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EPA Announces Urban Environmental Grants for Rhode Island; Releases 5 Year Report on Urban Initiatives in New England

Release Date: 01/24/2002
Contact Information: EPA Press Office, (617) 918-1010

BOSTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced $48,400 in grants for projects addressing urban environmental and public health problems in Rhode Island and released a report highlighting EPA's work on environmental issues in Boston, Providence and Hartford.

The two grants from EPA New England will fund projects covering lead poisoning prevention and education about the Woonasquatucket River. EPA also announced $360,000 in grants to groups in the Boston and Hartford areas for urban environment and public health projects.

The report released today, "Agents of Change: Making the Vision a Reality," documents the accomplishments of EPA New England's Urban Environmental Initiative over the past five years, focusing on environmental problems in Boston, Hartford and Providence. EPA New England has worked with community partners on projects that have helped reduce lead poisoning rates, turned vacant land into urban farms and community gardens, reached thousands of residents through multilingual education campaigns, and started to reduce asthma hospitalization rates in children. EPA New England has awarded and managed over 110 grants worth over $3.3 million in the neighborhoods of Boston, Providence and Hartford, addressing lead poisoning, air quality, urban rivers, open space, environmental education and sustainable development.

"Residents living in urban areas bear a disproportionate share of our nation's environmental problems," said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator for EPA's New England Office. "EPA New England and its community partners have made great progress in restoring the quality of the environment and improving public health in Boston, Providence and Hartford. Today's grants build off the successes of the past and give community groups some of the resources required to continue achieving results for future generations. "

Some highlights of the report include:

• Lead poisoning rates in Providence, RI has decreased from 1 in every 3 children to 1 in every 5 children.
  
• In-home intervention and education campaigns in Hartford and Providence have reached hundreds of children and families and have started to decrease participant hospitalization rates.
  
• The multi-lingual "Do's and Don'ts for the Woonasquatucket River" education campaign has reached over 10,000 local residents and over 500 children since its inception in 1999. An information brochure is available in English, Spanish, Cambodian, Laotian, Hmong, Vietnamese, and Portuguese.
  
• Nearly 400 staff, nurses, and school professionals have been trained in asthma, indoor air quality, and Tools For Schools through community workshops and conferences.

The competitively awarded grants announced today include:

The Childhood Lead Action Project was awarded a $30,000 grant to support the Rhode Island Lead Collaborative. The collaborative is the first state-wide coalition dedicated exclusively to preventing lead poisoning. It was created in 2000 to coordinate new and existing lead poisoning prevention programs throughout the state and continue tackling the issue of lead poisoning across the state. This project will distribution educational materials, provide technical assistance, and training to stakeholders and families across the state on lead poisoning prevention. The Project will place special emphasis on expanding the outreach capacity in Newport and Woonsocket, two at-risk communities with high childhood lead poisoning rates, by holding training forums for community organizations. Regular bi-monthly meetings will also be held to provide the opportunity for support and collaboration between different groups. Project partners include Rhode Island Housing, Housing Resources Commission, VNA of Rhode Island, Department of Health, Rhode Island Youth Guidance Center, City of Pawtucket.

The Northern Rhode Island Conservation District (NRICD) was awarded $18,4000 to continue and expand the ‘Do's and Don'ts for the Woonasquatucket River' multi-lingual education campaign. The Do's and Don'ts campaign has worked for three years to educate children, families and local residents about the appropriate uses of the Woonasquatucket River. This project will continue the effort to increase public awareness of the environmental and public health issues surrounding the river as well as community involvement and stewardship of the river and surrounding watershed. Two new programs will be included: a poster contest for third grade students and a sponsorship campaign which will involve local businesses. The NRICD will also continue in-classroom educational presentations and distribution of multi-lingual brochures reaching over 300 children and their families. Project partners include the Northern Rhode Island Conservation District, The Urban Rivers Team's Health and Education Subcommittee, Woonasquatucket River Greenway Project, Socio-Economics for South East Asians, Genesis Center, Paddle Providence, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services.