Water Filtration in San Joaquin Valley Households
Some rural disadvantaged of the San Joaquin Valley experience extremely low water quality.
Our team has won a small grant to install water filtration systems in a few households to reduce their reliance in expensive bottled water that affects their income availability and contributes to pollution. The grant, awarded by the Union of Concerned Scientists, will allow us to install about 10 filtration systems to prevent such toxic chemicals as nitrate, 1,2,3-TPC, and arsenic.
We will install reverse osmosis systems and will test the water quality from the regular tap and from the reverse osmosis filtration system several during the following months.
Air Quality Education in the West Fresno County Region
The San Joaquin Valley has the lowest air quality in the United States by annual particulate matter.
Our organization has been awarded by CalEPA with a small grant to promote air quality education in the city of Firebaugh and surrounding, including workshops for children, bilingual DIY workshops for families (to make their own low-cost air filters), and office hours for community leaders.
Rural Disadvantaged Community perspectives about Renewable Energy and Climate Change
Renewable energies can be used to fight climate change, and rural areas of California where water is scarce and may not be suitable for Agriculture anymore have the opportunity to develop energy projects to benefit everyone in California.
But what are the perspectives of the residents of those rural communities that would surround renewable energy fields?
Our organization has been awarded with funding to exchange critical information about community perspectives and the future of energy in California with key stakeholders. We will interview people from and related to rural disadvantaged communities, agriculture, and the environment about their perspectives in climate change and renewable energy.
Our goal is to provide the industry, policymakers and scientists with essential information to be able to implement successful business, policies, and research that include disadvantaged community (and others) perspectives.