One disadvantaged area of Chicago is pursuing what it calls a “sustainable square mile,” complete with plans for a future solar and geothermal electric grid, community gardens to feed neighbors, an urban arboretum, affordable housing options, so-called climate resilience hubs for extreme weather occurrences, and a job training center in the clean energy and manufacturing industries.
The main grant to pursue this is being funded through the federal government’s Justice40 Initiative, which is meant to ensure that disadvantaged communities receive at least 40% of the benefits of its climate change and environmental investments.
The White House Environmental Justice Scorecard says more than 500 projects, such as the one run by Blacks in Green in Chicago, are being funded.
Theirs is a square mile block where former First Lady Michelle Obama and music producer Chief Keef were born, and where Emmett Till grew up. Till’s childhood home is being converted into a playhouse and the Emmett & Mamie Till-Mobley House Museum. One of the gardens is called the Emmett and Mamie Till-Mobley Forgiveness Garden.
In terms of new funding, Blacks in Green recently received a $747,000 grant to design a geothermal program in the community.
With other funding, including a five-year $10 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, they plan to convert a dozen parcels of neighborhood land into more gardens, a walking trail and affordable housing where tenants will be encouraged to produce their own energy, grow food gardens and recycle their own waste.
On their website, Blacks in Green write: “we are building the gold standard for Black community economic development,” or what they detail as “designed to increase our communities’ wealth and wellbeing in the context of a changing climate.”
Already, they’ve removed lead pipes, installed new climate-friendly heat pumps and hold community conversations on limiting energy use.
An abandoned church has been converted into a space for emergency heating in the winter, cooling in the summer and a sanctuary for youth year round.
In her mind, its founder Naomi Davis has as a future model of communities a throwback to how it used to be: “a walk-to-work, walk-to-shop, walk-to learn, walk-to-play community where African Americans own the land, own the businesses and live the conservation lifestyle,” according to wording from a Belt magazine feature.
Which square mile in northern Nevada could best use some of this large scaled federally supported TLC to recreate a healthy neighborhood?