Regional environmental council based in worcester, MA, is a small non-profit that aims to increase the accessibility and affordability of healthy food for residents of worcester's low-income…

The Regional Environmental Council, Inc. received a $150,000 Project Grant award from the Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 under the Environmental Justice Small Grant Program (CFDA 66.604). The award will support the Council delivering environmental education and training programs from May 2022 through April 2023 to increase climate resilience among urban gardeners in low-income communities in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Specifically, the Council will conduct a series of 10 workshops reaching a minimum of 100 attendees on best practices for urban food gardening techniques that promote climate resilience, including carbon sequestration. The training programs will educate local gardeners at approximately 60 community and school garden sites on efficient water use, pesticide alternatives, soil health, and other methods to reduce environmental impacts. Additionally, five demonstration gardens will receive resources and technical support to implement infrastructure improvements that conserve water and reduce stormwater runoff through organic growing techniques.

Regional environmental council based in worcester, MA, is a small non-profit that aims to increase the accessibility and affordability of healthy food for residents of worcester's low-income neighborhoods by creating a more equitable and sustainable regional food system. The purpose of this american rescue plan funded grant is to promote community health and welfare by increasing public education and building local capacity to address climate change by training urban gardeners in best practices for urban food gardening techniques that promote climate resilience. The project will educate and train growers at approximately 60 community and school garden sites in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color to engage in healthy soil and BIO growth practices that sequester carbon and will create a network of skilled community volunteers to support this project. People with moderate-to-severe or uncontrolled asthma are more likely to be hospitalized from covid-19. Air pollution may contribute to asthma. By addressing air pollution in CAA 103(b)(3) projects, the chances of severe illness from covid-19 may be reduced. Activities: through this project, the regional environmental council will promote community health and welfare, raise awareness, and build local capacity to address climate change by training local worcester urban food gardeners in climate resilient growing techniques, including carbon sequestration. This project includes activities authorized by the clean air act, section 103(b)(3) by conducting public education and training on air pollution prevention and control through urban gardens. The project will train local growers to engage in healthy soil and BIO-growth practices that sequester carbon and promote climate resilience. The project includes activities authorized by the clean water act, section 104(a)(1) by conducting and promoting public education and trainings that reduce water pollution through plant and soil filtration in green spaces. This project will provide multiple benefits to the community. Community gardeners will learn efficient water use, pesticide alternatives, and soil health/carbon sequestration that are critical for climate resistant urban gardening. Participants will receive education and training via workshops and will have the opportunity to put new climate resilient growing techniques into practice. Grassroots community garden volunteers and project staff will develop and strengthen relationships with key partners working towards similar climate goals and build network capacity and impact by introducing a new garden volunteer corps program. Five demonstration site gardens will receive intensive technical support and resources to make infrastructure improvements with the support of the garden volunteer corps to increase water conservation and reduce stormwater runoff, and to implement organic growing and carbon sequestration techniques including low or no-till growing and use of cover crops. These innovations will increase climate resiliency of the gardens and help them serve as educational sites for other growers in the network. In summary, the project will provide residents of worcester's low-income communities with vital education, skill-building, resources, and inclusion in local environmental justice processes, helping residents of environmental justice neighborhoods become change agents on their own behalf and take important steps toward improving the climate resilience of their communities while beginning to address some of the environmental inequities their neighborhoods have endured. Outcomes: the recipient will develop and implement 10 educational workshops on topics identified by grassroots community gardeners as priority skill-building and educational opportunities. These workshops will focus on strategies that urban growers can use to increase climate resilience, with a target of a minimum 100 attendees for the series. Workshops will be presented in an ACC