The Resilience Hub proposal will be most likely to gain funding if we can show the current environmental footprint of our existing operations and how development of the Hub will greatly improve that footprint in as many dimensions as possible.

  • That would require analysis of our current footprint in terms of energy usage, transportation impact ( it’s very car oriented currently), food waste, storm water pollution, and other dimensions.

This would be the baseline for a goal-oriented analysis of the Hub as a much greener operation.

  • All of that being the more quantified aspects of the project, then there are possibilities of looking at the environmental justice impacts the Hub could have for our increasingly low-income neighborhood.

Other than OFC, this area is a bit of a food desert and yet it’s all so healthy food so therefore more expensive. We have taken steps to alleviate that barrier. We have a 10% discount for low income and are looking at possibly going to 15% which would really put us closer to the lower quality food options.

With the Hub proposing to improve car alternative transportation in the neighborhood, that is one critical area for justice.

Some updates on this project I think may make this an even more interesting project for your students. After researching US Census and EPA data, it appears this neighborhood is a “poster child” for a disadvantaged community riddled with gross environmental injustice. Here are just a few of the stats:

– only 40% of the median US Household Income

– very low life expectancy 

– high incidence of feeling isolated

– very high rate of asthma

 Environmental factors leading to these conditions:

– very high rate of diesel emissions 

– high proximity to heavy traffic

– no parks or green space

– no community gathering space at all ( high incidence of feeling isolated?) 

– high amount of underground storage tanks

– poor bike/walk infrastructure

So, as well as analysis of OFC operations, it seems there are opportunities to look at how we can ameliorate some of these environmental injustices. FOr example, there are studies that confirm that by planting thick screens of trees/shrubs, the diesel emissions can be absorbed by the screens and significantly lower the pollution count in the neighborhood, could we do this? 

Can we show that a “3rd place” in the neighborhood ( such as a hub would provide) would reduce isolation and perhaps increase life expectancy? 

Could a better bike/pedestrian infrastructure bring longer life expectancy? 

Contact Dave Toler with your interest and questions: tolerd@gmail.com