Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

The Brooklyn Environmental Health Lab (BEHL) is a community-based art and science initiative of the Human Impacts Institute (HII) that focuses on the connection of climate change to issues such as health and social justice. Each series consists of public workshops, capacity development for local leaders, and joint artist and climate fellowships, community testing, as well as public exhibits. Funding will add a monitoring and evaluation research fellow to the program, who will also serve as a Visiting Scholar to the Urban Systems Lab at the New School.

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How Project Affects Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions:

We use arts and culture to connect people directly to diverse climate mitigation and adaptation measures.

Best Estimate of GHG Avoidance/Reduction of This Project (Tonnes CO2 Equivalent/Year):

Sustainable Development Goals:

Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

Since the founding of HII, we have been committed to the empowerment of BIPOC, youth, and womxn through leadership development, storytelling, and educational programming. On an organization-wide basis, leadership at HII assures that voices of traditionally underrepresented groups are actively heard in the community. By ‚ passing the mic‚ for program facilitation, social media takeovers, and other ways to amplify these voices, we shift recognition towards those who are often unrecognized leaders within their communities. BEHL further supports these goals by encouraging community health fellows, artists, and residents to further engage in environmental issues of importance. 

The 2020-2022 BEHL program will begin by focusing on outreach to residents in Brooklyn who identify as being part of a low socio-economic status household, including several areas below the poverty line such as East Williamsburg, Bushwick, and Green Point. The combined population of these areas are approximately 290,000. Further, the three zip codes that encompass the BEHL target area of North Brooklyn (11211, 11222, and 11206) each have poverty rates above 20%, at 26.5%, 26.5%, an 36.6% respectively. The workshop series focusing on environmental justice will cover issues of health, education, and community empowerment. To accommodate and address the diversity present, the BEHL will also be providing workshop and exhibit materials in English, Spanish, and Yiddish. BEHL brings programming to public, community spaces (libraries, community centers, and a mobile testing center that we can have outdoors in times of COVID) that are accessible to many groups and low-income residents. Additionally, we remove as many barriers to participation as possible: in addition to workshop stipends available for participants, any in-person workshops, will have both food and babysitting available. These virtual workshops will be family-friendly for many, further supplementing the STEM curriculum used by the NYC DOE. As this program has a full curriculum rooted in social justice issues around environmental health, residents have the opportunity to learn how environmental injustices may present themselves within appropriate spaces in their own lives. 

HII is outreaching to local organizations (tenant associations, NGOs, community groups, community leaders) who serve our BIPOC and low-income populations to encourage nominations for paid community health fellows, artists, and guest speakers. These individuals will reflect New York City‚ diverse communities that we strive to serve. While selection of fellows will include formal credentials, HII also heavily considers community impact, innovation, and other non-traditional experiences. We view these fellowships as an opportunity for artists to not only test out new ideas, but create horizontal learning opportunities. 

Lastly, a fellowship in partnership with the New School‚ Urban Systems Lab will allow for concrete evidence and quantifiable research in terms of how to develop more equitable, resilient, and sustainable cities. Through working directly with a visiting scholar who has direct connection to the communities we serve (whether this be prior experience, personal background, or education) we employ another opportunity for horizontal learning. With direct feedback and engagement of the research fellow, understanding of impact within the communities we target will expand.

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Mission Statement:

We are building a global cultural movement to inspire big, bold, and beautiful climate action.

Greatest Current Funding Need: