MEDIA ADVISORY
For Immediate Release
May 9, 2016
Contact
hasdai@changingmediagroup.com
(410) 215-7079
Baltimore Office of Sustainability Awarded Partners for Places Equity Initiative Grant
-Award will ensure social equity is a key consideration and lens in updating and implementing the city of Baltimore’s sustainability plan, in addition to becoming a model that can be replicated and used across departments. –
The Baltimore Office of Sustainability has been granted the Partners for Places Equity Pilot Initiative award. The award will support efforts to make racial equity central to updating the city’s Sustainability Plan, and creating a campaign to include marginalized populations via the Office’s “Every Story Counts” campaign. The process and equity framework created will serve as a pilot and model for other City agencies and departments to use. Along with the other cities awarded grants, Baltimore will serve as a testing ground to develop nationwide best practices for environmental justice. This national grant award is being matched by local funders including the Baltimore Community Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Town Creek Foundation.
Communities of color and low-income neighborhoods are disproportionately harmed by the effects of climate change and environmental hazards, yet they typically lack the political clout to ensure their needs are addressed. Partners for Places’ Equity Pilot Project seeks to address that problem by placing social equity at the center of sustainability planning. These pilot projects work to ensure that all communities are involved in shaping policy and have a fair distribution of both the burdens and benefits of sustainability efforts.
Baltimore’s history of segregation and inequality shapes many of the struggles the city faces today. The Office of Sustainability and the Sustainability Commission have been working actively with fellow city agencies, community leaders, partner organizations and other stakeholders to address this legacy and empower communities that have long been marginalized. Funds from the Partners for Places grant will go toward hiring an experienced equity consultant to aid with training for staff and partner organizations, recruiting community sustainability ambassadors from majority African American and Hispanic neighborhoods to help with outreach to and engagement with those communities, sophisticated data analysis to identify and break down patterns of exclusion and identify metrics for evaluation, and overall communication efforts to include citizens in the process of updating the citywide sustainability plan and other sustainability activities through the “Every Story Counts” Campaign.
“Every Story Counts” is a citywide campaign to engage a greater number of Baltimore’s residents in shaping a more sustainable and resilient future, especially those voices that have too long been left out of decision-making and are too often most negatively impacted by environmental inequities. The campaign aims to show how sustainability and resilience come in many forms and that every action we take to strengthen our communities and help each other brings us closer to creating the just and thriving city all the people of Baltimore deserve. Elements will include gathering stories of citizen initiatives and creating platforms to share them both online and offline, the creation of search tools to match the interests and needs of residents with the numerous resources and opportunities offered through the Office of Sustainability and its partner organizations, and on-the-ground events to promote stronger neighborhoods and greater health and well-being.
Partners for Places is a matching grant program led by the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities in partnership with the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. The Equity Pilot Project is supported the Kendeda Fund and Kresge Foundation.
“From helping low-income households benefit from solar energy to preparing coastal cities for climate change, Partners for Places brings together city officials with local funders to develop some really dynamic sustainability projects,” said Arturo Garcia-Costas, the New York Community Trust’s program officer for the environment. “This kind of collaboration can form the lasting relationships that help create vibrant, thriving communities.”
About Partners for Places
Partners for Places is a successful matching grant program that improves U.S. and Canadian communities by building partnerships between local government sustainability leaders, and place-based foundations. National funders invest in local projects developed through these partnerships to promote a healthy environment, a strong economy, and well-being for all residents. The program’s Equity Pilot Initiative provides financial and technical support to cities and place-based foundation partners committed to sustainability and climate change initiatives that benefit all residents.
About the Office of Sustainability
The Baltimore Office of Sustainability develops and advocates for programs, policies, and actions by government, citizens, businesses, and institutions that improve the long-term environmental, social, and economic viability of Baltimore City. The Office works with the Baltimore Sustainability Commission to oversee and track the implementation of the Baltimore Sustainability Plan, and the Office integrates sustainability into city government operations and collaborates with other individuals and organizations working to advance community health and vibrancy.