Camilla Barbosa Horta
Senior Thesis | 2026
Ms.OliviaWaring
SeniorThesis
1May2026
CommunityEngagement:TheKeyElementofEnvironmental Justice
Introduction
AnnaGrear’sreviewonenvironmentaljusticeliterature detailshowtheareaofenvironmentaljustice“hasbroadenedits notionof‘environment’toembracenotjustthe‘naturalworld’but ‘whereonelives,works,plays,andgoestoschool”1.Therefore,it isimportanttoexplorehowthisbroadeneddefinitionimpacts environmentaljusticeefforts.Thebeststrategiestoachieve environmentaljusticetakeintoaccountthedefinitionof “environment”asbeingallpartsofaperson’slivelihood.The nonprofitorganizationGreenRootsdemonstratessuccessfulefforts toachieveenvironmentaljusticebyengagingwiththecommunity inordertounderstandwhat’simportanttotheirlivelihoodand whatconstitutestheirenvironment.
ByexaminingmyexperienceinterningatGreenRoots,the organization’scompletedandongoingprojects,andscientific literaturesurroundingenvironmentaljustice,Iarguethatthesecret tomeaningfulenvironmentaljusticeeffortsiscommunity engagement.WhileinterningatGreenRoots,Isawthateducating andworkingwiththecommunityledtogreaterforward momentumbehindprojectsandmorerecognitionbycityandstate
1 Grear,A.(2020). Environmental Justice. (A.Grear,Ed.).Edward ElgarPublishing.
CamillaBarbosaHorta
officials.GreenRootsprojects,includingaresidenttreewatering programandmakingairqualitydataavailabletothepublic, consistentlycenteredtheaveragecommunitymember.Lastly,the worksofAnnaGrear,RichardRothstein,PhilBrownandEdwinJ. Mikkelsen,andDorcetaE.Taylorprovidenecessarybackground informationaboutenvironmentaljusticeinrelationtocommunity action.
Inthispaper,IcompareGreenRootstootherenvironmental justiceorganizationstoseehowandwheretheydiffer,andtestmy theorythatcommunityengagementleadstosuccessful environmentaljusticeefforts.Ialsolookbackontheextensive meetingnotesIhavefromGreenRoots,datingbackto2020,to trackthesuccessesandfailuresoftheirprojectstoseeifthey correlatewithwhetherthecommunitywasinvolvedintheproject ornot.
EnvironmentalJustice
Environmentaljusticescholarshipcommonlyrecognizes thatenvironmentalissuesaredistributedunevenlythroughoutthe world.Thoughglobalwarmingandotherenvironmentalproblems areoftenexacerbatedbylargecorporationsandpolicy-makers, underservedcommunitiesbearthebruntoftheirnegativeeffects. Greararguesthat“carvingoutspacesinwhichthoseexcludedby theuneven,tiltedstructuresofenvironmentaldecision-making processesmightfindfullerrespectandinclusion”2 isaninvaluable effortthatenvironmentaljusticefocuseson.
Thedefinitionofenvironmentaljusticetodaygoesbeyond trees,plants,andnatureandextendstoresidentsandallpartsof
2 (Grear,2020)
theirlivelihoods.Greardefinesfourtypesofenvironmentaljustice: distributive,procedural,corrective,andsocial.Distributivejustice focusesonallocatingresourcesinanequitablemanner.Froman environmentalstandpoint,thiscanlooklikeallocatingmoregreen spacestocitiesthatlackthem,forexample.Proceduraljustice addressesinjusticeinthesystemscurrentlyinplaceandlooksfora waytochangethem.Anexampleofproceduraljusticeisthe implementationofaffordablehousinglaws.Correctivejustice focusesonreparationandmightseemlikethemosttraditional formofjustice,usedtorightawrongdonetoanother. Environmentalcorrectivejusticecouldbeadministeringalittering fine.Lastly,socialenvironmentaljusticeseekstorepairthe disparityofwhobearsenvironmentalburdens.
ToanalyzewhatstrategiesarebeingusedintheBoston areaandselectthemosteffectiveone,wemustcompareafew environmentaljusticeorganizationsandtracktheirsuccesses.The BostonClimateActionNetworkisanorganizationwithafocuson energyefficiency.Theyworkprimarilyinandwithneighborhoods toreduceenergywasteandgiveclasses,hostrallies,andorganize groupsonclimatejusticesubjects.Theyalsocollaboratewithother organizations(includingsocial,labor,andracialjustice organizations).TheEnvironmentalLeagueofMassachusetts acquiresresourcesforotherenvironmentaljusticeorganizations, oftenaskingfordonations.AlternativesforCommunityand Environmentfocusesoncommunityneedsandyouthleadership surroundingtheenvironment.GreenRoots,thefocusofthisthesis, isbasedinChelseaandworkswithunderservedcommunitiesin ChelseaandEastBostontofind,explain,andaddress environmentalproblemsintheircommunity.
CommunityEngagement
Communityengagement,myproposedkeyenvironmental justicestrategy,hasageneraldefinitioninjusticeandcommunity actionliterature.R.Long’spaperaboutusingcommunity engagementto“convenegroupsinarespectfulenvironmentfor dialogue,healing,accountability,andactionplancreation”3 in ordertosolveinequitiesduringtheCOVIDcrisisshowsthepower ofcommunityengagementinallaspectsofjustice.Thesame strategiesusedinthiscaseofmedicaljusticecaninspireasimilar frameworkforenvironmentaljusticeorganizations.Thispaperis especiallypertinenttoorganizationsthatserveaprimarily immigrant/LatinxcommunitylikeGreenRoots,astheseeffortsto solvemedicalinequalitiesusedcommunityengagement(a prominentGreenRootsstrategy)tohelpasimilarcommunityto thosefoundinEastBostonandChelsea.
Theactofdefiningcommunityengagementcanbetraced backtothejusticeeffortsof EllaBakerduringtheReconstruction intheUnitedStates.Herexperiencesandactivismareanexample ofcommunityactivism’scrucialrolein justiceefforts.Ella Baker’smethodofsocialjusticewastousecommunityactivism andengagementasakeystrategy.Shebelievedintheideathat communitiesknowbesttheproblemsthattheyarefacing,andshe
3 Long,R.,ClevelandManchanda,E.C.,Dekker,A.M.,Kraynov, L.,Willson,S.,Flores,P.,Samuels,E.A.,&Rhodes,K.(2022). Communityengagementviarestorativejusticetobuild equity-orientedcrisisstandardsofcare.JournaloftheNational MedicalAssociation,114(4),377–389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnma.2022.02.010
exploredthequestionofhowtonavigateasituationwhereoutside organizationstrytoenteracommunitytohelpthem.
Tyingcommunityengagementbacktoenvironmental justicemoreconcretely,GreenRoot’s“C-Heat”projectexemplifies theconsiderationofcommunityneedsanddemonstratesthe successofhavingsolutionstoenvironmentalproblemsbe informedbythecommunity.Inthisproject,GreenRootscollected temperaturefindingsinChelsea’splaygrounds,busstops,and schools.Moreimportantly,theysurveyedresidentsfortheir experienceswithheattocomeupwitheffectivemethodsforthe study.Engagingthecommunityatthefirststepofthisprocess helpedtheresearcherstounderstandthatenvironmentaljusticein Chelseainvolvesnon-natureelements-suchasplaygrounds,bus stops,andschools-thatmakeuptheeverydaylifeofacommunity member.
Ingeneral,GreenRootsemploysmanydifferentcommunity engagementstrategies.Firstly,theyhostmonthlymembers' meetingswithdifferentfamily-friendlyeventslikekayaking.Next, theytableatdifferentfairsandeventsabouttheirprojects,notonly tospreadawarenessabouttheirorganization,butalsotoform connectionsandrelationshipswithcommunitymembers.Lastly, theyareconstantlygrowingtheirEnvironmentalChelsea Organizers,orECO,program,whichempowersyouthto brainstormwaystocontributetoGreenRootsandevenspearhead theirownenvironmentaljusticeprojects.Thesethreestrategies touchonthreemoregeneralbenefitsofcommunityengagement. Thefirstisinput:bymeetingwithcommunitymembersmonthly, theyareabletounderstandcommunityneedsandhowtheir projectsarebeingperceivedbythegeneralpublic.Thesecondis education:bytabling,theymakesurethattheirprojectsare
transparentandthatpeopleknowhowtheycangetinvolved.The lastisempowerment:byallowingyouthtotakeonleadership roles,theyhelpthemnurturethetoolstorespondtothe environmentalissuestheyface.
GreenRoots
GreenRoots’missionistoachieve“environmentaljustice andgreaterqualityoflifethroughcollectiveaction,unity, education,andyouthleadership”4.GreenRootsappropriately considersqualityoflifetobesomethingthatgoeshandinhand withtheenvironment,andthusitfocusesitsmissiononboth equally.Theyalsodefinetheirstrategiesforachievingthesegoals, andeachstrategyhasthecommunityembeddedinit.Their mission,inessence,istoneverundertakesomethingalone,andto alwaysincludethecommunity.Thiscanbethroughresidents helpingwithprojects,GreenRootsenfoldingyouthintotheir efforts,andGreenRootsbeingtransparentabouttheirwork.
GreenRoots’visionisfor“communitiestothriveas ethnically,racially,culturally,andeconomicallydiverse communitieswhoseresidents…liveinahealthyandsafe environment,reversingyearsofenvironmentaldegradation.”5 Not onlydoesGreenRootsvowtoincludethecommunityintheir mission,buttheirvisionistoultimatelybetterthelivesofthat samecommunity.Essentially,whenpaired,thevisionandmission acknowledgethattheywillonlyachievetheirgoalswiththehelp ofthecommunity.
4 Our Vision & Mission | GreenRoots.(2024).Greenrootsej.org. https://www.greenrootsej.org/about-us/our-vision-mission
5
Throughthesevaluesandthismission,GreenRootshashad asignificantpositiveandpersistentimpactonthecommunityit aimstoserve.Ithasconstructedandmaintainsacommunity garden,aswellasafreightfarm thatcanworkeveninthewinter months.Thesebothimprovefoodaccessinequality.Ithosts monthlycommunitymeetingsandeventstokeepintouchwith whatthecommunityneedsandeducatepeopleontheproblems theyarefacingandwaystheycanbeaddressed,eitherthrough GreenRootsorothermeans.Inaddition,theyfocusontablingand youthleadership,twooftheirothermaincommunityengagement strategies.They’vecompletedinnovativeprojectsthatwere specificallyrequestedbycommunitymembersandthatwere assistedbycommunitymemberseverystepoftheway,likethe CoolBlock,atransformedparceloflandnearChelsea’s elementaryschoolwithroofspaintedwhiteandgreeneryplantedto demonstratewhatcanbedonetowardoffurbanheatislandeffect.
ToquantifyGreenRootssuccess,however,wecantakethe metricsoutlinedaboveintheirmission.Iftheyachievethesegoals throughaspecificproject,wewillconsiderthatprojectsuccessful. Insummary,wecanmeasureeachprojects’successbymeasuring iftheyreverseinjustice,takeintoaccountcommunityinput,bring aboutaction,andultimatelyimprovethelivesoftheChelsea and/orEastBostoncommunities.
GreenRootsProjects
OneofGreenRoots’prominentprojectsduringthesummer of2025wastheTreekeepersprogram.Thisisaresidenttree wateringprogramthatbooststhesurvivabilityoftreesplantedby GreenRoots.Thetreestheseresidentscareforprovidedrainagefor stormwater,removepollutantsfromtheair,andcooldownurban
heat.GreenRootsconductsallTreekeepersorganizationinboth EnglishandSpanish,makingsurethattheprogramisinclusiveto theirprimarilySpanish-speakingcommunity.Alongwithwatering trees,Treekeepershostsbiweeklymeetingscenteredaround educationaboutclimatechange.Theprogramengagesresidents throughstipendsandone-on-onemeetings.Itisaninnovativeway togrowthe2000+trees6 plantedbyGreenRoots(135plantedjust thisyear),andyieldsimpressiveresults.Treesurvivability increasedfrom30%(whenwateredbythecity)to80%when wateredbyresidents.
Next,GreenRoots’collaborativeresearchprojectswithBU SchoolofPublicHealthandNortheasternUniversityhavemade significantprogress.GreenRootsandBUSchoolofPublicHealth startedfromtheunderstandingthatenvironmentaljusticeinvolves non-natureelementslikeplaygrounds,busstops,andschoolsand producedtheC-Heatproject7.TheC-Heatprojectlooksatwaysto makeoneaspectofenvironmentalhealth,cooling,moreequitable, specificallyfocusingontheEastBostonandChelseaarea. GreenRootsplacedheatsensorsinparksandbusystreetstoassista studyonpopulationssusceptibletotheheat,likeconstruction workersandthosewhotakepublictransport.
6 Climate Justice and Resiliency | GreenRoots.(2025,November 20).Greenrootsej.org. https://www.greenrootsej.org/our-work/climate-justice-resiliency
7 Bowman,B.,Lopez-Hernandez,I.,Bongiovanni,R., Black-Ingersoll,F.,PilarBotanaMartinez,M.,McIntyre,A., Fabian,P.,Heidari,L.,Scammell,M.,&Milando,C.(2022). C-HEAT 2020-2022: Temperature measurements and adaptation findings, Chelsea and East Boston, Massachusetts.
Lastly,amoreongoingefforthasbeenGreenRoots’ housingequitybranch.Thisbranchwascreatedinan environmentaljusticeorganizationbecauseofthefundamentalidea thathomesareanessentialpartofone'senvironment.Housing equityincludesraisingneighborhoodawarenessaboutnew developmentsinthearea,doinglegislativeworktomakefairer affordablehousinglaws,researchingthehousinghistoryand demographicsofChelsea,protestingharmfulconstructions,and workingtoacquirelandfornewgreenspaces.Alltheseefforts relatetotheenvironmentbyaffectingqualityoflife,greenspaces, andpollutiondirectly.
MyWork
Ididindividualworkoneachoftheseprojectsthatgaveme abetterunderstandingofthemethodsthatmadethemsuccessful.I startedwiththeTreeKeepersprogram,sendingoutweekly reminderstoover100residentsinSpanishandEnglishaboutthe globalwarmingeducationmeetings.Intheseautomaticallysent reminders,TreeKeepersparticipantsinacertainneighborhoodof Chelseareceivedinformationabouttheday,time,andlocationof themeetingaswellaswarningsasneededaboutweather conditionsfortheweek.Iwouldalsohelpplanfamily-friendlyand engagingactivitiesforthesemeetings.Forexample,totalkabout treecover,wewouldhaveresidentscolorindrawingsoftreesto demonstratehowmanytreestheywantedinChelsea,andhow manytheybelievedactuallyexisted.Whilethiswasasimpleand funexercise,italsogaveGreenRootsanideaofhowresidentsfelt aboutthegreeneryintheircity.
Image 1:ExampleofascheduledTreeKeepersreminderusingthe platformScaletoWin8
UndertheC-Heatproject,otherinternsandIroutinely walkedaroundChelseadownloadingdatafromtheheatsensorsset upbyBUandtheairqualitysensorssetupbyNortheastern.We alsosatinonmeetingsdiscussingbothC-Heatandtheairquality sensorstosuggestimprovementstobothexperiments.Personally,I workedmorewithNortheasternandtheairqualityteam.We
8 Scale to Win.(2024).Scaletowin.com. https://www.scaletowin.com
focusedmostlyonthechallengeofpresentingairqualitydatato thegeneralpublicinawaythatwasaccessibleandinformative.
AlthoughNortheasternprovidedtheequipment, GreenRootscameupwithinnovativeandengagingsolutionsto thischallenge.Thefirstwasawebsite9 thatallowedanyoneto clickonareasonamapofChelseaandseerecentairquality information.Thesecond,whichwediscussedatgreatlengthinour meetings,wasawayforresidentstoreportenvironmentalconcerns onthewebsiteandcontributeintheirownwaytoourairquality monitoring.Last,GreenRootsadvocatedforandfocusedon promotingtheAirQualityVan,amobilelabthatwouldbeableto collectmoreaccuratedataandcoveralargerarea.Duringmy internship,Iworkedonwritingscriptsforsomepromotional videos.Throughouttheprocess,ourfocuswasalwaysonengaging thecommunitywiththeworkbeingdone.
9 iSUPER: neighborhood air-quality for Chelsea, Boston, and Brookline. (2026).Neu.edu. https://artemis.coe.neu.edu/iSuper?emissions=False&epa=True&is uper=True&greenroots=True&noah=True&lang=en&show_help= True&dialog=&experiment=
Image 2:Notesfromexistingfilesforthe34WinnisimmetStreet, Chelseadevelopmentproposal.Proposedon7/17/25
Image 3:Backgroundresearchontheproposeddevelopersfor34 WinnisimmetStreet,Chelsea.Proposedon7/17/25
Image proposal
IspentmostofmytimeatGreenRoots,however,working fortheHousingEquitydepartment.Myfirstprojectunderthis departmentwasflyeringinChelseaneighborhoodswherenew developmentswerebeingproposed.Iconductedextensiveresearch onthedevelopmentplansandthedevelopershistoryandcompiled itinagoogledocument.Thisresearchwouldbesharedwiththe wholedepartmentsothatthosewhohadcontactwithcityofficials
couldexpressconcernsifneeded.Then,Iwouldputtogethera flyerwithstandardizedinformationaboutdevelopmentsize, purpose,dateofthecitycouncilmeetingdiscussingtheproposal, andnumberofaffordableunitsifapplicable.Theseflyerswouldbe printedout,andwewouldgodoortodoorhandingthemoutand chattingwithresidentsabouthowtheyfeltaboutthedevelopment proposal.
Myresearchdidn’tstopthere.Ialsospentasignificant amountoftimeinvestigatingpotentialstrategiesfortheHousing Equitydepartment,astheyneededanewdirectionafterafew yearsofstasis.ThemostpromisingstrategyIsuggestedwas advocatingforcommunitybenefitagreements,orCBAs.Ifound examplesofsuccesswithCBAsinnearbyareas,likeSomerville, andbelievedthatthisstrategywouldfocusoncommunityneeds, whichwasinlinewithhowGreenRootsusuallyconductstheir work.Themainchallengeweranintowasapplyingsomethingthat wasprimarilyusedinwealthierneighbourhoodstoalowerincome citylikeChelsea.Thisissuecouldbesolvedwithcommunity engagement,asmeetingwithmembersofthecommunitycould helpthehousingequitydepartmentgetaclearerunderstandingof howtheycanalterCBAstofittheirresidents.
Image 4:Myinitialresearch(i.e.localexamples)aboutCBAs
Image 5:MyproposednextstepsforGreenRoots
Image 5:Myresearchsummaryandanswerstoquestionsposedin meetingsaboutCBAsandneighborhoodcouncils
Discussion
Theunifyingthreadamongeachoftheseprojectswas communityengagement.Whenpresentedwiththeproblemof newlyplantedtreesdyingunderthecareofthecity,GreenRoots implementedaprogramthatenlistedthehelpoftheveryresidents whothesetreesarebenefitting,andincreasedtreesurvivability. Whenconductinglarge-scaleresearchaboutheatislandeffectand airqualityinChelsea,GreenRootsensuredthatitremained focusedandcenteredaroundthecommunitythroughinitiatives liketheC-Heatprojectortheairqualitywebsite.Thus,Iarguethat thesolutiontotheHousingEquitydepartment’scurrentstasis
wouldbesomethingequallyfocusedoncommunity,namelyCBA’s andtheirintrinsiccommunityaspect.
UsingtheGreenRootsmissiontoclassifytheirsuccesses,it iseasytoseethatprojectswithstrongcommunityengagement gainmuchmoretractionandhaveagreaterpositiveimpact.To highlightpastexamples,IwillstartwithGreenRoots’andtheir partners’successesingreenspaceacquisitionandconstruction, specificallytheJaimeM.Hernandezpark.Theprocessofcreating thisgreenspacewasspearheadedbytheresidentitisnamedafter, whoisknownforempoweringChelsearesidentsandyouth.While creatingthisandothergreenspaces,GreenRootsheldmeetingsto hearwhatresidentswantedinthearea,bothintermsoftheactual use(likeaparkorfield)andlandscaping.Becauseoftheconsistent communityvoiceandinvolvementingreenspaceacquisition, GreenRootsanditspartnershavebeenabletoconstructormodify atleast3parcelsoflandtobemoregreen.Thisisabigstepin reversingtheinjusticeChelseahasfacedovertheyears,wherebig corporationswoulduseitastheir“dumpingground”andgreen spaceswerenotonlydeprioritized,buttakenaway.Theadditionof theseparkshasbeenintrinsictoimprovingthequalityoflifeof residents.Children,whoneedaplacetoexerciseandbreatheclean airforahealthydevelopment,benefitespecially.Ofcourse,these greenspaceswouldn’tevenbepossiblewithoutthehelpofregular communitymemberswithadriveandinvestmentinGreenRoots’ missionandvision.
AnotherofGreenRootsmoresignificantcontributionsto theChelseacommunityistheirteachingkitchenandcommunity gardens.Intheteachingkitchen,GreenRootsheldweeklyclasses opentothepublicteachingnutritionalrecipesandgivingout healthyfood.Inaddition,theretwocommunitygardensanda
freightfarm(agardenthatcouldstayrunningnomatterthe weather)handedoutfreevegetablestoanyonewhowantedtosign up.Isawfirsthandthesheernumberofresidentsthegardensand teachingkitchenserved.Thegardensandkitchenreverseinjustice andimprovethelivesoftheChelseacommunitybyaddressing foodinsecurityandworkingtosupportthosewhosufferfromit. Theytakecommunityinput(theresidentswhosignupforfood aid)andbringaboutactionamongmanyresidentswhovolunteer theirtimeatthekitchenorgarden.
OneofGreenRoots’affordablehousingbranch’ssuccesses wastheiractionforhousingaidduringthepandemic.Theywere abletopetitiontheMassachusettsgovernmentforarental assistancegrantthatsupportedthemanypeoplewhocouldno longeraffordhousingwhenthepandemicjeopardizedorhalted theirjobs,improvinglivesandbringingaboutchange. Furthermore,itwasanemergencymeetingwithChelsearesidents thatgottheballrollingonthiseffort.Lastly,thebillthatwas passedinresponsetothesepetitionsreversedtheinjusticeofthe disproportionatewaythepandemicaffectedpeoplewithdifferent jobsandincomes.
Duringmyinternship,theaffordablehousingbranchwas strugglingtocomeupwithequallyimpactfulprojectstoworkon. AllGreenRoots’projectsthatappeartohavesucceededdidso becauseofcommunityengagement,anditseemsthatthe affordablehousingbranchlackedthataspectintheirrecentefforts. ComparedtothemeetingnotesIreviewedfrompastyears, affordablehousingmeetingswerebeingconductedwithless communityinput,partlyduetoreducednumbersfortheirstaff. Therefore,acrucialstepfortheaffordablehousingbranchwould betolooktoincorporatemorecommunityinvolvement,which
couldbothsolvetheirnumbersproblemandgivethemnew direction.Itseemedthattheywerealreadymakingstridesinthat direction,workingonanaffordablehousingreportthattheywould sendtoresidentsanda“candidate’sforum”thatwouldallowthe communitytolearnmoreaboutcitycouncilcandidates’goals surroundingaffordablehousing.Inaddition, alongsidethis longstandingfocusoncommunityeducation,community engagementcouldlooklikehostingpublicaffordablehousing meetings,highlightingandamplifyingresidentpetitions,and enlistingthehelpofresidentvolunteersandmoreinternsoryouth leaders.
ComparingandContrasting
GreenRootsisnottheonlyenvironmentaljustice organizationinitsarea,andakeywaytomorebroadlyunderstand itssuccessesandchallengesistojuxtaposeitwithsimilar organizations.Thiswillallowustotracepatternsbetween communityengagementandenvironmentaljusticesuccess.
TheBostonClimateActionNetwork’s10 mainprojectsare focusedonhousingjustice,Bostonpublicschools,greenbuildings, energyconservation,remedyinggasleaks,climateresilience,and fare-freetransportation.Theseprojectsshowcaseafocuson communitychallenges,butthein-depthprocessoutlinedontheir websitefurtherhighlightstheimportanceofcommunity engagementintheirsuccess.“Wemustbuildandretrofitschool buildingsthatprioritizeracialandeconomicequityandhealthand learningofstudents.Thisrequirescenteringcommunitycontrol
10 About.(2017,February16).BCAN. https://bostonclimateaction.org/about/
andtransparency.”11 Notonlyiscommunitycontrolimportantto givepeopleasenseofsovereignty,buttransparencyisjustas importantasitallowsthecommunitytocritiqueandmake suggestionsonBCAN’swork.Becauseofthesevaluablemethods, “BCAN’sadvocacyresultedinthepassageofanExecutiveOrder mandatingeverynewconstructionandmajorrenovationofa BostonPublicSchoolwillbefossilfuel-freeforthefirsttime.”12 Thetangiblesuccessofthisproject,pairedwithitsstated dedicationtocommunity,provesthatBCAN’smissiontoengage withresidentsandcollaboratewithotherorganizationsisakey contributortotheirpositiveimpact.
TheEnvironmentalLeagueofMassachusetts’(ELM)main projectsarefocusedoncleanenergy,transportation,green buildingsandeconomy,environmentaljustice,publichealth, protectingnaturalresources,andworkingwithlegislation.This organizationprimarilygathersresourcesforotherenvironmental justiceorganizations,relyingondonationstotheiractionfund,and worksonlegislativejustice.Theireffortsfocusoncrafting solutions for thecommunity,butsometimeslackinput from the community.
11 Boston Public Schools.(2022,December7).BCAN. https://bostonclimateaction.org/programs-and-campaigns-2/bostonpublic-schools/
12(Boston Public Schools,2022)
Oneeffortwithalotofpotentialforimpactistheirgoalto advance13 environmentaljusticeandpublichealth.Theystatethat theywanttohelpcommunities“thathavebeenexcludedfromthe decision-makingandeconomicopportunitiesthatthegrowing cleanenergyeconomyoffers.”14 Awaytocenterthecommunityin ordertoachievethisgoalistogivethemopportunitieswithinELM tospeakonthedecisionstheywanttoseemade,becomeeducated abouthowtheycanmaketheirvoicesheard,andlearnaboutclean energy.Byrefocusingoncenteringcommunityengagement,they couldmakelargerstridestowardstheirgoal.
AlternativesforCommunityandEnvironmenttakeson projectssurroundingrenewableenergy,airquality,heatisland effect,andpublictransit.However,chiefamongtheirfocusesare communityneedsandyouthleadership,makingACEthemost similartoGreenroots.ThisisdemonstratedthroughtheirRoxbury EnvironmentalEmpowermentProject,whichbuildsuptheability ofthecommunitytoaddressenvironmentalproblemsthrough educatingandempoweringtheiryouth.Thisisnotonlyan effectivecommunityengagementstrategy,butalsoawayto prolongthepositiveimpactofACE.
Tracingthesuccessesandchallengesoftheseother organizationsrevealsabroaderpatternofcommunityengagement
13Advancing Environmental Justice & Public Health | The Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM).(2025,February 7).TheEnvironmentalLeagueofMassachusetts(ELM). https://www.environmentalleague.org/environmental-justice-and-p ublic-health/
14 (Advancing Environmental Justice & Public Health | the Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM),2025)
deepeningtheimpactofaprojectandprovidingimportant solutionsforthemorechallengingefforts.Whenworkingona projectthatcenteredoneducation,somethingthathasahuge impactonthecommunity,itwasessentialtoincludethe communityineverystepoftheprocess.Makingenvironmental policychangescanhavemoresupportersifcommunityprotestsare closelyconsidered.And,inGreenRootsandACE’scase,giving powertothecommunitytoalwaystakeactioncatalyzesthe successofeachoftheirprojects.
Conclusion
Theseorganizations,GreenRootshistory,and environmentaljusticeliteratureallpointtocommunityengagement asthemostimportantstrategyforenvironmentaljustice.Asthe worldisincreasinglyinneedoforganizationslikeGreenRoots, BCAN,ACE,andELM,it’smorecrucialthanevertocreatea reliable,successfulmodelforenvironmentaljustice.Thechallenge increatingastandardizedprocedureisthateverycommunityhas differentneeds.However,ifthatstandardizedprocedurestartsand endswithcommunityinput,involvement,andaction, environmentaljusticeorganizationscantailortheireffortsperfectly forthepeopletheyserve.
Inaddition,justasenvironmentaljusticescholarshipshifts itsdefinitionoftheenvironmenttoincludehousing,urbanliving, andgeneralcommunitylivelihood,environmentaljustice organizationsmustcentertheirapproachesaroundcommunity engagement.Bydoingso,justasGreenRoots,BCAN,andACE haveproven,theycangomuchfartherintheireffortsandhavethe greatestpossibleimpactontheircommunities.
References
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https://www.greenrootsej.org/news/abandoned-industrial-sit e-in-chelsea-will-be-converted-to-open-space-affordable-ho using Home.(2020).AlternativesforCommunityand Environment.https://ace-ej.org/ Climate Justice and Resiliency | GreenRoots.(2025, November20).Greenrootsej.org.
https://www.greenrootsej.org/our-work/climate-justice-resil iency
iSUPER: neighborhood air-quality for Chelsea, Boston, and Brookline. (2026).Neu.edu.
https://artemis.coe.neu.edu/iSuper?emissions=False&epa= True&isuper=True&greenroots=True&noah=True&lang=e n&show_help=True&dialog=&experiment=