The EPA, sustainability experts and environmental justice organizations from around the U.S. are gathering in Philadelphia for Brownfields 2011.
21.27
Day 2 of Brownfields2011 coverage begins tomorrow at 9 am.
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19.54
Brownfield Revitalization, Gentrification and Equitable Development: Evaluating a Decade of the EPA Brownfields Program
Charles Lee, director of EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice advised the audience that the EPA is moving forward in its efforts to increase its effectiveness in urban communities, and highlighted several things that need to happen to drive sustainable development including:
- Ensuring that the community is sitting at the table
- Developing metrics to make changes visible
- Developing metrics to ensure government agencies are accountable
- Identifying creative uses for getting resources to communities, including community benefit agreements
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19.37
Brownfield Revitalization, Gentrification and Equitable Development: Evaluating a Decade of the EPA Brownfields Program
If you map wealth ownership in the U.S. today and overlap it with feudal wealth in Europe, it’s the same. That’s a problem.
Ted Howard, The Democracy Collaborative
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19.27
Brownfield Revitalization, Gentrification and Equitable Development: Evaluating a Decade of the EPA Brownfields Program
Mary Nelson and Bethel New Life church in West Chicago were engaging in sustainable development and smart, transit-oriented growth long before they were hip. The feisty community activist recounted the struggles of the community to create an affordable, livable just community – driving equitable development without displacement.
Things we need to think about:
- Engage in asset-based community development. Don’t focus on what you don’t have or can’t do.
- Engage in development without displacement
- How do you keep it so there is affordable housing and people aren’t displace when development occurs?
- Mandate community hiring for redevelopment work
- How do you help make sure changes are working?
“You and I cannot afford to sit back and say… the next generation. It doesn’t have to be this way.”
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19.12
Brownfield Revitalization, Gentrification and Equitable Development: Evaluating a Decade of the EPA Brownfields Program
You have to pay attention to what the U.S. Department of Agriculture is doing.
You have to pay attention to what the Department of Housing Development is doing.
You have to pay attention to what the Department of Transportation is doing. When new policy is developed and they call for public comment… tell them!
Vernice Miller-Travis of Groundwork USA and Maryland State Commission on Environmental Justice & Sustainable Communities
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19.07
Toughing on environmental injustice, Vernice Miller-Travis of Groundwork USA and Maryland State Commission on Environmental Justice & Sustainable Communities, passionately recounted how federal housing policy has historically driven racial restrictions. Policies have enforced limitations on commercial development in suburban communities while allowing non-housing development in urban neighborhoods that were predominately communities of color.
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18.57
Brownfield Revitalization, Gentrification and Equitable Development: Evaluating a Decade of the EPA Brownfields Program
Moderated by Deeohn Ferris of Sustainable Community Development Group, the session addresses gentrification as a real and unintentional effect of EPA’s Brownfields program.
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18.18
Closing thoughts from Green and Sustainable Remediation:
We have our hand around carbon footprint. The social aspects are the bottom line.
Stewart Abrams, Langan Engineering and Environmental Services
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18.15
Real sustainable development means equitable benefit. It must benefit existing residents. Mathy Stanislaus #brownfields2011 #EPA #EJ
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17.58
Heard from the Green and Sustainable Remediation: Policies, Tools and Social Impacts session..
Communication is the key to moving communities forward toward sustainable remediation.
1. The language around brownfields is complicated. We need to think about how we communicate in layman’s terms.
2. Many community members have a short-term outlook to environmental changes, while brownfield initiatives have long-term outlook.
3. It is vital that brownfields initiatives incorporate the education of neighborhoods as well as business owners.
Sustainable remediation needs to go beyond the carbon footprint – Ana Baptista, Ironbound Community Corporation
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17.39
Philadelphia, Mississippi Mayor James Young took the EPA to task during the Sustainable Community Development Group luncheon, saying Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama and Texas… are the communities where the rubber hits the road. When those communities become sustainable, the EPA has done its job. Philadelphia, Mississippi dies, the EPA has failed.
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16.08
Next live blogging session begins at 1 pm. Tweets throughout the day can be found by following @bGreenScene
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15.47
Philadelpia Mayor Michael Nutter
Philadelpia Mayor Michael Nutter opened the conference with a welcome and update on the city’s Greenworks Philadelpia plan, which launched in 2009 with intent of making Philadelpia the greenest city in the U.S.
With a focus on addressing the environment, jobs and creating a better future, Mayor Nutter received applause for his successes, including:
- Taking steps to rewrite the zoning code for the first time in 40 years.
- Establishing the goal making sure that 75% of residents have open space within 10 walking minutes from home, and
- City recycling was at a rate of less than 6% when he came into office, now it is almost 20%.
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15.43
Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator
In the face of budget and economic issues, EPA head Lisa Jackson stated off the back, “There is a reasonable way to scale back and make changes that enable use to maintain our core mission.” Ms. Jackson then cited a 2010 poll where 95% of respondents believe government has a role to play in protecting health and environment.
Business handled, Ms. Jackson went on to talk about the EPA’s priorities and how sustainable development, and specifically brownfield development, is a driving force and key aspect of the agency’s focus. To date, the EPA has leveraged B in cleanup and redevelopment funds.
Of the seven priorities to guide EPA, brownfield cleanup is fundamental to three of them, including the building state and tribal partnerships, and advances three other priorities including:
- Taking action on climate change
- Protecting America’s waters
- Protecting health
In line with that vision, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing Development and the EPA have agreed, for the first time, to collaborate to bring efforts together, align priorities and address key issues of transportation, housing and the environment in a more comprehensive way.
And lastly, she highlighted the Sustainable Communities Building Blocks Program, bringing in private sector experts to train communities to use tools that have been used successfully in other communities:
- Reviewing code
- Assessing development
- Conducting walkability audits
- Making streets better for everyone: drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and public transportation
- Using development to help protect water quality
32 communities in 26 states have been chosen to receive this assistance.
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