California EPA grants include thousands for Central Coast projects
1.5 million dollars in environmental justice grants were announced by the California Environmental Protection Agency to fund 34 projects. The CalEPA says these projects will work towards “combating pollution, improving health outcomes and increasing public engagement in some of California’s most pollution-burdened communities.”
Four of these projects are based in, or include, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, and total roughly 160,000 dollars.
The Central Coast projects include training and support for organic and sustainable agriculture for Salinas Valley farm workers, support for “low-income, predominantly Latino communities in the Central Coast” regarding safe and affordable water, community education in Gonzales to deal with environmental health and justice issues, and improving health through “heat stress prevention outreach” in the Pajaro Valley.
“These grants put money where it is needed most, in communities disproportionally affected by pollution,” California Secretary for Environmental Protection Jared Blumenfeld said. “Our goal is to give people a voice in the decisions affecting their environmental future so that they can help develop real-world solutions locally and across the state.”
Full Central Coast projects:
The Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), $50,000, Monterey County, will provide training in organic agriculture, pesticide exposure, conservation farming and careers in sustainable agriculture for farmworkers in Salinas Valley. ALBA will provide intensive land-based organic agriculture education to 100 aspiring farmer-entrepreneurs, agriculture professionals and field workers to build a stronger and healthier agricultural workforce and community. Organic agriculture eliminates the use of toxic synthetic pesticides in food production and reduces pesticide exposure which has proven harmful not only to field laborers, but to their families and communities. ALBA will provide intensive education and assistance to 50 start-up organic farms, 25 of their workers and an additional 25 aspiring organic agriculture professionals. The project will directly support the next generation of farmers and agricultural workers who will have the tools to create a healthier workplace, community, rural economy and environment.
Community Water Center (CWC), $30,000, Monterey County, will provide education, outreach, leadership development, and organizing support to low-income, predominantly Latino communities in the Central Coast. With CWC’s support, residents will have the tools to lead the development of community-driven solutions and to foster effective community participation in local, regional and statewide decision-making processes in pursuit of providing safe and affordable drinking water for all. Many of these communities are part of a farm-worker family, and many are either monolingual Spanish or limited English speakers that do not have access to safe, clean and affordable drinking water. CWC will connect residents with resources, such as replacement water programs and private well testing. CWC will also establish a regional coalition to address drinking water issues in the Central Coast.
Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice (Greenaction), $30,000, Kings and Monterey Counties, will engage the working class and predominantly Latino, Spanish-speaking farmworker communities of Kettleman City in Kings County and the city of Gonzales in Monterey County through community education. Greenaction and its community partners El Pueblo Para el Aire y Agua Limpia (People for Clean Air and Water of Kettleman City) and Asamblea de Gonzales will work together to engage residents in decision-making processes with regional and state regulatory agencies and elected officials on environmental health and justice issues. Greenaction will conduct an intensive six-week environmental and climate justice leadership academy with youth. Greenaction will conduct a bilingual community education campaign and develop three bilingual educational fact sheets on pesticide drift, exposure, health impacts, and how to report violations; the health and environmental dangers of diesel idling and how to report violations of the anti-idling laws; and how to participate in government permit and regulatory processes regarding the large regional waste disposal landfills in both communities. Greenaction will also hire a part-time Gonzales pesticide drift community educator/organizer, conduct door-to-door outreach in neighborhoods, and help academy participants as they attend Kings County and Gonzales local government meetings.
Regeneracin Pajaro Valley Climate Action Project, $48,780, Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, will build climate resilience, help improve public health outcomes through heat stress prevention outreach in the predominantly agricultural Pajaro Valley in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. Regeneracin will elevate awareness of heat stress caused by rising temperatures due to climate change and promote preventive measures that can be taken by vulnerable populations and community allies. Regeneracin will develop a new culturally appropriate educational sheet on climate related heat stress cause and prevention in Spanish and English, engage with growers about climate impacts on their operations and workers, host one climate change and heat community forum. Regeneracin will also develop two Spanish language radio public service announcements, conduct six group meetings with farm workers, and conduct extensive direct outreach to farm workers. Regeneracin plans to reach over 2,000 community members in Pajaro Valley.
