Houston Parks Board’s Post

Park and recreation places, programs and offerings help to make sure communities are thriving, nurtured and resilient. To effectively build those thriving communities, equity must be at the center of this work so that everyone benefits. Using the lens of equitable environmental resiliency in our plans and efforts ensures our communities can weather the challenges they face, especially from climate change. Throughout the past three years, we have worked with our membership to advance equitable environmental resilience at the local level. We worked to explore these efforts in the Park Access Network on NRPA Connect, as well as with a cohort of seven cities as part of our Resilient Park Access program. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Lynnwood, Washington; Detroit; New Orleans; Farmington, New Mexico; Navajo Nation; and Toledo, Ohio, worked together as a peer cohort to learn, assess and advance their efforts for equitable resiliency through plans, policies and practices with grant funds and technical assistance. Dive into what this work looks like: https://bit.ly/4arh1eF #PowerOfParks #ParkAccess #ClimateResiliency #ClimateChange #EarthMonth #ParksAndRec #WhereYouBelong

#ClimateJustice looks different for everyone. In the Pacific Northwest, Craft3 drives environmental and economic justice through bridge financing to make the ambitious project and partnership with the Inland Northwest Land Conservancy, Spokane Tribe of Indians, and Washington state parks, possible. This collaboration is helping to preserve our beautiful earth and create a thriving ecosystem that is vital to Native communities. See how the regional #CDFI is playing a key role: #ClimateJusticeMonth

The San Diego Foundation and Environmental Health Coalition have secured a $22 million grant to support climate-resilient projects that will preserve, protect and strengthen San Diego's central historic barrios. Through the grant, the neighborhoods will experience unprecedented investment in green spaces, housing and transportation, community-led food production and distribution, community centers and other climate-resilient and community benefit projects. Learn more about the proposed projects: https://bit.ly/3SoJw5Y #sandiego #climatechange

At the #OceanKAN, we already have used "Impact Networking" practices and "Network Weaving" to build a trust-based network that spans 30 countries and more than 100 community members. Now, at Moonjelly Foundation, we are using a similar approach, plus Pay It Forward Scaling, to grow a Conservation Impact Network through trust-based conservation finance. David Ehrlichman June Holley Teriitutea QUESNOT Antony Vavia Liam Kokaua Kōrero o te `Ōrau Inc. #trustbasedphilanthropy #oceanconservation #Indigenousconservation

Exciting news in Menlo Park: The City is preparing their first #EnvironmentalJusticeElement with the help of M-Group! Environmental Justice Elements are a crucial part of a City’s General Plan to advance #equity and protect human health for all community members. While the Environmental Justice movement has traditionally focused on environmental contamination and degradation, the scope has broadened to include additional policy topics such as food access and physical activity. M-Group is collaborating with the City to meet the community where they are. By holding community meetings and workshops in both #Spanish and English, along with study sessions with the local Planning Commission and City Council, we aim to promote and foster meaningful community engagement. These efforts will help ensure the Environmental Justice Element reflects the current needs of the whole community. #EnvironmentalJusticeElement #MenloPark #CommunityOutreach #CommunityEngagement #CommunityNeeds #MGroup

In order to break the cycle of land use decisions that don’t put the community first and many times, causes additional harm, land reuse must be community-led. This Equity Guide serves as a blueprint for how to create more equitable, safe, and healthy communities. Principles of Equitable Development: - Share leadership and decision-making power: ensure residents play an equal role in making decisions that affect their communities. - Learn and acknowledge the history of racial and social injustices: recognizing painful legacies and present realities is the first step to building trust and committing to do things differently. - Recognize and value local knowledge: lived experience of residents will help identify community needs and center equity in your process. - Meet people where they are at: remove barriers to engagement to ensure a representative set of community voices, especially those from marginalized communities, are heard. - Build intentional partnerships: intentionally build diverse partnerships anchored in trust, respect and transparency Read the Guide: https://lnkd.in/ewJNFQFY Register Now: Advancing Equity in Land Reuse Planning and Visioning Workshop - Tuesday, Sept. 12th at 1 p.m. ET | 10:00 a.m. PT During this 90-minute workshop, participants will learn how to effectively use the guide and discover practical steps to embed environmental justice principles in every phase of the land reuse process.

At Moonjelly Foundation, we're pioneering a new era of conservation finance, inspired by the principles of trust and community. Our approach, reminiscent of the slow-food movement, focuses on building deep, personal relationships and reducing administrative burdens to empower grantees to focus on their crucial work. We're creating a Conservation Impact Network, connecting conservation organizations and community groups through trust-based relationships. This network is strengthened by our Pay It Forward Scaling, where partners support new members, enhancing our collective impact on conservation. Our efforts are already making waves in regions like the Cook Islands and Latin America, where traditional knowledge and conservation practices are being revitalized. We aim to grow an indigenously-led Conservation Impact Network, proving that trust and collaboration can lead to significant environmental progress. We invite you to be part of this transformative movement. Together, we can scale trust-based conservation to new heights. #ConservationFinance #Moonjelly #SustainableFuture #PayItForward

Do you have a community project that addresses energy efficiency, affordable and sustainable housing, or training and workforce development? These are just some of the categories of investment that fall under Justice 40, the federal government’s historic commitment to invest billions into environmental justice census tracts. This is a generational opportunity for our region to move towards a more sustainable and equitable future. To prepare communities to access this funding, New Sun Rising and RiverWise partnered to develop the Ignite Environmental Justice Workshops. The next workshop is Wednesday, May 22 in Ohio Valley at the Whitted Media Content house. Deadline to apply is 8 p.m. on Monday, May 20. For more information and to register, visit: https://lnkd.in/eCVTd39r #justice40 #justice40initiative #environmentaljustice #environmentaljusticeforall #justiceforall #climatejustice #socialjustice #cleanenergy #renewableenergy #cleanair #cleanwater #vibrantcommunities #alleghenycounty #beavercounty #newsunrising #riverwise #equitabledevelopment #greencommunities #sustainability

State lawmakers and environmental groups are teaming up to plug a funding gap and save Rhode Island’s land conservation programs. A bill introduced by Rep. Megan Cotter, D-Exeter, would inject $16 million into this year’s Green Economy Bond to fund four separate programs to protect land from development and provide a healthy boost for the state’s environment. The programs, which include money for state and local open space acquisition, farmland preservation, forest management, and habitat restoration, are usually included in a single bond question to be approved by voters every two years. But the state budget proposal announced last month by Gov. Dan McKee included no money for these programs in this year’s $50 million environmental bond question and, if passed, it would be the first time in nearly 40 years funding for the state’s conservation programs did not appear on the ballot. For the full story: https://bit.ly/43kUHQQ #environmentallaw #environmentallawyer #newportri

Southern Arizona has a network of cooling centers, but as more extreme heat days drive demand, there are challenges in access, visibility, and capacity. These climate change effects are clear, as are the impacts of inaction, which is why Justicia Juntos, an initiative led by Amistades, Inc., is a great model for cities seeking meaningful partnerships that result in true community change. Learn more about how this project leveraged an Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving Cooperative Agreement grant award from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to combat the effects of extreme heat on Latino communities in the city of Tucson, AZ. https://lnkd.in/ecGVEuxY #localinfrastructurehub #federalgrants #climateimpacts #equitableaccess