Environmental Justice Newsletter

Pivoting and Responding to COVID-19

It's goes without saying that 2020 was a trying year. Although DEC may not have been able to release a round of grants in 2020, that did not mean important environmental justice work stopped! Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, environmental justice organizations continued to work hard to serve as many people in their community as possible, in both safe and creative ways.

Community Gardens

In 2020, the pandemic exposed the vulnerability of the nation’s food system, and we saw the food insecure population climb sharply. Community gardens became more important than ever. Just look at what these groups were able to accomplish:

BluePrint Geneva

The emergency food program that they launched to fill a gap in food access caught the attention of local farmers and suppliers who found themselves with food overages as restaurants canceled orders due to COVID. BluePrint Geneva quickly assembled a team of volunteer gleaners who were in the fields at least once, sometimes three times a week from late August through the day before Thanksgiving gleaning tomatoes, cabbage, squash, kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, kale, carrots and so much more!

They were also able to engage the talent of a local chef who made videos, shared recipes, and prepared food for distribution using garden ingredients and the contents of their biweekly food boxes.

They also had a greenhouse that produced over 2,000 pounds of greens that were distributed, and their two public gardens became centerpieces of the neighborhoods during the pandemic, serving as a reliable source for local vegetables.

Not only were they able to add a second public garden, the success of their efforts has resulted in them being approached by the city to repurpose other abandoned lots as public gardens! What an amazing Environmental Justice Community Impact Grant success story!

Kite’s Nest

The Hudson, NY-based organization implemented new safety protocols which included distributing personal gardening tools and protective supplies (gloves and masks) to all of its community gardeners. It also hired a bi-lingual interpreter to help safely register 35 community gardener families in person and via phone. Its ReGen Teen program helped to increase food production capacity at the garden where participants helped repair garden beds and trellises. The project has been an important source of continued employment for low-income teenagers during a time of immense financial insecurity.

Newburgh Urban Farm and Food, Inc.

NUFFI donated over 15,000 pounds of fresh produce to 15 feeding programs in the City of Newburgh and caught the eye of the local news. More than 5,000 pounds of produce grown at DPUF and distributed include vegetables that address the ethnic needs of Newburgh residents. This includes cilantro, tomatillos, radishes, malabar (Caribbean) spinach, collards, kale, callaloo (amaranth) and an assortment of lettuces.

Poughkeepsie Farm Project

This organization launched an online distance learning program on their YouTube channel. It featured six weeks of healthy and culturally-relevant cooking classes, and indoor/outdoor container garden classes. Participants distributed free materials at accessible locations and ensured delivery for homebound community members.

United Community Centers’ East New York Healthy Soil Initiative

This group held a clean soil distribution in June and gave away 10,000 pounds of clean soil to 40 backyard participants and community gardens. For their East New York Farms! program, they were able to hire 16 youth interns and moved exclusively online with the youth doing virtual workshops, with some helping to work their farmers market over the summer.

Volunteers Improving Neighborhood Environments

VINES in Binghamton had a record demand for community garden plots this year. Because many community members could not get to one of its gardens or safely grow directly in ground at their home due to lead contamination, it launched a Build a Garden program to provide a completely constructed raised garden bed or a set of garden bags filled with rich compost and soil and other resources to help EJ community members get started.

EPA Announces Availability of Up to $6 Million in Annual Environmental Justice Grants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the availability of up to $6 million in grant funding under The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program and The Environmental Justice Small Grants (EJSG) Program.

EPA will be giving special consideration to the following focus areas:

• Addressing COVID-19 concerns faced by low-income communities and communities of color
• Climate change and natural disaster resiliency outreach and planning
• New applicants to either opportunity
• Ports initiative to assist people living and working near ports across the country
• Small non-profits

The EJCPS Cooperative Agreement Program’s total estimated funding for this opportunity is approximately $3,200,000. EPA anticipates awarding two cooperative agreements of $160,000 each within each of the 10 EPA Regions. To learn more about pre-application assistance calls and how to apply for funding, please visit EPA's website.  

The EJSG Program estimates approximately $2,800,000 will be awarded to approximately five applications per EPA region in amounts of up to $50,000 per award. This includes the EPA’s Ports Initiative program which anticipates funding up to six additional projects that address clean air issues at coastal and inland ports or rail yards. To learn more about pre-application assistance calls and how to apply for funding, please visit EPA's website. 

Applicants interested in either opportunity must submit proposal packages on or before May 7, 2021 to be considered for the available funding. Applicants should plan for projects to begin on October 1, 2021.

For more information on environmental justice grants, funding, and technical assistance, visit EPA's website.