The Environmental Justice Advisory Board selected the following projects to receive funding under the second year of the Colorado Environmental Justice Grant Program:
Southern Ute Indian Tribe
Project title: Water Quality Standards and 401 Certification Capacity
Current funding amount: $50,000
Project goals:
- Support the work of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s Environmental Programs Department to review and approve 401 Water Quality Certifications and work closely with federal permitting agencies.
- Prevent and mitigate water quality pollution and contribute to the health and well-being of communities within and around the reservation boundaries.
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
Project title: Addressing Municipal Waste and Hazardous Materials Management in the Towaoc Community
Current funding amount: $50,000
Project goals:
- Support the Work of the Ute Mountain Ute Environmental Programs Department to improve solid waste management practices and hazardous materials management, including improvements to the Towaoc Transfer Station to manage municipal solid waste, reduce trash burning, and mitigate associated health risks.
- Support work to reduce hazardous materials like asbestos and lead-based paint in older homes, particularly during home remodeling projects for Tribal leaders and other residents.
Jefferson County Public Health Department
Project title: Jeffco Manufactured Homes Environmental Justice Initiative Expansion Project
Current funding amount: $149,243
Project goals:
- Minimize greenhouse gas emissions and increase resiliency to extreme weather events for manufactured homes and their owners in two disproportionately impacted communities in Jefferson County – Elevado Estates and Mitchell’s Mobile Home Park.
The City of Fort Collins
Project title: Cultivating Community-Led Resilient Homes
Current funding amount: $168,874
Project goals:
- Provide tools to address indoor health and safety for disproportionately impacted communities in Fort Collins including indoor air quality assessments, portable air cleaners, smoke, fire, and carbon monoxide alarms, furnace servicing, low-level weatherization, air conditioners, and other related resources.
350 Colorado
Project title: Air Pollution Education and Advocacy in Greeley
Current funding amount: $173,700
Project goals:
- Provide air quality data and educational resources that convey the health impacts of fracking, identify protective measures for families, and identify advocacy opportunities for a healthier community.
- Empower community members in Greeley to advocate for policies to phase out fracking and ensure healthy air for future generations.
Urban Symbiosis
Project title: Mirco Urban Farms
Current funding amount: $217,193
Project goals:
- Increase community food security and environmental sustainability by creating micro urban farms in the Colfax corridor in Aurora and Denver to expand access to healthy, locally grown food while avoiding dependence on industrial agriculture practices that can harm the environment.
Green House Connection Center
Project title: Support Engagement and Empowerment of Disproportionately Impacted Communities — SEEDs
Current funding amount: $143,100
Project goals:
- Advance environmental justice in North Metro Denver, Globeville, Elyria, and Swansea by increasing the involvement of disproportionately impacted communities in decision-making processes.
- Provide culturally competent environmental justice programs and encourage collaboration among people interested in environmental justice.
Adams County Health Department
Project title: Thornton/Commerce City Environmental Justice Grants
Current funding amount: $147,890
Project goals:
- Address water quality issues, particularly concerning per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — PFAS, in disproportionately impacted communities in the South Thornton and Commerce City areas of Adams County.
- Provide these communities with water filters and accurate information about drinking water quality.
- Engage residents through workshops, events, and media collaborations to ensure accurate information and promote sustainable water treatment methods, foster trust, transparency, and community leadership in addressing environmental justice concerns.
- This project is a collaboration between the Adams County Health Department, Groundwork Denver, and Womxn From the Mountain.