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Leadville and La Plata County (Colo.) projects earn EPA environmental justice grants

Release Date: 09/19/2013
Contact Information: U.S. EPA: Richard Mylott, 303-312-6654; Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency: 970-259-1916; Cloud City Conservation Center: 720-940-6900

Local efforts to advance healthy indoor environments and energy efficiency

(Denver, Colorado – September 19, 2013) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing two Colorado organizations with 2013 Environmental Justice Small Grants. The Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency, based in Durango, Colo., will receive $30,000 to conduct education and outreach to La Plata County residents to reduce exposure to indoor health hazards. Leadville, Colo.-based Cloud City Conservation Center will receive $29,984 to help low-income residents improve energy efficiency in their homes.

The Colorado organizations being funded are among 39 non-profit and tribal organizations nationwide receiving a total of $1.1 million in competitive grants to address environmental justice issues. The grants will enable the organizations to develop solutions to local health and environmental issues in low-income, minority and tribal communities overburdened by harmful pollution.

Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency (4CORE)

“4CORE” will provide education and outreach to low-income residents of La Plata County, Colo. to address environmental and public health issues associated with poor indoor air quality and home-based health hazards. Area families will benefit from training on how to identify toxins and sources of pollution, proper use and disposal of household chemicals and pesticides, and how to prevent or reduce health risks through low or no-cost methods.

More information: http://www.fourcore.org/Home.aspx

Cloud City Conservation Center

Cloud City Conservation Center seeks to address the disproportionate burden of energy consumption among Hispanic, low-income residents of Lake County, Colo. Through home energy audits, multi-family building evaluations and a culturally sensitive outreach plan, participants will achieve substantial energy savings in their homes and community and will be empowered to find solutions to environmental challenges posed by old and inadequate housing stock and a severely cold climate.

More information: http://cloudcityconservation.org/

“EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grants are making a visible difference in communities across the country,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “These grants help build capacity, raise awareness, and equip communities with the tools to address environmental challenges – from climate change impacts to brownfields and water pollution. I’m proud to continue to promote these important grants and advance EPA’s long-term commitment to our community stakeholders.”

The 2013 grants support activities that address a range of community concerns such as reducing exposure to indoor environmental asthma triggers, restoring and protecting waterways, educating child care professionals on ways to prevent lead poisoning, and reducing pesticide use in child care facilities.

Environmental justice is defined as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race or income, in the environmental decision-making process. Since 1994, EPA’s environmental justice small grants program has supported projects to address environmental justice issues in more than 1,400 communities. The grant awards represent EPA’s commitment to promoting community-based actions to address environmental justice issues.

In the fall of 2013, EPA will issue a Request for Proposals for the FY 2014 Collaborative Problem Solving Grants. A schedule of pre-application community stakeholder teleconference calls will be announced at that time.

2013 EJ Small Grant recipients and project descriptions: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/publications/grants/ej-smgrants-recipients-2013.pdf

More information about EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grants program: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants.html