Cooperative Agreement 96263100

DESCRIPTION:THE AGREEMENT PROVIDES FUNDING TO NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. SPECIFICALLY, THE RECIPIENT WILL PARTNER WITH COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS TO MAP AND IDENTIFY AREAS EXPERIENCING EXTREME HEAT AND URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT, COLLECT TEMPERATURE AND AIR QUALITY DATA, CONDUCT HEAT VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS, AND SHARE FINDINGS WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THE PROJECT WILL PROMOTE IMPROVED PUBLIC HEALTH IN COMMUNITIES WITH ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CONCERNS AND PROVIDE COMMUNITIES WITH GRANULAR DATA AND TAILORED MITIGATION STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS EXTREME HEAT AND URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT.ACTIVITIES:THE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE MAPPING AND IDENTIFYING URBAN HEAT ISLAND AREAS, COLLECTING DATA, CONDUCTING COMMUNITY-LED VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS, AND SHARING FINDINGS. EXISTING MAPS WILL BE EXPANDED TO IDENTIFY DATA COLLECTION ROUTES. A QUALITY ASSURANCE PROJECT PLAN WILL BE DEVELOPED, AND COMMUNITY SCIENTISTS WILL BE TRAINED IN MONITORING EQUIPMENT AND DATA COLLECTION MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES. STATIONARY AND WEARABLE MONITORS WILL BE USED TO COLLECT TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY, PARTICULATE MATTER, AND GROUND LEVEL OZONE DATA. DATA WILL BE REVIEWED, VALIDATED, AND ANALYZED, THEN PROVIDED TO COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND INCORPORATED INTO MAPS. A HEAT VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE WILL BE DEVELOPED. COMMUNITY SCIENTISTS WILL BE TRAINED TO IDENTIFY QUALITATIVE EXTREME HEAT INDICATORS THAT MAY BE EXACERBATED BY URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT AND FILL OUT THE ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE. FINAL VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS AND MAPS WILL BE DEVELOPED FOR EACH SELECTED MUNICIPALITY. FINDINGS WILL BE SHARED USING TAILORED COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH STRATEGIES. SUBRECIPIENT:SUBRECIPIENTS INCLUDE NEW JERSEY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (REPRESENTING PATERSON, PASSAIC, AND CLIFTON), GROUNDWORK ELIZABETH (REPRESENTING ELIZABETH), SOUTH WARD ENVIRONMENTAL ALLIANCE (REPRESENTING NEWARK'S SOUTH WARD), ISLES, INC. (REPRESENTING TRENTON), AND NEW JERSEY PROGRESSIVE EQUITABLE ENERGY COALITION. SUBRECIPIENTS HAVE IDENTICAL RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE MUNICIPALITIES THEY REPRESENT, INCLUDING PROVIDING LOCAL LEADERSHIP AND INFORMATION ON COMMUNITY CONCERNS, ADVISEMENT ON HYPER-LOCAL SOCIAL FACTORS IMPACTING EXTREME HEAT AND URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT, RECRUITMENT AND COORDINATION OF COMMUNITY SCIENTISTS, AIDING IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS, AND DISSEMINATION AND COMMUNICATION OF PROJECT FINDINGS. NEW JERSEY PROGRESSIVE EQUITABLE ENERGY COALITION WILL PROVIDE ADVISORY SUPPORT ON VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT DEVELOPMENT.OUTCOMES:THE ANTICIPATED DELIVERABLES INCLUDE STATE-WIDE STEERING AND LOCAL PROJECT TEAMS, PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS, A QUALITY ASSURANCE PROJECT PLAN, INITIAL MAPS WITH MONITORING ROUTES, TRAINED COMMUNITY SCIENTISTS, VALIDATED DATA, REPORTS, AND ANALYSES, A HEAT VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE, FINAL MAPS WITH HEAT, AIR QUALITY, AND VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS, HEAT VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS, A COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY, AND SEMI-ANNUAL AND FINAL REPORTS. THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES INCLUDE STRENGTHENED PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN STATE GOVERNMENT, COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE NONPROFITS, INCREASED CAPACITY OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS, COMMUNITY GROUPS, AND NONPROFITS TO UNDERSTAND AND ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ISSUES, INCREASED AWARENESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN AFFECTED COMMUNITIES, AND INCREASED COMMUNITY RESILIENCY TO ALLEVIATE ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH BURDENS. COMMUNITY PARTNERS WILL BE EQUIPPED TO RECOMMEND AND ENACT HYPER-LOCAL HEAT MITIGATION AND RESILIENCE STRATEGIES THAT LOWER TEMPERATURES AND DECREASE HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES AND HOSPITALIZATIONS. THE RECIPIENT WILL GAIN DATA TO INFORM INITIATIVES, INSIGHT ON PUTTING FORTH LOCAL HEAT MITIGATION STRATEGIES, AND COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS TO ADDRESS URBAN HEAT ISLAND AND OTHER CLIMATE ISSUES. THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE COMMUNITY SCIENTISTS, RESIDENTS, AND LOCAL LEADERS IN THE OVERBURDENED NEW JERSEY MUNICIPALITIES OF PATERSON, ELIZABETH, NEWARK, PASSAIC