LB 12-114 - Advancing environmental and climate justice in Connecticut

Even though Connecticut’s (CT) per capita income is among the highest in the United States (U.S.), the state has some of the poorest cities in the country. In its most racially diverse municipalities, poverty is concentrated in predominantly minority neighborhoods. These impoverished neighborhoods are the ones with the least street greenery and most health risks due to environmental degradation. The work performed aimed to support nature-deprived and financially distressed communities in CT by launching a technical support group that provided (a) outreach on sustainable urban development and environmental and climate justice to residents of these communities; and (b) technical support to practitioners to enhance their ability to access and process socioeconomic, climate and environmental data collected through mixed methods for analysis and/or documentation of environmental and climate injustices. The work performed advanced two action items associated with the overarching goals of the Cooperative Extension System in U.S. land grant institutions. Firstly, the outreach efforts associated with the technical support group engaged and educated community members throughout the state of CT by uplifting, supporting and empowering them. Secondly, by supporting municipalities that are nature-deprived and financially distressed, the project promoted resilient and adapted communities and economies that will enhance equitable ecosystem management and protection long term. Ultimately, this initiative resulted in informal knowledge exchanges on the science behind local environmental and climate issues and the experiences of underserved communities impacted by these. As a result of the insights gathered, formal focus groups and community listening sessions are being organized to elevate the voices of those who have been forcefully silenced in CT communities. The efforts currently being established will help dismantle top-down approaches to management, with the end goal of advancing environmental and climate justice in CT.