Over the years we have supported community research on matters that are important to our community such as measuring the amount of methyl mercury in local fish caught along our shoreline, supporting oyster science and water quality measurments.  This past year we supported the community group, 10,000 hawks, in their effort to learn what effects residents will experience from Tweed New Haven Airport's expansion plans.  Read about it here:https://ctmirror.org/2023/09/20/tweed-airport-new-haven-air-quality-test/

Our Board Member, Dr. Marian Evans, was honored at Southern CT State University on Novermber 8, 2023 , for her new  book that she co edited with Anuli Njoku, Navigating Academia During COVID-19 
This edited volume provides personal narratives of a diverse group of scholars in academia about strategies to navigate academia during times of unrest.  Perspectives and Strategies from BIPOC Women
link.springer.com

We were forced to upgrade due to the merger.  We may have some rocky moments.
​

Our report provided evidence that there are adverse health effects for those that live adjacent to the Airport in East Haven  https://www.newsbreakapp.com/n/0gxqoCnI?s=a3&pd=0BZtlEvJ&hl=en_US

We proudly sponsored this summit for the second year that was virtually held in November 2020. 
You can view the keynote speakers and panelists at:  https://www.ctprf.org/2020summit/#topics
One keynote spoke and has written about safe streets for pedestrians.  The other keynote speaker was an anthropologist from CA and spoke about the challenges of transit development in a car centric location such as LA.  It was a conference emphasizing inclusion and equity in transit issues. 

Nice article in the Yale Daily News about this year's kick off event at the Learning Corridor in Newhallville: on a cold clear day in New Haven. 
https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2021/03/07/earth-day-cycling-fundraiser-and-celebration-to-resume-in-person/. ​

In 2019 we awarded a microgrant to Mubarakah Ibrahim to interview prominent women in the environment.  Both interviews are very engaging and informative.  We think you will enjoy them. 

Guest: Ashley Stewart
Ashley Stewart is an African-American Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
graduate student whose passion for the intersection of racial and environmental justice led
her to a career change from being an engineer to a return to school.

Listen on SoundCloud: 
https://soundcloud.com/new-haven-independent/mornings-with-mubarakah-ashley-stew
art?in=new-haven-independent/sets/mornings-with-mubarakah

or view on Facebook Video: 
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2441028972685292

Guest Marianne Engelman Lado
​
Marianne Engelman Lado is currently a Visiting Professor, Douglas Costle Chair in
Environmental Law at Vermont Law School, where she is directing an environmental
justice clinic focusing on civil rights enforcement in the environmental justice context. She
also serves as Lecturer at both the Yale University School of Public Health and Yale School
of Forestry & Environmental Studies, where she supervises interdisciplinary teams of law,
environmental and public health students. She previously served as senior staff attorney at
Earthjustice, where she focused on civil rights enforcement, as well as related issues in the
areas of toxics, waste, the health impacts of industrial agriculture, and the effects of
environmental contamination on vulnerable and overburdened populations.

Listen on SoundCloud: 
https://soundcloud.com/new-haven-independent/mornings-with-mubarakah-marianne-e
ngleman-lado

or watch on Facebook Video:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=954762124893447

WIth so much information in the news surrounding the large release of PFAs in Farmington this past year the Regional Water Authority proactively tested for these chemicals in the sources that they use  for our drinking water.  What are PFAs?  Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances are man made chemicals that have been used for decades in industiral and consumer goods.  The CT State Department of Health established an advisory level for PFAs at 70 parts per tirllion (ppt).  The good news is that Regional Water Authority source water is way below that level ranging from
0 to 6.8 ppt.  www.rwater.com/water-quality/pfas-management   

RWA also states that lead levels in the water they deliver to us are very low.  However, some buildings may have old pipes or other problems that cause lead to leach into the water that you use.  Please contact them if you are concerned.  They have testing locations listed on their website.  Email: [email protected] or call during normal business hours 203-562-4020. They also list some simple steps you can take if you suspect that your water may have too much lead. 

Being in nature can help our health. Urban environments are different from suburban, rural and wilderness locales in that they have more built infrastructures, less open space and may lack safe access to open space due to vehicle traffic and/or crime.  In addition, urban environments are more likely to have higher pollution levels in air, soil and water due to past and current activities that adversely affect the health of its residents. 

More information is available from the review article: 
Nature and Health, Terry Hartig,1 Richard Mitchell,2 Sjerp de Vries,3and Howard Frumkin4
1Institute for Housing and Urban Research, Uppsala.

Please visit www.centerfornatureandhealth.org for more information.

We were proud to sponsor this summit at the partnership level. The keynote speaker, Charles C. Brown defined equity at the beginning of his talk.  We know that this is always a challenge because there are so many definitions put forward.  We'd like to share his with you. 

Equity involves trying to understand and give people what they want to enjoy full, healthy lives.
 
Equity is the presence of justice and fairness within the procedures, processes, and distribution of resources by institutions or systems.
 
Facing equity issues requires an understanding of the underlying or the root causes in inequalities and oppression within society.  
Link to the conference:
 http://www.ctprf.org/programs_services/transport-hartford/2019-multimodal-summit/#shared