October 15, 2020
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded the Science Museum of Virginia a nearly $308,000 grant to support the work of community organizations helping Richmond neighborhoods equitably prepare for the impacts of climate change.
Richmond nonprofits Groundwork RVA, Happily Natural Day, Southside ReLeaf and Virginia Community Voice will partner with the Museum to work with citizens to learn about local climate inequity and impacts, facilitate climate resilience role-playing forums and implement green infrastructure-focused projects. These efforts will have an impact at the neighborhood level by improving public health, equity, cohesion and climate resilience.
The federal money will provide resources to fund community designs that may include planting trees, building permeable pathways, constructing shade structures and creating community gardens to provide fresh food and neighborhood gathering spaces, as well as rainwater harvesting and bioretention rain gardens to mitigate storm water issues. Educational materials will be co-authored with community members, creating consensus on climate resilience strategies and bridging lived experiences with evidence-based strategies.
The project focuses on zip codes with the highest exposure to climate inequity, which include the Oak Grove-Bellemeade and Blackwell neighborhoods, as well as Hull Street corridor areas of the city’s Southside and the Highland Park area on the city's Northside. These communities were redlined during the 1930s and 1940s, resulting in decades of underinvestment due to unjust and racially discriminatory housing and lending policies.
Today, formerly redlined neighborhoods tend to be significantly hotter, more prone to flood risk and experience poorer air quality than non-redlined areas both in Richmond and around the country. These neighborhoods also tend to be home to individuals – mostly Black and Brown – with the fewest resources to adapt to the health and financial impacts of human-caused climate change, which continues to intensify each year.
The local not-for-profit project partners have proven track records of effecting change through community engagement as well as urban greening initiatives. They are already embedded in historically marginalized neighborhoods, are trusted by community members and will provide invaluable insight and resources for the project’s locally focused climate science education outcomes.
Project partners will work closely with citizens to listen and understand how residents want to make their neighborhoods more sustainable, and to determine how the neighborhoods are most likely to be harmed, or are currently being harmed, by flooding and extreme heat hazards. The goal is to amplify their existing efforts; strengthen the connection between citizens and the places they work and live; and provide facilitated, participatory training and scientific resources that help enact their vision for their neighborhood.
Using hyperlocal scientific data, the team will investigate, prioritize and plan various resilience-building strategies of neighborhood-specific actions that align with the residents’ needs, as well as accomplish city planning goals. Toward the end of the three-year grant period, the work includes implementing and sustaining the projects in the community. In addition, the team will explore budget, zoning, sidewalk and street projects, intersection improvements, parks, public buildings and economic development initiatives that are related to, or have an impact on, the long-term outcomes.
“One of the reasons we were excited to be a part of this project is because a lot of people have climate change problems without knowing they are climate change problems,” said Virginia Community Voice Founder and Executive Director Lea Whitehurst-Gibson. “We have to listen to neighbors, hear their concerns and help them see how they are related to climate change.”
The project furthers the Museum’s equity and inclusion efforts, continues its mission of outreach to communities that have been disproportionately impacted by inequity and showcases its environmental stewardship by helping Richmond meet its sustainability goals.
The work will foster a better understanding of the science of climate change and its current and future impacts on residents’ lives. It will help individuals connect science theory with real-life resiliency strategies that they could apply in their own backyards. By including youth involvement, the work will also build social cohesion and help train the future green workforce.
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney; the city’s Office of Sustainability, Planning and Departmental Review; and the Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Department support this endeavor, which aligns with existing city master plan and climate action efforts to develop built environments to enhance natural assets, making Richmond more sustainable, resilient and healthy for residents.
“Climate resiliency is a process, a journey that requires collaboration, inclusion and cohesion at every level,” Museum Chief Scientist Dr. Jeremy Hoffman said. “We are looking forward to the opportunity to actively engage citizens in the process as we together explore the backyard impacts of global climate change and provide actionable information to help build more resilient communities. Through NOAA’s support, Richmond will be one step closer to reinventing public spaces in a more equitable manner.”
About Groundwork RVA
Groundwork RVA seeks to cultivate the next generation of urban conservationists in Richmond, Virginia through working with Richmond youth to facilitate environmental, economic and social well-being in neighborhoods through the transformation of blighted and neglected open spaces into public assets. Learn more at www.groundworkrva.org.
About Happily Natural Day
Happily Natural is engaged in coordinating innovative and dynamic initiatives around the topics of urban agriculture and local food systems in a culturally relevant way, through founding community gardens, urban farms, urban orchards and urban vineyards, with a focus on poverty mitigation, workforce development, health and racial equity. Learn more at www.thenaturalfestival.com.
About the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
NOAA’s Environmental Literacy Program provides grants and in-kind support for programs that educate and inspire people to use Earth system science to improve ecosystem stewardship and increase resilience to environmental hazards. We build capacity for institutions and networks to advance NOAA’s mission through formal (K-12) and informal education at national, regional and local levels. Learn more at https://www.noaa.gov/office-education/elp. The Science Museum of Virginia Foundation received Environmental Literacy grant funding through federal funding opportunity number NOAA-SEC-OED-2020-2006190.
About the Science Museum of Virginia
From virtual presentations featuring STEM experts to fun videos on social media to in-person experiential exhibits, the Science Museum of Virginia looks for all opportunities to inspire Virginians to enrich their lives through science. Helping curious minds discover the connections between — and their connection to — science, technology, engineering and math guides Museum staff in all they do. Learn more at www.smv.org or call 804.864.1400.
About Southside ReLeaf
Southside ReLeaf is a community organization committed to building a healthy, equitable and sustainable environment for all residents in South Richmond. Our aim is to tackle environmental injustice by expanding green spaces, reducing pollution, increasing food access and advocating for sound policies that improve the quality of life and wellness for communities in the Southside. Join the movement at www.southsidereleaf.org.
About Virginia Community Voice
Virginia Community Voice equips its neighbors in marginalized communities to realize their vision for their neighborhoods, and prepare institutions to respond effectively. Learn more at www.vacommunityvoice.org.