Dorchester Environmental Health Coalition DEHC

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Dorchester Environmental Health Coalition - DEHC

• Environmental Policy Planning Group
• MIT Dept. of Urban Studies Planning
• March 10, 2009

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Dorchester

• Bostons largest oldest neighborhood
• Approx. 100,000 residents in 6 square miles
• If separate city, 5th largest in MA
• Cambridge 101,000 residents in 7 sq. miles
• Diverse population - includes Vietnamese,
  Afro-Caribbean, Cape Verdean
• Health disparities

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Dorchesters Health Disparities

• Obesity
• Asthma
• Diabetes
• Violence

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Health Disparities

• Health disparities in minority neighborhoods can
  be, in part, attributed to such factors as
  relatively poor access to health care,
  lower-quality outdoor and indoor environments,
  inadequate health education, and fewer
  opportunities for safe recreation.

http//ksgaccman.harvard.edu/hotc
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DEHC About Us

• Community-led network of individuals, businesses,
  non-profit institutions
• Promotes the environmental, social and economic
  benefits of living sustainably
• In existence since 2003

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DEHC About Us

• Partner mix
• local health centers
• Main Street organizations
• elected officials
• environmental non-profits
• civic groups

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What We Do

• Advocate for environmental justice
• Educate about urban environmental health issues
• Campaigns
• air quality Dorchesters high asthma rate
• green space safe clean recreation
• youth families climate change, energy

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DEHC What We Do

• Transforming Dorchester make it a healthier
  place to live, work, play learn, through 
• improved green resources
• air pollution awareness
• biking and walking advocacy and
• encouraging active living

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Air Quality

• Improve Public Transit
• Ashmont station t.o.d. project
• Walking/Biking
• Dorchester Avenue Task Force
• DotBike

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Air Quality

• Particulates ozone awareness
• Banners locations in Codman Square Bowdoin
  Street inform public about EnviroFlash daily air
  quality
• Diesel coalition retrofit commercial vehicle
  fleets

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Green Space

• Vacant lots
• Community-based planning
• Planting neighborhood trees
• Boston Urban Forest Coalition
• Park friends groups
• Ronan Park, Elmhurst Street

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Green Space

• Dorchester Shoreline improvements
• Neponset River restoration/dams removal
• Dorchester beaches summer festival

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Youth Families

• Active Living Food Justice advocacy
• Safe healthy parks
• Farmers markets/community gardens
• Walk/Bike crosswalks, paving, bike lanes

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Youth Families

• Energy event Saturday March 14th
  free energy-saving goodies, weatherization
  tips training
• Green businesses bike friendly
• Green jobs
• Elmhurst Street youth park stewardship

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Contact DEHC

• DEHC is a volunteer-based organization - we
  always need new energy! Our online events
  calendar has ways to get involved, or get in
  touch directly - our office address is 1452
  Dorchester Avenue, 4th floor, Dorchester, MA
  02122 (Fields Corner T stop)

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• Phone [phone]
• Email dorchesterenviro_at_gmail.com
• Website www.dehc.org