What if governments could not only fine and hold polluters accountable but also direct that money to empower the victims of environmental harm?
As Denver7 reports, this appealing version of environmental justice is beginning to take off in Colorado.
In the past, the revenue collected from air pollution penalties and fines went to a general government fund. Starting in 2022, the state set up a "community impact cash fund" that is increasingly diverting this money to community groups and projects.
Of the $17 million in fines collected, $6.5 million has gone into the fund. By 2026, 100% of fines will be going into the fund, per Denver7. The number of air pollution penalties and fines is rising, which will result in even more funding.
The Denver7 report says that this year, $1.1 million will be split among eight groups working to create environmental solutions. Their projects include water quality improvements, air pollution reductions, and educational events.
One exciting example of a project being implemented is by Urban Symbiosis, a Denver nonprofit led by military veteran James Grevious. It is putting its $217,193 grant into immediate use by transforming an abandoned baseball field that has been overtaken by weeds and has rusted-out fences.
Grevious plans to reinvigorate the space with an urban farm hub featuring a schoolhouse, farming area, worm farms, farmer's market, and an "agrotherapy" garden for children.
The ambitious project aims to create an "urban oasis," where Grevious told Denver7 he wants to "invite people in and actually have a sense of calmness and peace and serenity, if you will, around food and trees and folks."
By repurposing this previously barren area into one serving the community, Urban Symbiosis hopes to revitalize the land, develop future urban farmers, and facilitate urban gardening.
To that point, it is working with local residents like Cecilia Mayer, who grew up in Colombia and whose first language is Spanish. Mayer is committed to being a bridge to the large Hispanic population near the urban farm.
Although Mayer is a novice gardener, she has experienced the satisfaction of enjoying her own food firsthand. "I'm not a big gardener … but when something sprouts in my garden, I just feel good," Mayer told Denver7.
Not only do projects like this help the communities, but they're good for the planet, too. Trees and plants are major players in the fight against rising global temperatures, as they absorb carbon from the atmosphere.
Grevious explained to Denver7 why the state funding this project is so important: "Restoring [the soil] to a regenerative urban agriculture, where it can sequester carbon ... grow healthy food for the community, retain water ... that is kind of what environmental justice means to us."
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