How to get people and neighborhoods of color and poverty to take climate actions

Initiator:Alice Primack

Participants:Lanny Smith, Elizabeth Taggart, Karen Arrington, Crystal Johnson

Discussions Highlights:Have an event in the neighborhood where they gather in the street; serve food; have a speaker.  Encourage people to vote knowledgeably.  Get groups involved such as Community Weatherization Coalition, Environmental Ambassadors, County Extension Service, and neighborhood association, and have joint planning meetings.  Have kids take photos of litter and of clean neighborhoods, and have a display of these for families. Beautify the neighborhood by planting flowers etc so people take more pride.   Get high school students involved and give gift cards when they do cleanup or other work, and possibly community service points for school. Start a program in the elementary school the kids attend and involve school personnel in the planning, such as the science teachers and science coordinator for the County.  Start an Environmental Club of children in the neighborhood.  Send memos such as "Please Don't Litter" on e-mails.  Start a community garden.  Get kids involved in 4-H.  Ask people "What do you want in your community?"  Put up displays to educate, such as how to dispose of cooking oil safely, how to recycle, how to compost, etc.

Next Steps or Ideas for Action: Meet with neighborhood group and also meet with school authorities to plan action steps for working with children. Meet with neighborhood group and other groups to plan other actions.