This agreement provides funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA)

This agreement provides funding to city of newark in new jersey and comprises a training, monitoring and research/research application component. The workforce development training program in air quality, green infrastructure, and safety and environmental regulations will boost the underserved newark community's direct involvement in the local green workforce and air quality advocacy. The air quality (and temperature) monitoring sensors to be deployed by the workforce development program graduates and other newark residents will supplement these citizen scientists' experience in air quality advocacy, supplement the currently lackluster air quality monitoring system in newark and provide supplemental data for the research component of this grant. The collection and analysis of air quality and temperature data by new jersey institute of technology will give the city of newark the choice to act on at least one resulting recommendation to improve air quality and more efficiently use city planning resources to address the urban heat island public health concern identified in a priority area map along with a portfolio of example options for heat island mitigation. Similarly, the demonstration of the i-tree ECO software application by new jersey insitute of technology will enable the city of newark to make better use of city planning resources by maximizing the potential benefits of green infrastructure measures. Activities:this project comprises five major activities, including: 1) conducting community outreach and stakeholder engagements let by a community based nonprofit organization to inform residents about the environmental challenges in newark and the benefits of the workforce development program to recruit potential participants, 2) developing and carrying out a workforce development program covering 1) stormwater green infrastructure training, 2) air quality training, and 3) occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) and environmental regulation training for 35 participants per year over two years (70 total) and advanced green infrastructure training for 5 of those participants per year over two years (10 total), 3) engaging 30 workforce development program graduates and other newark residents as citizen scientists and air quality advocates to measure air quality and temperature strategically determined across newark, 4) analyzing, at least partially with artificial intelligence, air quality and temperature data collected by citizen scientist, academic researchers and satellite to provide at least one recommendation on minimizing indoor air pollution and one map indicating priority heat sources and example options for mitigation in the city of newark, and 5) demonstrating for the city of newark with at least ten green infrastructure measures how to determine their air quality improvements using the i-tree ECO ecosystem service model software application. Subrecipient:all project activities are substantially facilitated by subawards. This project comprises five major activities, including: 1) CBO-led community outreach and stakeholder engagements to inform residents about the environmental challenges in newark and the benefits of the workforce development program to recruit potential participants, 2) academic institution-led workforce development program covering 1) stormwater green infrastructure (GI) training, 2) air quality (AQ) training, and 3) occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) training for 50 participants in the regular course and 5 in the advance course every year, 3) workforce development participant-led air quality (and temperature) monitoring that will supplement the lacking current air monitoring in the city of newark and engage 30 select participants as citizen scientists and air quality advocates by providing them with purple air sensors, instructional workshop to use them, and a requireme