The Pineland Preservation Alliance (PPA), the New Jersey Division of Disability Services of the New Jersey Department of Human Services (DDS), the Edward J. Bloustein School, and Duke Farms have come together to lead a statewide effort to make recreating in nature a part of the lives of everyone in our state regardless of disability. The inspiration for this came from The Pinelands is for Everyone project, which has evolved into the new statewide Nature: Accessible for All initiative that brings in new activists and partners to the cause. PPA received critical funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to facilitate this campaign.
Supporting the Outdoors for All Act and Bridging the Park Equity Gap
Shared green space is an essential part of healthy, resilient, and connected communities, yet 1 in 3 Americans do not live within a 10-minute walk of a park. Often, the country’s poorest neighborhoods have the fewest parks. Trust for Public Land and the Appalachian Mountain Club believe everyone deserves quality outdoor space and are committed to ensuring park access for every ZIP code.
The National Park Service’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership grant program (ORLP) is an important tool for bridging this park equity gap. Established in 2014, ORLP is funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) as a nationally competitive grant program available to municipalities of 30,000 or more residents.
Unified Voices for Change: PennFuture, CDRW and Choose Clean Water Coalition's Joint Effort in Enhancing PA Department of Environmental Protection's Environmental Justice Policy
In November, PennFuture, CDRW and the Choose Clean Water coalition, who works primarily in the Chesapeake, collaborated to draft and submit a joint coalition sign on letter commenting on updates to the Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) interim final Environmental Justice Policy The formal public comment period closed on November 30, 2023, and now DEP is working on a comment-response document for comments received during this period.
Tacony Creek Park Map Available in Seven Languages
Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership (TTF) is proud to announce that maps for Tacony Creek Park, the city’s 300-acre watershed park that was created in 1915 to protect Tacony Creek, are now available in seven languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Haitian Creole, Arabic, and Khmer. These are the languages spoken the most by residents living in the neighborhoods surrounding the park.
Faith Will Plant Pollinator Gardens: Sacred Grounds Wilmington Grows a Pollinator Corridor in the Christina Basin
The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed has advocated for federal funding for the Delaware River Watershed for years. With funding through The Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund, Sacred Grounds Wilmington is putting those federal dollars to work building a closely-clustered pollinator corridor.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Messaging & Social Media Guide
CDRW has an exciting update! We are happy to announce the launch of our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) Messaging & Social Media Guide. This is a resource to help and guide organizations in talking about DEIJ and different environmental topics. The messages and tips included are evergreen; they are not about one specific event or holiday and can be used whenever throughout the year. In addition, this document includes many extra resources to learn more about environmental topics and DEIJ.
Celebrating the Intersection of Great Outdoors Month and Pride Month: Embracing Nature and Inclusivity in Communications and Engagement
As June begins, we are presented with a convergence of celebrations: Great Outdoors Month and Pride Month. These two occasions create an intersection where we can embrace the wonders of nature while honoring and supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. This intersection presents an opportunity to foster inclusivity, encourage dialogue, and cultivate an appreciation for habitats and identities, both complex and diverse in their own respects. In this blog, we will delve into the significance of this intersection and its power to generate meaningful conversations, promote understanding, and celebrate the unity of nature and LGBTQIA+ communities.
Eco-Ableism: Understanding Inaccessibility in the Environmental Movement and Taking Action
Understanding how nature and the environmental movement are not always universally accessible is an important step in breaking down barriers to participation and fostering inclusion. One form of exclusion can be found in eco-ableism, or the centering of able-bodies over individuals with disabilities in ecological and environmental lenses. In other words, assuming there is equal access to advocacy, natural areas, or environmental work–especially in regards to individuals’ physical and mental capacities– is harmful to all individuals within environmental movements.