Environmental Community Action Inc

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY ACTION (ECO-ACT): AT ECO-ACTION, WE BELIEVE THAT COMMUNITIES HAVE THE RIGHT TO CLEAN AIR, LAND AND WATER AND SHOULD HAVE A RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DECISIONS THAT AFFECT THEIR OWN LIVES. INCREDIBLY, MANY COMMUNITIES STILL DO NOT HAVE THAT RIGHT TODAY. THOSE AFFECTED MOST BY TOXIC CHEMICAL EXPOSURE ARE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. WE BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE WHO WORK COLLECTIVELY TO ORGANIZE, MAKE CHANGE, SHARE RESOURCES, AND SOLVE PROBLEMS WILL MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THEIR COMMUNITY'S HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT, AND PROSPERITY.

AWLN ADULT:ATLANTA WATERSHED LEARNING NETWORK'S PURPOSE IS TO INCREASE COMMUNITY CAPACITY FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH PARKS AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AS COMMUNITY ASSETS THAT WILL: ADDRESS FLOODING AND STORMWATER ISSUES; EMPLOY RESIDENTS; PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVED HEALTH, RECREATION AND EDUCATION; AND PROTECT THE WATERSHED. AWLN YOUTH:AWLN YOUTH SUMMER PROGRAM IS A SIX-WEEK SUMMER PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES YOUTH WITH A PAID INTERNSHIP. THROUGH OUR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, YOUTH HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE AT A COMMUNITY, SOCIAL JUSTICE, OR GREEN ORGANIZATION. OUR YOUTH INTERNS ARE PROVIDED WITH SOFT SKILLS, ENVIRONMENTAL, SUSTAINABILITY, LEADERSHIP, FINANCE, AND NUTRITION-BASED TRAINING THAT ALLOW THEM TO BE MORE EFFICIENT AT THEIR WORK SITES AND AT HOME. COMMUNITY SOIL AIR AND WATER (CSAW):THE COMMUNITY-SOIL-AIR-WATER (CSAW) LEARNING ECOSYSTEM AIMS TO INTEGRATE JUSTICE, EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION PRINCIPLES AND PROGRAMMING WITH COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS TO SOLVE SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS. THIS INTEGRATION SEEKS TO DIVERSIFY BOTH PRACTITIONERS AND PRACTICES IN THE GEOSCIENCES THAT CAN CATALYZE A TRANSFORMATION IN UNDERSTANDING WHO DOES GEOSCIENCE AND WHAT GEOSCIENCES DOES FOR COMMUNITIES. GEORGIA GRASSROOTS ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK (GGEN):GEORGIA GRASSROOTS ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK PROGRAM SEEKS TO BRING COMMUNITY LIAISONS AND RESIDENTS TOGETHER TO DISCUSS ISSUES AND AGREE ON GEORGIA ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PRIORITIES INCLUDING THE DEMAND FOR A GEORGIA ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE POLICY. WHILE ALL COMMUNITIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE, THE PROGRAM TARGETS COMMUNITIES OUTSIDE OF THE METRO-ATLANTA AREA. IN ADDITION TO MEETING QUARTERLY AS AN ENTIRE GROUP, COMMUNITIES ARE CLUSTERED BY SHARED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES AND ENCOURAGED TO STRATEGIZE AND ACT COLLECTIVELY. METRO-ATLANTA CLEAN AIR INITIATIVE (MACAI):ECO-ACTION, WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EMORY UNIVERSITY AND OTHER NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, WILL INSTALL AIR MONITORING EQUIPMENT, COLLECT AIR SAMPLES, SHARE SAMPLE DATA AND TRAIN RESIDENTS IN FIVE COMMUNITIES SO THEY CAN ADVANCE THEIR ADVOCACY EFFORTS TO ADDRESS LONGSTANDING AIR QUALITY PROBLEMS WHERE THEY LIVE. WITH ECO-ACTION'S ASSISTANCE, COMMUNITIES WILL ADVANCE THEIR EFFORTS TO ADVOCATE FOR THE RESOLUTION OF AIR POLLUTANT ISSUES USING AIR QUALITY MONITORS THAT COLLECT POLLUTANT CONCENTRATION DATA. THE DURATION OF THE METRO-ATLANTA CLEAN AIR INITIATIVE (MACAI) WILL BE 30 MONTHS. PROPOSED PROGRAM ACTIVITIES ARE: POLLUTANT MONITORING, MOBILIZING COMMUNITY TRAINING SESSIONS, AND DATA SHARING. RESILIENCE, EQUITY, AND ADAPTATION FOR CLIMATE AND HEALTH (REACH) ATLANTA:IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EMORY UNIVERSITY, SPELLMAN, AND THE WEST ALLIANCE WATERSHED ALLIANCE, ECO-ACTION AIMS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE CUMULATIVE EXPOSURES OF CHEMICAL AND NON-CHEMICAL POLLUTANTS IMPACT OF IMPACT AND EXACERBATE THE HEALTH OF INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES IN ATLANTA. THE FOCUS WILL BE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH INCREASED VULNERABILITY/RISK TO PRE-EXISTING CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS SUCH AS ASTHMA, MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS, AND OBESITY-SENSITIVE CONDITIONS (OBESITY, DIABETES, AND HYPERTENSION).