Urban Verde

Peggy Shepard will be speaking about #ClimateJustice in #Harlem as part of #HarlemWeek’s annual climate event, organized by The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce and Columbia Climate School on Wednesday, August 7 from 5:30-8:30 PM at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building, located at 163 West 125th Street. RSVP: https://lnkd.in/eYrG23Hq

Many residents in the Mid-Atlantic region (including the NY metro area) would say they have driven past an abandoned property or old gas station in need of environmental remediation/cleanup. Since 2020, the Biden Administration and NJ Governor Murphy have signed legislation and earmarked funding to address environmental issues. Many concerns are disproportionately present in EJ communities - primarily those populated by those at or below the poverty line, minorities, and non-English speakers. According to the NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION's Environmental Justice (EJ) Map (https://lnkd.in/eqQ7qvJd) all of the state’s 21 counties contain at least one EJ or Overburdened Community (OBC). 🔍 Submitting a winning grant proposal requires understanding the funding goals and selection criteria. Most funders provide detailed application guidelines, and many offer on-line informational meetings, training sessions and pre-submittal reviews. In fact, according to last week’s Environmental Protection Network’s e-newsletter and website, the EPA announced that Community Change Grants (https://lnkd.in/g-Q9t_U5) applicants who submit by August 1st can get feedback and resubmit by the November 21st deadline.  📝 Developing a strong proposal with your project’s objectives and methodology is essential. An impactful statement of need, including a detailed project description with well-defined goals, is also key. Budgets must be justified and include an evaluation plan to demonstrate how success will be measured. The project team’s proposed partnerships, expertise and experience are important factors to the decision makers. 🌉 Following submission, it is helpful to follow up and seek feedback. Building relationships with grant officers can pave the way for the future, and aligning with funders’ goals and demonstrating community involvement can significantly boost success rates. Forging solid partnerships with all stakeholders throughout the process also helps to affect real change in EJ communities.   💡 At Urban Verde, we subscribe to funders’ e-newsletters, track their live and virtual informational events in a calendar, and attend - if applicable. We have found success in responding to specific criteria of each funding request with a thorough understanding of the background and intent of the funding agency’s decision makers. In fact, we recently helped a NJ municipality receive three sources of funding for a coastal restoration and climate resilience project which will include developing recreational and educational facilities.  ✨ If you have identified a remediation/cleanup project in an EJ community, please contact us or leave a comment below. We partner with community organizations, municipalities, institutions, foundations, or other non-profits seeking expertise in grant writing and environmental remediation for EJ communities. #grantwriting #EJ

At Urban Verde, we are forming a working relationship with WE ACT for Environmental Justice to cleanup toxic parts of NJ and NY so that local communities in less affluent neighborhoods can thrive.

Whether it’s a friend, mentor, or even yourself - who did you celebrate this #IWD24? And more specifically, what women are doing extraordinary work in Environmental Justice?