Cast Your Vote For the Tonawanda Toxic Top 5!
Over the last year, The Clean Air Coalition of WNY has built a partnership with 12 organizations and hundreds of residents to conduct community based research on the environmental health issues in Tonawanda NY.
This process, funded through the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) CARE Program, included activities such as multiple focus groups, citizen led air testing, a photography project and a door to door canvass. On Wednesday, February 20th 2013 The Coalition will coordinate a community wide risk ranking event where all of the information collected over the past year will be presented and the community will vote on the 5 top hazards of most concern. Our ‘Tonawanda Toxic Top 5’ document will be released in March.
2012 has been a busy year. Though our CARE Program alone we have:
- Held 8 workshops with over 100 attendees, including workshops on the Toxic Release Inventory, Freedom of Information Act, Zoning and Land Use, and Pollution Prevention.
- Air tested in 3 community identified locations
- Met one on one with 37 Tonawanda residents
- Partnered with 12 Tonawanda Organizations
- Coordinated PhotoVoice; a participatory photography method for resident’s to capture the social and environmental determinants of health
- Held 3 focus group sessions to receive feedback on community health concerns
- Went door to door to 1,000 residents homes
- Read and reported on hundreds of DEC and EPA documents on Tonawanda industrial releases and on-site worker injuries
The work of our members and staff all leads up to one main event: on February 20th the public is invited to cast their vote for Tonawanda Toxic Top 5. Our Toxic Top 5 will set our agenda on Tonawanda health priorities. This is a vote that will count.
Be on the Top 5 Organizing Committee! Our first meeting is on January 3rd at 6pm at the Sheridan Parkside Community Center. Call Rebecca at 852-3813 for more information.
