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Environmental Justice Grants Totaling $88,200 Awarded to Kansas City, St. Louis, Mo., and Wichita, Kan., Organizations

Release Date: 09/11/2013
Contact Information: Benjamin Washburn, 913-551-7364, washburn.ben@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., Sept. 11, 2013) - EPA has awarded an Environmental Justice Small Grant to the Black Health Care Coalition of Kansas City, Mo.; Trailnet Inc., of St. Louis, Mo.; and Sunflower Community Action Inc., of Wichita, Kan. The environmental justice small grants are among 39 grants totaling $1.1 million to 39 non-profit and tribal organizations working to address environmental justice issues nationwide.

The Black Health Care Coalition will receive $30,000 and through a series of community-based workshops, project partners will be used to teach parents how to identify and mitigate household asthma triggers and to effectively communicate with area healthcare providers. The Black Health Care Coalition proposes to reduce environmental factors that contribute to childhood asthma triggers in the urban core of Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo. The Coalition will partner with local schools, community centers and faith-based institutions to conduct community outreach efforts aimed at educating families of children diagnosed with asthma.

Trailnet Inc. will receive $29,623 and teach residents in three St. Louis neighborhoods how to prevent and reduce pollution, help with watershed management, and reduce rates of obesity and asthma by advocating for a safe and inviting space for walking and biking. Trailnet seeks to create neighborhoods where walking, biking and taking public transit is a way of life.

Sunflower Community Action Inc. will receive $28,600 and seeks to educate more than 1,500 community members about the importance of energy efficiency as it relates to air quality. Through a comprehensive training program, participants will learn how reducing their energy consumption and encouraging the use of clean technologies will reduce the amount of soot and smog, improve community health, and reduce health care costs.

EPA’s environmental justice efforts aim to ensure equal environmental and health protections for all Americans, regardless of race or socioeconomic status. The grants enable non-profit, faith-based or tribal organizations to conduct research, provide education and develop solutions to local health and environmental issues in communities overburdened by harmful pollution.

Since its inception in 1994, the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program has awarded more than $24 million in funding to over 1,400 community-based organizations, and local and tribal organizations working with communities facing environmental justice issues.

For more information, including eligibility requirements, purposes, goals and general procedures, please contact EPA Region 7 toll-free at 1-800-223-0425.