ALBANY – Six Hudson Valley communities have been awarded Environmental Justice Community Impact Grants from the State Department of Environmental Conservation.
The grants support projects of those most vulnerable to climate and pollution impacts. They include:
Energy Justice Law and Policy Center $200,000: New Rochelle Youth Green Infrastructure Training Program and Nature Based Solutions Pilot. The center will train 60 New Rochelle youth (16-25) with paid opportunities to design, install, and steward street trees and modular rain garden sites in disadvantaged communities, reducing flooding and heat, creating youth stewards, building green jobs skills, and creating a replicable nature-based solutions model.
Fareground Community Kitchen $100,000: From Waste to Nourishment: Listening, Learning, and Sharing Food in Beacon. Fareground will conduct a community survey, food waste education, and public events at its Beacon engagement sites, while expanding food rescue and composting to reduce waste, improve food access, and support community and environmental health.
Groundwork Hudson Valley $198,838: The Orchard Street Open Space Improvement and Climate Risk Mitigation Initiative. A small garden on a vacant lot owned by Groundwork Hudson Valley in a highly underserved area of Southwest Yonkers will be the base for community research, outreach programs, and demonstration projects to increase access to open space and reduce climate risks.
Newburgh Urban Farm and Food Inc. $173,705: Seeds of Resilience: Climate Solutions at Downing Park Urban Farm. The project will expand food access and climate resilience in Newburgh by building a year-round greenhouse, remediating urban soils, and training the next generation of urban farmers through a paid internship program.
Outdoor Promise Inc. $200,000: Breathe Newburgh: Building Community Power Through Air Quality Research and Bilingual Storytelling. Outdoor Promise will expand air quality monitoring in Newburgh’s Environmental Justice neighborhoods and build lasting bilingual media capacity to share timely, culturally relevant environmental health information that empowers community action.
Poughkeepsie Farm Project $200,000: Poughkeepsie Earth Cycle Project. The project will turn food waste into compost to nourish City of Poughkeepsie gardens, support youth jobs, and promote environmental justice through education, community engagement, and increased access to fresh, local food.
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