Miami, FL, October 24, 2024 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded Miami-Dade-based nonprofit Dream in Green (DIG) a grant to promote environmental justice as part of President Joe Biden’s Investing in America initiative. Selected through the EPA’s Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement and the Environmental Justice Government-to-Government programs, DIG will use the funds to help historically underinvested communities access clean air, clean water, and climate resilience solutions. This work aligns with the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative, which seeks to deliver 40% of the benefits of federal climate and clean energy investments to disadvantaged communities.
“For too long, historically underserved communities have disproportionately faced the burdens of pollution and the worsening impacts of climate change,” said U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act’s unprecedented environmental justice block grants, the EPA is helping communities nationwide build healthier futures. I commend the Biden Administration for its continued commitment to ensuring all Americans—regardless of their zip code—have access to clean air and water.”
With the grant, DIG will develop programs that educate and provide resources to mitigate the effects of climate change, focusing on local food production and reducing health risks from extreme heat. The three-year project will target neighborhoods in high flood-risk areas and food deserts, supporting Miami-Dade County’s heat resilience efforts. Additionally, the project will promote youth development in natural resource management and sustainable agricultural practices to combat food insecurity, adapt to climate change, and increase the County’s tree canopy.
To ensure the project’s success, DIG will collaborate with local partners including Miami-Dade County’s Office of Resilience, Citizens for a Better South Florida, and various local municipalities. These partnerships will help implement the project’s initiatives and align with existing countywide sustainability and climate adaptation programs, creating a more resilient future for Miami-Dade’s vulnerable communities.
Official EPA press release: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-announces-nearly-128-million-environmental-justice
About Dream in Green
Dream in Green (DIG) was founded in 2006 to address the unique environmental challenges that threaten the future and viability of South Florida, with the mission of inspiring and motivating youth to address the changing planet through education and environmental stewardship.
DIG’s programs include the Green Schools Challenge, which provides free, educational curriculum on sustainability to K-12 students in collaboration with public, private, magnet and charter schools across Miami-Dade and neighboring South Florida counties and the WE-LAB program empowers communities to reduce utility costs and their environmental footprints by offering water and energy saving educational workshops.
For more information, visit: https://dreamingreen.org/
