U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced $225,000 in new grants to advance environmental justice in Arizona to fund "innovative projects" in the state.
The money, funneled through EPA's Environmental Justice Small Grants program, will support underserved Arizona communities trying to address public health and local environmental issues, according to an Aug. 11 EPA news release.
"Through these grants, EPA is funding innovative projects across Arizona based on community priorities," EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman said in the news release. "Our goal is to achieve positive impacts through the meaningful involvement and fair treatment of the communities we serve, providing them the resources to advance environmental justice."
The grants will support three new projects throughout the state with projects intended to address including extreme heat and cooling space access, energy poverty, air quality, food insecurity, green jobs and water access, the release reported.
Native Renewables, a nonprofit organization that serves Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe, will receive grant funds to, among other things, install solar-powered cold food storage equipment in 10 family homes and educate community members about solar power equipment maintenance, according to the release.
Retail Arts, Innovation and Livability Community Development Corporation will receive grant funds to, among other things, work on urban heat intervention in Mesa, Ariz., and focus efforts on the area Water Tower Improvement district, an underserved neighborhood with intense heat and gentrification issues, the release reported.
Purpose Focused Alternative Learning Corporation will receive funds for solar projects "to co-empower underserved communities on Western Navajo Nation," the news release said.
"These EJ [environmental justice] funds have allowed our community to leverage and network in building solar vendor relationships and recruiting more Navajos to be trained as Solar Navajo Technicians," Purpose Focused Alternative Learning CEA JoAnn Armenta said in the news release. "We have also developed a viable coalition with the Navajo community to educate and deploy clean energy solutions for our Navajo Nation."
