Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE)

Community Profiles 2009

Level I

Level II

Level I Funding

Ironbound Community
Ironbound Cumulative Impacts Project (ICIP)
Newark, New Jersey
Region 2

The Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) is the recipient of a CARE Level I cooperative agreement grant. ICC is the largest comprehensive social service provider located in the East Ward of Newark, NJ. This cooperative agreement will be used for their Ironbound Cumulative Impacts Project (ICIP). The community that will be served has a population of more than 50,000 people, is one of the most densely populated and diverse areas of the city, and 75% of those over the age of five speak a foreign language, typically Portuguese or Spanish. The diversity in the pollution sources (e.g. chemical/plant manufacturing, scrap metal yards, etc.) require a comprehensive and innovative approach to resolving these risks of exposure. Under the CARE Level I, ICC will bring together various stakeholders including residents, business representatives, and members of the government and academic sectors to help gather various sources of information about current and emerging environmental risks. ICC will utilize quantitative and qualitative indicators to determine potential environmental burdens. It will also take into account community experiences, socio-economic and public health data to better articulate the community’s vulnerability to these risks. ICC is also working to further its environmental efforts by integrating critical areas of land use planning and environmental policy.

Prospective CARE Partners: Ironbound Boys and Girls Club, Ironbound Little League/Down Neck Sports, New York/New Jersey BayKeeper, SPARK, Clean and Healthy Ports Coalition, Public Service Electric & Gas, Ironbound Business Improvement District, City of Newark/Division of Community Development & Planning, City of Newark/Sustainability Office, NJ Department of Environmental Protection, NJ Department of Health and Senior Services, Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences Institute, NJ Environmental Federation, and NJ Environmental Justice Alliance

City of Prichard
Prichard Environmental Restorative Keepers “PERK”
Prichard, Alabama
Region 4

Prichard Environmental Consortium (PEC) has been awarded a CARE Level I cooperative agreement grant to be used for their project entitled The Prichard Environmental Restorative Keepers (PERK). PEC is a grass roots organization of citizens and businesses committed to the preservation and restoration of the city’s environment. PERK will focus on the City of Prichard, located in Mobile County, Alabama. According to the Census, the city’ population is 27,963, with 85% of the population being African American. The median household income is $19,544, which is below the median income for Alabama of $34,135. Through the CARE Level I, PERK will create a community-based, problem solving partnership that will encourage positive working relationships among stakeholders with differing attitudes and concerns regarding the environment. PERK hopes to develop community self-sufficiency through the reduction and elimination of toxic risks and environmental pollutants that pose a danger to the City of Prichard.

Prospective CARE Partners: The City of Prichard Mayor’s Office, Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Mobile Community Action Inc., Mobile Public Schools, Ala. Power Co., Prichard Tree Board, Whistler Historic Commission, Spoon Landscaping and Gardening Center, Alabama A&M, Auburn University Regional Extension Services, Mobile County Health Dept., Prichard Water & Sewer Board, Prichard Housing Authority, and Mobile Estuary Program.

Environmental Health Watch
Neighborhood Leadership for Environmental Health
Cleveland, Ohio
Region 5

Environmental Health Watch is the recipient of a CARE Level I cooperative agreement grant to be used for the Neighborhood Leadership for Environmental Health (NLEH) project. A number of groups serving as primary partners for this project include the Neighborhood Leadership Institute, Cleveland Clean Air Century Campaign, and Earth Day Coalition. The CARE Level I will serve four inner-city wards located on the east side of Cleveland. All four wards consist of predominately low income minority communities who are either not engaged or lack awareness of pertinent environmental issues. Cleveland ranks as one of the poorest cities in the nation and has a high foreclosure rate. Through the CARE Level I, NLEH will develop a sustainable, intergenerational program articulating the risks facing these communities. It also will establish goals that will proactively work to reduce environmental threats to their health and well-being. There are a number of environmental concerns which NLEH hopes to address including, but not limited to: household pesticide exposure, toxic air pollutants, mercury fish contamination, contaminated soil, energy inefficiency in homes, radon exposure, childhood lead poisoning, and asthma.

Prospective CARE Partners: Neighborhood Leadership Institute, Cleveland Clean Air Century Campaign, Earth Day Coalition, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Ohio State University, Greater Cleveland Asthma Coalition, Greater Cleveland Lead Advisory Council, Great Lakes Bioneers, Ohioans for Health, Environment and Justice, Ohio Citizen Action, Cleveland Tenants Organization, Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, Cleveland Dept. of Public Health, Ohio EPA, Cuyahoga County Planning Commission, and Mt. Pleasant Community Zone.

Level II Funding

Nuestras Raices (Our Roots)
Reducing Environmental Health Risk
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Region 1

The grass roots community organization Nuestras Raices (Our Roots), a successful CARE Level I recipient in 2006, has now received a CARE Level II cooperative agreement grant. Through its Reducing Environmental Health Risks in Holyoke project, Nuestras Raices will continue to serve and educate the Puerto Rican/Latino and low income community about a number of environmental issues by promoting economic and community development in Holyoke, MA. The unemployment rate in these neighborhoods is about 31%, compared to only 7% citywide. Nuestras Raices will work in coordination with already established city and business initiatives pertaining to, but not limited to recycling, river protection, indoor/outdoor air quality, green jobs, and energy conservation. This current project will transition from risk identification to implementation by strengthening and expanding existing relationships with community stakeholders to implement a number of environmental initiatives including improving indoor/outdoor air quality, protecting water quality and reducing mercury in fish, reducing solid and toxic waste entering waste stream by increasing recycling, increasing green space and productive gardens by reclaiming vacant lots and reducing air toxics by increasing renewable energy use and greening industry.

Established CARE Partners: Nueva Esperanza, Enlace de Familias, CleanWater Action, Holyoke Health Center, Solutions CDC, Youth Task Force, HOPE, CT River Watershed Council, Holyoke City Council, Holyoke Planning Authority, Holyoke Housing Authority, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Conservation Commission, Food & Fitness Policy Council, Housing Assistance Partnership, Co-op Power, Mt. Holyoke Management, Latino Chamber of Commerce, Keene State College, Regional Employment Board, Mount Holyoke College/Environmental Studies, UMass Public Health, and Career Point.

Wheeling Jesuit University
Citizen Environmental Concerns and Risk Reduction in Appalachian Care Communities
Wheeling, West Virginia
Region 3

Wheeling Jesuit University (WJU), a successful CARE Level I recipient in 2007, has now received a CARE Level II cooperative agreement grant for their Citizen Environmental Concerns and Risk Reduction in Appalachian Care Communities project (CECR). The CARE Level I project focused on the Appalachian community of Tug Fork watershed community, identified as “chronically economically distressed.” As a CARE Level II recipient, the WJU will continue their focus on addressing groundwater quality issues in the Appalachian CARE communities near Williamson, WV. This area has had long-standing environmental concerns resulting from the legacy of coal mining and other extractive industries in the area. The strong reliance on wells and septic systems add to the environmental and human health impacts in these communities. WJU will partner with a number of stakeholders including the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition to implement programs to resolve the community’s concern about underground injections of coal slurry, surface water quality, and community health. Through CARE Level II, CECR plans to implement strategies for long term health and environmental improvement in the Appalachians. CECR also intends to communicate findings and facilitate action planning while extending their CARE partnership by engaging additional Appalachian communities, businesses, elected officials, and researchers working throughout the central Appalachians in areas such as community-based health care, chemical exposure and risk analysis, water quality, geophysical processes and the social sciences.

Established CARE Partners: West Virginia University/Dept. of Community Medicine, Marshall University, The Catholic Conference of West Virginia, The Sludge Safety Project, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Coal River Mountain Watch, Concerned Citizens of Mingo County, Eastern Kentucky Environmental Research Institute, The Senate of West Virginia, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, Tug Valley Pharmacy, The Clifford M. Lewis S.J. Appalachian Institute at Wheeling Jesuit University, and Dogwood Art.

Connections, Inc.
Gallup, New Mexico
Region 6

Connections Inc. is the recipient of Level II CARE funding. The title for this Level II project is Nanizhozhi Waste Stream Reduction and was originally part of the 2005 NW New Mexico Council of Governments CARE Level I project. This project is designed to help a community of small, isolated and economically disadvantaged communities, in the sparsely populated, rural and multi-jurisdictional region of McKinley County in northwest New Mexico. Goals include the following: achieve positive environmental change and stewardship, with limited resources and expertise; reduce the proliferation of solid waste in both the landfills and illegal dump sites; and ensure collaborative waste stream reduction. This will be achieved by creating a recycling program, which renders waste reduction profitable and convenient, and alternative energy and green technology initiatives, which reduce consumption of exhaustible and polluting natural resources, by making better use of recycled and inexhaustible and polluting natural resources.

Established CARE Partners: NWNM Solid Waste Authority, McKinley Citizens Recycling Council, Gallup Solar, Durango-McKinley Paper Company, NWNM Council of Governments, University of NM Gallop, Pueblo of Zuni, Navajo Nation Chapter, Catholic Indian Center, Youth Conservation Corps, McKinley Community Health Alliance, McKinley Water Board, U.S. Indian Health Service, Sandia National Labs, Eastern Navajo Dine Again, Catholic Indian Center, McKinley County Smart Growth, Nizhonigo Nahat'a Consulting, Zeca Corporation, National Forest Service, NM Water Management, NW Clean & Beautiful, and Peabody Energy.

Migrant Whole Health Outreach, Inc.
Forward Community of Hope
Kennett, Missouri
Region 7

Migrant Whole Health Outreach (MWHO), a successful CARE Level I recipient in 2007, has now received a CARE Level II cooperative agreement grant for their Forward Community of Hope project. MWHO is an interfaith-based organization founded by migrant workers to address the needs of the seasonal and settled migrant families in the Bootheel of Missouri and surrounding border areas of Arkansas. MWHO will focus on the John Deere community in the area of Dunklin County. The CARE Level I consensus meetings outlined three critical priorities for this project. The first priority is to implement reservoir-hydrant infrastructure for waste and storm water. The second priority is to reduce hazards involving pesticides, solid waste, and stray animals. The third priority is to address drinking water and indoor/outdoor air quality issues.

Established CARE Partners: Senath State Bank, Kennett Missouri Chamber of Commerce, SEMO Health Network, The Bootheel Economic Planning Commission, Legal Aide of Southern Missouri, The United Way, Twin Rivers Hospital, Dunklin County Water District 2, Dunklin County Caring Council, University of Missouri Extension, Dunklin County Health Dept., Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center, Alliance for Farm Worker Concerns, and Southeast Missouri State University.

Citizens for Clean Air in Pueblo for Education, Research, Action Pueblo Area Clean Indoor Air Initiative
Pueblo, Colorado
Region 8

Citizens for Clean Air in Pueblo (CCAP), a successful CARE Level I recipient in 2006, has now received a CARE Level II cooperative agreement grant for their Pueblo Area Clean Indoor Air Initiative. CCAP is a non-profit organization working to improve the quality of life in Pueblo and Southern Colorado by promoting a healthy and sustainable environment through education, research, and action. The community served by CCAP is comprised of both urban and rural populations with a high proportion of the individuals living 23% below the poverty level. The neighborhoods of Salt Creek, Besseme, and Eastside surround the city’s largest industrial plants. These neighborhoods are among the lowest income and highest minority populated communities within the county. This project will focus on indoor air quality, radon reduction, and other pollutants (e.g., hazardous household waste, lead, mold, indoor smoke, and carbon monoxide).

Established CARE Partners: Pueblo City County Health Department, Bessemer Association for Neighborhood Development (BAND), East Side Neighborhood Association, Eastwood Heights Neighborhood Association, Peppersauce Bottoms neighborhoods, Salt Creek SPIN Project, Neighborhood Pride, Diocese of Pueblo, Christ Congressional Church/Social Justice, Pueblo Recycles, Fountain Creek Water Sentinels, Pueblo Access for All, The Rye Are Wildfire Education and Mitigation Association, Pueblo County Commissioners, Pueblo West Metro District, Better Pueblo, Catholic Charities Center for Immigration and Community Integration, and Beulah Mountain Park Environmental Center.

Environmental Health Coalition
Clean Ports, Healthy Communities in San Diego
National City, California
Region 9

The Environmental Health Coalition (EHC) is a recipient of a CARE Level II cooperative agreement grant. EHC is a non profit organization whose purpose is to empower the community and various stakeholders in order to achieve environmental and social justice. The Clean Ports, Healthy Communities in San Diego project targets the Barrio Logan and Old Town National City areas located along San Diego Bay’s working waterfront. This area is comprised of primarily low-income and Latino residents. The project area is located along the San Diego waterfront between downtown San Diego to the north and the City of Chula Vista to the south. Of Barrio Logan’s 4,045 residents, 24% are people of color, 9% live in poverty. Old Town’s population is also low income and a predominately Latino community with 85% of the residents people of color and 20% living in poverty. EHC will implement risk reduction activities in order to accomplish its plans by 2012. The first goal is to reduce exposure to diesel emissions in the project area by 15%. The second goal is to reduce exposure to air pollution from industries in residential sections of the project area by 20%. In addition, EHC’s program will monitor and evaluate the implementation of the community and port plans.

Established CARE Partners: Kimball Elementary, San Diego Unified School District, San Diego Community College, San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council, International Longshoremen Workers Union, American Lung Association, Old Town Neighborhood Council, Working Waterfront Group, San Diego Tenants Association, National City Mayor, Old Town Smart Growth Coalition, Champion Real Estate, SoCall Chopper Shop, General Dynamics, Continental Maritime, Center City Development Corporation, United States Navy, Southeastern San Diego Planning Committee, San Diego Association of Governments, Chesapeake Fish Company, Dixieline Lumber and Home Services, Dole Fresh Fruit, Goodrich Corporation, and Dynegy, Inc.

Nunakauyarmiut Tribe (Nunakauyak Traditional Council)
Protecting our Health: Implementing a Sustainable Collaborative Approach to Addressing our Priority Toxic Issues, Nelson Island Consortium, Alaska
Toksook Bay, Alaska
Region 10

The Nunakauyarmiut Tribe, a successful CARE Level I recipient in 2006, has now received a CARE Level II cooperative agreement grant. Nunakauyak Traditional Council (NTC) is the governing body for the federally recognized Nunakauyarmiut Tribe of Toksook Bay – one of the Nelson Island Consortium members. Nelson Island and the nearby coastal region are comprised of rural tribal community villages representing a geographic boundary that is both a watershed and traditional-shared land. These communities, ranging in size from 232 to 690, are several of the last few Native villages whose daily language for children, adults and elders is Yup’ik and who lead a fully traditional subsistence lifestyle. This grant serves 2,617 people. Of these over 98% are Alaska Native and an average of 25% live below the national poverty line. The CARE Level I process allowed these Yup’ik villages to collaborate together at the local level to determine risks and strategies concerning environmental hazards. NTC will execute strategic initiatives that address the priority risks identified through the CARE Level I project, resulting in substantial reduction of those risks. NTC plans to focus on lead acid batteries, household batteries, fluorescent lights, freon gas, and lead weight sinkers. These forms of waste are specifically targeted because they are being discarded at open dump sites and/or subsistence camps potentially exposing children and adults to harmful toxics such as heavy metals, mercury, freon gas, and lead. NTC will also develop the sustainability of the collaborative partnership that has been initiated with local, regional, state, and federal stakeholders. Their project will address the multiple environmental stressors that plague the Nelson Island Consortium communities and threaten their unique traditional lifestyle.

Established CARE Partners: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Alaska Health Department, NOAA/National Weather Service, Coastal Villages Region Fund, Association of Village Council Presidents, Cities of Chefornak, Nightmute, and Toksook Bay, Chefornak Post Office, Lower Kuskokwim School District, Local Schools, Chefarnrmute Incorporated and other Local Stores, all Councils in communities of Toksook Bay, Tununak, Nightmute, Chefornak, Newtok, Kipnuk, Umkumiut.

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