The summary and links below provide a description and documentation of a St. Louis, Missouri project that received a Level II Cooperative Agreement from EPA’s former Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) Program in 2005. These case studies serve as historic references, and conditions since the project was funded may have changed.

The resources developed for this project provide communities with information about ways that other communities have addressed environmental issues. Communities can use these project results to reduce environmental impacts, understand risks and become stewards of their own environment.

Summary

The Grace Hill Settlement House
St. Louis, Missouri
EPA Region 7

The Grace Hill Settlement House is the recipient of a Level II CARE Cooperative Agreement in St. Louis. This proposal builds on the excellent work Region 7 has done with the St. Louis Community Air Project (CAP) Partnership. Grace Hill will use CARE funding to address the poor air quality in the environmental justice areas of North and South St. Louis, Missouri. Grace Hill proposes a five-prong approach to improve air quality, using projects that actively engage both the general public and target sensitive populations. They have established quantifiable outcome measures for each of the five projects. These projects include: (1) identifying air pollution sources and use pollution prevention efforts to address the CAP's six pollutants of concern (diesel particulates, acetaldehyde, benzene, formaldehyde, arsenic and chromium), as well as other toxic pollutant risks; (2) improving indoor air quality through the promotion of the "Clean Air House Cleaner" as a less expensive, more health-protecting alternative to store-bought cleaners; (3) establishing 'Idle-Free' Schools to limit vehicle idling at schools and using a marketing campaign to engage the public; (4) enhancing the Clean Air Hotline that enables citizens to contact and receive a response from authorities on perceived toxic concerns, and; (5) educating target sensitive populations to understand relationships amongst air toxics, behaviors and health using the curriculum, "In the Air: Tools for Learning About Airborne Toxics". This will include teaching through a community-based education program called "Neighborhood College" (an adult continuing education program) and train-the-trainer courses for "Detox Your Domicile."

Established CARE Partnership: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR); American Bottom Conservancy (ABC); American Lung Association of Missouri; City of St. Louis (Air Pollution Control and other programs); Frauenhoffer and Associates; Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (Bissell Point Treatment Plant); Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and; school districts in the metropolitan area.

• Fact Sheet: The Grace Hill Settlement House (PDF)(2 pp, 337 K, 2007)
• Final Report: Grace Hill Settlement House (PDF)(26 pp, 136 K, 2008)