THE CHALLENGENew Haven faces a number of environmental challenges that make its air, water and soil contaminated and unhealthy for residents. The City has more than its fair share of polluting facilities and high diesel traffic, including: multiple power plants, a confluence of major interstate highways, a regional train depot, a deep-water port facility and associated pipelines that pump oil throughout New England, as well as a sewage treatment plant that imports sludge from around the state to incinerate in New Haven.
Compounding the impact of New Haven’s pre-regulation industrial history, local zoning laws have allowed the city to accumulate a high proportion of waste transfer stations and other polluting industries. The result: a plethora of brownfield properties, making it all the more difficult for New Haven to generate new (greener) business opportunities. The public health consequences of New Haven’s environmental issues are significant. Poor air quality alone accounts for increased asthma hospitalization (highest in the state of CT), increases in respiratory illness, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, premature death, and stunted lung growth in children in our population. Polluted environments have many other health implications, impacting people’s ability to grow their own food, fish, or even enjoy the outside. Despite these pervasive problems, many residents of affected communities are unaware of the issues and their own power to act and address them. The New Haven Green Fund increases environmental awareness and action by supporting the efforts of environmental and grassroots organizations to advance environmental justice, community sustainability, and restoration of the natural environment. MISSION
Our mission is to promote environmental quality and equity in the most environmentally distressed communities within Greater New Haven by providing grants and other incentives to support initiatives contributing to reduced exposure to air, water, and land pollution and a more sustainable future.
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VISIONThe Greater New Haven Green Fund will be a driving force to engage and empower citizens and organizations working to create a clean, healthy, and sustainable Greater New Haven community.
VALUESOur Community Deserves
Our Community Expects From Us
our background and purposeThe New Haven Green Fund, Inc., a 501c(3) non-profit corporation, was incorporated in 2006. (We do business as the "Greater New Haven Green Fund.") The constituent municipalities of the Greater New Haven Regional Water Pollution Control Authority (GNHWPCA) agreed to establish an environmental fund of $1,000,000 when they purchased the Water Pollution Control Authority from the City of New Haven. The creation of the New Haven Green Fund, Inc. fulfills this requirement.
The Fund was created to support environmental and public health initiatives in overburdened areas of the municipalities that make up the Greater New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority (East Haven, Hamden, New Haven and Woodbridge) and is governed by the Greater New Haven Green Fund through a board of directors. The Greater New Haven Green Fund will also receive funds on behalf of the community from Community Benefit Agreements that result from Connecticut’s Environmental Justice Law. These funds will come back to the community in the form of small grants to support environmental and public health initiatives with an environmental focus. |
BOARD POLICIESStatement Regarding Conflicts of Interest, Duty of Care, and Duty of Loyalty
Adopted by Resolution of the Board of Directors on December 5, 2011 BOARD OF DIRECTORSLynne Bonnett, President
Ratan Koneru, Treasurer Andy Danzig, Secretary Marua Flynn, Grants Chair Martha Smith Lise Dondy James Albis Joe Jolly, Esq. Aaron Goode Marian Evans, MD |
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