental Health and Environmental Justice initiative. The goal of the project is to make a positive difference to the environmental health of children through collaboration and community problem solving in the following neighborhoods: Glendale, Jordan Meadows, Poplar Grove, Rose Park, State Fairpark, Westpointe/West Salt Lake, Downtown/Rio Grande, Capitol Hill, and People’s Freeway/Ballpark.

Participating organizations developed a custom project process model entitled Pathway to a Healthier Community (PDF, 1 pg, 63K) to guide their efforts. After mobilizing a core group of participants, the project is now moving into the community environmental health assessment phase and will be engaging with the community to understand their concerns, priorities, and assets related to children’s environmental health in their neighborhoods. At the same time, Salt Lake Valley Health Dept., Utah Dept. of Environmental Quality, and the EPA will be compiling environmental data and environmental health data for the area. Upon completion of this phase in late spring, the participants will begin setting priorities for collaborative actions based on the results of the assessment.

This project is part of the national Environmental Justice Showcase Communities effort.

Upcoming Events

Please contact Jaslyn Dobrahner (dobrahner.jaslyn@epa.gov) for information on upcoming events.

Newsletters

Spring 2012 (PDF, 4 pp, 1.6MB)

Contents of the Spring 2012 newsletter:
What's New // Jordan Trail Clean-up and Community Celebration // Results of Community Environmental Health Needs Assessment // Community Leadership Training //
Green & Healthy Homes and Childhood Asthma Outreach // I Heart Rose Park Campaign // FAQs

Summer 2011 (PDF, 4 pp, 840K)

Contents of the Summer 2011 newsletter:
What's New? // Update on the Community Environmental Health Needs Assessment // What is Children's Environmental Health? // Update on the Initial Action Working Group // Participant Spotlight - Comunidades Unidas // Upcoming Healthy Homes Training // FAQs

Winter 2011 (PDF, 4 pp, 1.6MB)

Contents of the Winter 2011 newsletter:
What is this project? // Welcome to our first newsletter // Where are we now? // Community environmental health needs assessment underway // Our kick-off event in October was a great success! // Project hopes & dreams // The National Children's Study & this project

Resources

Community Environmental Health Needs Assessment Results
The community environmental health needs assessment is the second step in the Pathway Towards a Healthier Community project process model and sought to:

Engage community residents, including youth, in learning about, and contributing to the project, the community, and improved environmental health.
Identify children’s environmental health concerns that are most relevant to community members and to determine how prevalent or widespread these concerns are in the community.

The results of the assessment helped to guide the next step in the process of setting priorities and planning for action.