GreenDorchester (Dorchester Environmental Health Coalition)

After weeks of coordination (and many last minute changes) the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) visited three sites in Dorchester and Roxbury on June 21, 2011, with a whole caravan of “alphabet soup” government agencies, including the Department of Commerce, Department of Education (DOE), Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Labor (DOL) Health and Human Services (HHS) and more. These federal agencies joined the City of Boston and numerous community partners (Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation, DEHC, Health Resources In Action, Greater Four Corners Action Coalition, Nuestra CDC, the Urban League of Eastern MA, Youth Build Boston, the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, The Food Project and others) on a tour of innovative economic, educational and environmental developments in inner city Boston. For descriptions of 2/3 sites, read on.

Site 1: “Environmental Justice Sustainable Living,” former Pearl Meats Factory, 1996 Quincy St., Dorchester.
Focus:  Community restoration and collaboration. Community partners: Dorchester Bay EDC, Dorchester Environmental Health Coalition, Greater Four Corners Action Coalition, others.

• Established since the early 1900s, the Pearl Meats plant closed about 3 years ago. The area is part of the Quincy Street Corridor as well as the larger Fairmount Corridor. Major work is necessary on Quincy St. to make livable for residents and to fully open the way for traffic.

• DBEDC hopes to reopen the plant within 2-3 years as a multipurpose building. Based on community input, DBEDC determined that—more than housing—area residents want job opportunities and transportation reforms. This site, currently zoned residential.
  • One part of building will be developed into three food producers: bakery, gelato facility, ribs
  • Another part will become a support site for Minority Owned Businesses in building trades. DBEDC will offer tax help, financial counseling, administrative services, and more.
  • Next to the building, a 5,000 sq. ft hydroponic garden will be constructed. DBEDC hopes to expand this to a much larger, rooftop (?) garden as time passes.
  • Other Quincy St. sites are in the works, including an 129-unit affordable housing site and the New England Center for Arts and Technology (a Culinary School).
  • *DBEDC holds community meetings organized by Project RIGHT, Inc. to discuss this project and solicit community input.

Site 2: “Greening Blue Hill Ave & the Green Economy,” Generations of Hope Garden (87-89 Nightingale St., Dorchester). Focus:  Green buildings and green economy.

Greater Four Corners Action Coalition, Urban League of Eastern MA, Youth Build Boston and Nuestra CDC (Partnership for Greening Blue Hill Ave.)

• The Generations of Hope Community Garden, located on the edge of Four Corners, originally opened in 2005 but was closed due to soil problems and neighborhood safety issues, and finally reopened in May 2011. It’s also part of the Fairmount Greenway -
  • The Greenway’s purpose is to interconnect vacant lots, unite walking paths and join bike paths also.
  • Maps of local green spaces will be placed in the commuter rail stations so that users of public transportation can quickly access these spaces from any stop. The rail line is intended to be high-speed.
• Education and workforce development have been important part of greenspace development at the Generations of Hope site. GFCAC is working on community-owned greenhouses, community centers.

• Nuestra CDC is a founding partner of Partnership for Greening Blue Hill Ave. Their recent projects include the cleanup of a Dudley Square Lot (former MBTA bus lot), cleanup of various contaminated Blue Hill Ave. sites, establishing training programs for environmental cleanup workers and the “Vacant Lots to Garden Plots” initiative. They began to develop this site years ago but for various reasons – safety, maintenance concerns – the garden shut down. With the help of YouthBuild Boston’s youth workers and landscape architects, Nuestra has revived the site, promoted local sustainability efforts, and strove to generate “green jobs” throughout Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan.
• The Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts has also engaged in Workforce Development in the Dorchester area. Training has been going on for some time, but a combined environmental skills/trades program is currently in development.

DEHC did not visit Site 3, the “Youth and Food Security” session at the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative and The Food Project. However, DEHC visited The Food Project only days later on June 25! Keep up with the DEHC blog to see a post in the near future.