Alta Vista Neighbors

Michigan Migrant Legal Assistance Program

Citizens for a Better Environment

WSOS Community Action Commision

Grant Portage Reservation

Sixteenth Street Community Health Center

Grant Number:

EQ985533-01

Project Coordinator:

Dr. Helen Hudlm
3136 Virginia Place
East St. Louis, IL 62207

Purpose:

To facilitate the direct involvement of neighborhood residents to participate in the planning and implementation process of cleaning and maintaining vacant lots.

To provide workshops to residents on the health risks associated with illegal dumping and instruction on actions that can be taken to remediate these conditions.

To work with residents to identify the worst vacant lots in the neighborhood.

To work with property owners to facilitate cleanup and maintenance of the vacant lots.

To work with the City to ensure action is taken against property owners who are recalcitrant in cleaning up vacant lots.

To develop a preventive strategy designed to address illegal dumping in Alta Sita.

Methods:

Formulated a list of lots where illegal dumping had occurred and where cleanup was needed, determined who owned these lots, prioritized the list of lots based on four factors, and obtained consent from the St. Clair County Board of Trustees to clear the privately owned lots.

Conducted two environmental awareness workshops for neighborhood residents.

Trained block captains to serve as the collection point for suggestions, comments, and concerns about code enforcement, and to think of ways to manage and resolve these problems.

Initiated a strategy to increase awareness of solid waste disposal and other code enforcement issues by the East St. Louis Code Enforcement Office. A "Code Awareness Week" was organized in July 1998 and kicked off at a televised session at which the City Manager, Code Enforcement Officials, the Public Works Department and other government officials made public statements against illegal dumping in the City. Residents were called to action against illegal dumping and encouraged to turn in sanitation violators to the Police Department. Residents were also organized to come out to clean up the garbage along the streets.

Products/Results:

Eight vacant lots were cleared of garbage and debris in the Alta Sita neighborhood. Alta Sita Neighbors got the City of East St. Louis to expend their tax dollars to cleanup an entire block and to permanently close the uninhabited street. The result of this action was that an additional thirty loads of garbage and debris were collected and disposed of properly.

Successes/Strengths:

The community was empowered to prioritize, plan and implement the cleanup of vacant lots. This project facilitated the direct involvement of community residents in remediating the high-priority environmental problem of illegal dumping. Partnerships were formed between residents and the local government to facilitate the additional cleanup and disposal of an entire contaminated block and to increase awareness of solid waste disposal code enforcement.

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Grant Number:

EQ985083-0 1

Project Coordinator:

Mr. Gary Gershon and
Ms. Martha Cortes
49 Monroe Center, NW, Suite 3-A Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Purpose:

To educate migrant and seasonal farm workers on environmental and public health issues with the focus being on increasing the overall safety of farm workers and their families.

Goals:

To contribute to farm worker community empowerment through education, outreach, and training.

To assist the farm workers in understanding environmental laws, labeling on pesticides, groundwater contamination, safety conditions, and their rights under these environmental laws and regulations.

To increase the safety of farm workers and their families.

Methods:

Introduced the project to the targeted community through the dissemination of a special environmental issue of MMLAP 's bilingual newsletter.

Compiled and distributed an educational packet to farm workers which included a copies of the Michigan Department of Agriculture s pesticide reporting flyer, EPA s "Protect Yourself from Pesticides" booklet, MIOSHA booklets, original flyers on field sanitation and worker s compensation, copies of Poison Control Center s emergency information numbers, Michigan State University s "Pesticides Fact Sheets," and an informational calendar of migrant health services published by the Midwest Migrant Health Information Office.

Conducted Camp Meetings and Farm worker Information Meetings which reached 1,500 adult farm workers.

Conducted training on the Worker Protection Standards and pesticide safety.

Products/Results:

MMLAP provided a bilingual education forum directly related to their health and safety to approximately 1,500 adult farm workers. An additional 300 people attended a Farm worker Environmental Justice Concert, featuring singer/songwriter Trish Hinojosa, and participated in the educational forum. A mailing list was compiled of all concert participants by the concert ticket outlet which increased the original target audience previously reached by MMLAP.

Successes/Strengths:

A significant number of Michigan s migrant and seasonal farm workers were educated on environmental and health issues. One important outcome of the project was less reluctance on the part of farm workers to report pesticide poisoning. Four pesticide investigation requests were made on behalf of farm workers to the enforcement branch of the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA). The existing network of farm worker advocates was strengthened and enhanced. Strong communication was established between the MMLAP, the MDA and the EPA. The Farm worker Environmental Justice concert increased the target audience by reaching an additional 300 people and expanded the mailing list for future education and outreach.

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Grant Number:

EQ985298-01

Project Coordinator:

Mr. Doug Nethercut
3255 Hennepin Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55408

Purpose:

The purpose of this project was to work with the stakeholders, neighborhood residents, local businesses, and public officials, to develop a high quality action plan for restoring the Bassett Creek watershed in Minneapolis.

Goals:

To facilitate stakeholder meetings.

To increase the capacity of neighborhood residents to obtain and analyze environmental data.

To work with stakeholders to develop an action plan that uses the priorities identified by the communities.

Methods:

Worked with neighborhood groups in Bassett Creek watershed to build a multistakeholder and multi-neighborhood initiative. Coordinated activities with neighborhood, city, county and state levels to ensure multi-stakeholder participation.

Lead research that was critical to the creation of a successful watershed action plan. Increased the capacity of neighborhood residents to obtain and analyze relevant environmental data, including: contaminated site locations and clean up status, Superfund site tracking, health impacts of contaminated sites, maps of drainage areas and stormwater pipes, land ownership data, hydrogeological data, soil types, history of railroad land, existing creek structures and streambank conditions.

Designed an action plan using the priorities identified by the communities, "Restoring Bassett Creek. A Strategy for Revitalizing an Urban Watershed."

Products/Results:

Developed an assessment of the North Minneapolis section of Bassett Creek and its watershed entitled "Urban Watershed Profile. A Look at Bassett Creek."

Developed an action plan for restoring Bassett Creek utilizing multi-stakeholder input and community-based priorities.

Successes/Strengths:

CBE was able to involve a diverse group of stakeholders in the development of an action plan for restoring Bassett Creek. CBE did an excellent job of integrating environmental issues into crime and housing issues as a means to interest residents in high-crime neighborhoods in environmental restoration. The action plan has been widely distributed throughout the Twin Cities and the nation.

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Grant Number:

EQ985294-0l

Project Coordinator:

Ms. Julie Ward 219 South Front Street
P.O. Box 590
Fremont, OH 43420

Purpose:

To facilitate involvement of the environmental justice community in the process of community-based environmental protection. The project focused on demonstrating how to involve residents in a community decision making process that prioritized multiple environmental issues into an action plan.

Goals:

To convene a stakeholder committee.

To assess current and future environmental compliance needs.

To conduct a community forum.

To complete a compliance action plan.

To begin an implementation schedule.

To develop a preventive strategy designed to address illegal dumping in Alta Sita.

Methods:

A four-page survey instrument was developed and distributed to households in the village by members of the local high school freshman class.

A student survey instrument was developed and distributed to high school juniors and seniors.

A business survey was developed and distributed to businesses and industries located in the village. Thirteen business and industry officials were interviewed as a follow-up to the survey.

A town meeting was held during which the stakeholder committee presented the survey results to members of the village and surrounding local governments and offered them the opportunity to participate in four key issue groups identified by the stakeholder committee.

A report presenting all data and information gathered, along with the recommendations of an outside facilitator, was compiled and provided to the stakeholder committee, the Seneca Regional Planning Commission, and the Ohio Rural Community Assistance Program.

Products/Results:

Developed a "Community-based Environmental Planning: Report to the Community" which was distributed to the stakeholder committee and all involved parties locally, and to the Seven State Community Action Associations. The report was also distributed to the five regions of the Rural Community Assistance Program (RCAP) and the national RCAP office. Multiple copies were placed in the local community library and availability of the report was published in a newsletter with 1,000 person circulation.

Successes/Strengths:

Achieved participation by low-income residents in completing an action plan to address multiple environmental compliance issues. Implementation of the action plan is underway with ongoing technical assistance. A model of communication and coordination was developed that involves broad-based community input and provides tools for decision making and follow-up action plan implementation that can be replicated for other issues in the community as well as for other service providers.

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Grant Number:

EQ985092-01

Project Coordinator:

Ms. Kristine Carre
P.O.Box428
Grand Portage, MN 55605

Purpose:

To develop a program to examine and address mercury contamination.

Goals:

To document sources of mercury contamination and health risks due to fish and game consumption.

To conduct public education and outreach.

To encourage community involvement.

Methods:

Tribal Council and members of the community were educated in several ways: (1) through articles in the Tribal Newsletter; (2) through participation in the Community Health Fair; (3) through meetings with experts on mercury contamination such as the Indigenous Environmental Network and the Medical College of Wisconsin; and (4) through visits to head start, daycare, and grade school classes.

A survey was conducted to identify the local species of fish most consumed by residents of the community. The Tribal Fisheries Biologist was also consulted to obtain information on all fish species in the area.

Collected fish samples, conducted a risk assessment analysis, and created brochures documenting findings of contamination levels.

Products/Results:

Fish Advisories were developed and posted on the Reservation. The Tribe set consumption recommendations for tribal members. A brochure documenting the project findings was developed and distributed.

Successes/Strengths:

Tribe was able to address the high-priority environmental problem of fish contamination due to rising levels of mercury in the lakes and rivers. Through first-hand data collection and risk analysis, the Tribe assessed the mercury levels that tribal members were exposed to via fish and game consumption and issued fish advisories to address this problem.

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Grant Number:

EQ985093-01

Project Coordinator:

Ms. Ellyn McKenzie
1032 5. Sixteenth Street
Milwaukee, WI 53204

Purpose:

To provide families with information and definitive action steps they can take to minimize the health risk for their children from exposure to environmental hazards that are present in their neighborhood.

Goals:

To identify the environmental hazards within the service delivery area of the Center and use Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping techniques to display and analyze this information.

To conduct a survey of residents to determine their knowledge and perception of known environmental hazards within the neighborhood.

To recommend actions and work with the appropriate entities to eliminate or reduce specific environmental hazards within the neighborhood.

To develop educational materials and effective communication and distribution techniques for these materials.

To share the results of the project with local, state and federal health and environmental officials, including recommendations for follow-up actions and how other communities might use the project s methodology.

Methods:

Information and data was gathered andcollected on the environmental conditionsand resident population characteristics and displayed utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Survey instruments were developed, distributed and analyzed. The major areas of interest that emerged from the survey were lead poisoning, ozone awareness, perceptions of air quality, fishing behaviors, and access to information from media sources.

A Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) was formed. CAC membership consisted of residents and members of organizations who have networks and provide services that work directly with residents. The CAC recommended pragmatic approaches for communicating with residents taking into account the significant cultural and language differences of the resident population.

Developed and implemented an education/outreach strategy with the assistance of professional and community representatives. This outreach strategy provided information to families on steps they can take to reduce exposure for their children to risks posed by significant environmental hazards present in the neighborhood. The education and outreach efforts were specifically tailored to take into account the culture and language of the Hispanic and Hmong families who reside in the neighborhood.

Products/Results:

The Lead Screening and Outreach Initiative offered assistance to families which enabled them to reduce risk factors in their homes and thereby prevent their children s blood lead levels from escalating. An asbestos identification project done in conjunction with this initiative helped 16 families repair and remove asbestos hazards from their homes.

An education outreach strategy was developed and tailored to the needs of the residents. Information materials were provided in an easily understood format in three different languages: Hmong, Spanish and English. The information materials addressed the health risks from specific environmental problems; such as exposures to poor air and water quality, contaminated fish and lead in the home.

Sponsored a Pollution Free Schools Initiative with Milwaukee Public Schools, Citizens for a Better Environment and the University of Wisconsin. Through this initiative students received hands on training in addressing real world problems in their schools, homes and neighborhoods including a project which involved high school and elementary school students learning about health hazards from lead poisoning in conjunction with science and chemistry projects. Samples of paint and dust from homes within the neighborhood were analyzed with simple chemistry experiments to determine if lead was present. The Center provided follow-up information where lead was detected.

Successes/Strengths:

The focus on multiple environmental influences along with a collaborative project structure with the professional and community representatives lead to additional projects spearheaded by the Professional Advisory Group member organizations working in the target area as well as two new projects coordinated through the Center. These additional projects are a Solid and Hazardous Waste Great Lakes Initiative, a Pollution Prevention Autobody Metal Fabrication Project, and a Brownfield Community Oversight Project. Also, the Center developed fish consumption advisories in the Hmong language and targeted distribution of information on fish contamination through cultural associations which serve new immigrants and the resident Southeast Asian population. The Center developed an air quality profile and put together information to inform residents and health care practitioners on the risks from specific air quality problems and what steps residents can take to reduce their risks from exposures.

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