Healthy Communities

Washington, DC (October 7, 2009)- Yesterday, Congressman Albio Sires (D-NJ) introduced H.R. 3734, the Urban Revitalization and Livable Communities Act. This bill will rehabilitate and improve urban parks and recreational infrastructure and revitalize communities by increasing economic development, improving public health, increasing daily physical activity, reconnecting children with nature, reducing crime, and providing safe, healthy alternatives for at-risk youth. This bill will rehabilitate existing urban parks and recreation centers.

By Allyson Schwartz and Michael Nutter

Philadelphia, PA (July 7, 2009)- While "going green" has long been associated with protecting the environment, we believe it should also be associated with saving and earning money. Clean, sustainable and livable communities go hand-in-hand with economic growth. In these tough economic times, many American cities and towns are searching for innovative ways to go green, seeking to make investments that will ultimately save taxpayer dollars and increase local property values.

Washington, DC (May 20, 2009)- Cities across the United States are looking for new effective, low cost strategies that will grow their economies. The implementation of green infrastructure is one of the most effective ways to improve quality of life, attract new business, and improve the general environment. Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz has introduced the Green Communities Act, H.R. 2222, to do just that. The bill authorizes $120 million in funding for community-based greening in cities. ACT member organization Pennsylvania Horticulture Society hosted a field hearing on the legislation and is a leading advocate for the program, which would be authorized by the Secretary of Commerce and delivered through the Economic Development Administration. Urban forestry and volunteer-based action are prominently featured in the legislation.

College Park, MD (May 4, 2009)- ACT is assembling a Greener Safer Communities Task Force to champion healthy communities. The goal of the task force is to support legislation to create a Department of Justice administered incentive program that states or municipalities could utilize to create safer communities through coordinated community policing and urban greening. The purpose of the legislation would be to invest in lowering crime and calming traffic, since, as many of us know, trees correlate not only with less crime against both people and property, but also traffic calming along streets where kids play.

Washington, DC (March 2, 2009)- Lisa Jackson, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced today a new initiative to further measure levels of toxic air pollution near many schools across the country for better protection. EPA and its state partners will prioritize and monitor schools for more extensive air quality analysis, looking closely at schools located near large industries and in urban areas.

Washington, DC (September 18, 2008)- The Alliance for Community Trees (ACT) is pleased to announce the that the No Child Left Inside Act of 2007 (H.R.3036) passed the House today. This bill creates grant programs for schools to form partnerships with nonprofits and other agencies to improve environmental education in the classroom and introduce field experiences for K-12 students. ACT supports the No Child Left Inside Act as the furthest reaching environmental education bill teaching our students about urban forestry in the communities where they live and play. This is a great opportunity for ACT members to expand educational programs and become more involved with the youth in the communities you serve.

Washington, DC (September 1, 2008)- The Environmental Justice Renewal Act (S. 2549) requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator to establish an Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice to provide guidance to Federal agencies on the development of criteria for identifying disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects on minority populations and low-income populations.

Albany, NY (December 10, 2007)- State governments play a crucial role in determining where growth and development occur. Local governments designate land use, but they do so in a context of state investments and policies. It is the rare state, however, that requires individual departments to coordinate those decisions. As a result, the DOT, say, might propose a highway through farmland or natural areas that the Department of Natural Resources has marked for preservation. Or the state health department might build a clinic out from town, beyond the reach of transit, and therefore out of reach of the poor and elderly. New York Governor Eliot Spitzer broke the mold by creating a new Smart Growth Cabinet to review "state agency spending and policies to determine how best to discourage sprawl and promote smart land use practices."