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Partners

Partners

Environmental Defense Fund

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One of the world’s leading international nonprofit organizations, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. To do so, EDF links science, economics, law, and innovative private-sector partnerships. With more than 3 million members and offices in the United States, China, Mexico, Indonesia and the European Union, EDF’s scientists, economists, attorneys and policy experts are working in 28 countries to turn solutions into action.

Darkhorse Analytics

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Darkhorse Analytics is a well-known thought leader and creator in the field of data visualization. They specialize in building clear and engaging interactive data tools. Their clients include NGOs such as Opportunity Insights, Environmental Defense Fund, and Wayne State University. Darkhorse Analytics works closely with their clients and often become an extension of their team, helping them achieve their goals. The primary aim of most of these tools is to have a profound and positive impact on society.

Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University is a community of scholars dedicated to solving diverse, real-world problems through determination and innovation. Texas A&M opened its doors in 1876 as the state’s first public institution of higher education and is today a tier-one research institution holding the elite triple land-, sea- and space-grant designations. Research conducted at Texas A&M represented annual expenditures of more than $1 billion in fiscal year 2022. Texas A&M’s 73,000 students and over half a million former students are known for their commitment to service, as well as dedication to the university’s core values and rich traditions.

  • TAMU’s Superfund Research Center comprehensively evaluates the complexities of hazardous chemical exposures, potential adverse health impacts, and potential hazards of exposures to complex mixtures through a series of multi-disciplinary projects that derive from a case study utilizing Galveston Bay.
  • TAMU’s Center for Environmental Health Research nucleates research and translational activities of faculty and trainees around the overarching theme “Enhancing Public Health by Identifying, Understanding, and Reducing Adverse Environmental Health Risks.” It builds on Texas A&M University’s history of state-wide outreach with a focus on underserved populations to achieve this vision by identifying and addressing environmental health concerns of affected communities and populations and facilitating multidisciplinary collaborations.

Texas A&M Transportation Institute

The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is an agency of the State of Texas and member of The Texas A&M University System. For 70 years, TTI has addressed complex transportation challenges and opportunities with innovation, objectivity and unmatched technical expertise.

Stakeholders

Achieving Community Tasks Successfully

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Located in Houston, Achieving Community Tasks Successfully (ACTS) is a community-based nonprofit organization that seeks to leverage citizen science, training, and community engagement to address both social and environmental justice. In 2019, ACTS began the first community-led air monitoring network in the Pleasantville community with the support of Environmental Defense Fund and Texas Southern University.

Coalition of Community Organizations

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The Coalition of Community Organizations (COCO) originated in 2008 through the work of members from several Houston-based community organizations and residents. These groups work together to ensure that community interests are represented at the city, state, and national levels, and that elected officials, corporations, businesses, law enforcement, and clergy have a vested interest in sharing resources to address social inequities and injustices. The coalition’s climate, health, and equity work is mostly focused on supporting environmental injustice, disaster recovery, and fair housing.

Deep South Center for Environmental Justice

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Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) is dedicated to improving the lives of children and families harmed by pollution and vulnerable to climate change in the Gulf Coast Region. Through research, education, community and student engagement for policy change, the DSCEJ provides opportunities for communities, scientific researchers, and decision makers to collaborate on projects that promote the rights of all people to be free from environmental harm.

Environmental Community Advocates of Galena Park

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Environmental Community Advocates of Galena Park (ECAGP) organizes and educates their community about environmental conditions in Galena Park, Texas, and surrounding areas. All activities are aimed at raising public awareness around issues of air quality, access to health care, and the built environment for under-served neighborhoods.

NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team

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NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team (HAQAST) is a collaborative team that works in partnership with public health and air quality agencies across the globe to use NASA data and tools for the public benefit. Satellite Data for Environmental Justice (SD4EJ) is a NASA HAQAST Tiger Team whose goal is to integrate satellite data into environmental justice screening and mapping tools.

Lewis University and Will County Community Partners

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Lewis University is a private Catholic university in Romeoville, Illinois. It enrolls around 6,800 students in more than 80 undergraduate programs, 22 graduate programs, and accelerated programs for working adults. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis University is nationally recognized for preparing intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, globally connected and socially responsible graduates.

Michigan United

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Michigan United is a statewide organization of community members and institutions fighting for the dignity and potential of every person. Created out of the merger of MOP (Michigan Organizing Project) and AIR (Alliance for Immigrant Rights), the organization works to improve the lives of those who have been marginalized by poverty, racism, and inequality. The organization focuses on the following issue areas: immigrants’ rights, criminal justice reform, environmental justice, universal family care (including health, childcare, elder care and paid sick time), and civic engagement.

Morehouse School of Medicine

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The Morehouse School of Medicine is among the nation’s leading educators of primary care physicians and was recently recognized as the top institution among U.S. medical schools for its social mission. The school exists to improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities, improve the diversity of the health professional and scientific workforce, and to address primary health care needs through programs in education, research and service.

North Central Texas Council of Governments

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The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) is a voluntary association of, by and for local governments, and was established to assist local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit, and coordinating for sound regional development. NCTCOG’s purpose is to strengthen both the individual and collective power of local governments and to help them recognize regional opportunities, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and make joint decisions.

South Bronx Unite

South Bronx Unite brings together neighborhood residents, community organizations, academic institutions, and allies to improve and protect the social, environmental, and economic future of Mott Haven and Port Morris. The organization envisions a South Bronx where everyone is thriving because they have equitable access to clean air, nutritious food, truly affordable and quality housing, good health care, resources to advance contributions to arts and culture, community centers, open green spaces, good schools with adequate resources, jobs with livable wages, a transformative justice approach to public safety, and participatory decision-making for public policies and community development.

Sunnyside Community Redevelopment Organization

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Sunnyside Community Redevelopment Organization is a Houston-based nonprofit that advocates, educates, and empowers the community through various programs. They conduct asset mapping and meet with the community to identify needs. Additionally, they have installed seven air monitors in Houston, Texas amid air pollution concerns.

Texas Southern University

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Located in Houston, Texas Southern University is one of the nation’s largest Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and has served as a cornerstone for developing the greatest potential in leaders from various socio-economic, cultural, and racial backgrounds. The university possesses an impressive array of undergraduate and graduate programs, a diverse faculty, 80-plus student organizations, and an alumni network of educators, entrepreneurs, public servants, lawyers, pilots, artists, and more.

Contributors

The following individuals contributed to the development of the CVI:

  • P. Grace Tee Lewis, EDF
  • Weihsueh A. Chiu, TAMU
  • Ellu Nasser, EDF
  • Jeremy Proville, EDF
  • Aurora Barone, EDF
  • Cloelle Danforth, EDF
  • Bumsik Kim, TTI
  • Jolanda Prozzi, TTI
  • Elena Craft, EDF
  • Allyn West, EDF
  • Rob Korzan, Darkhorse Analytics
  • Shawn Halvorson, Darkhorse Analytics
  • Alan Sweeney, Darkhorse Analytics
  • Steve Boddez, Darkhorse Analytics
  • Patrisha De Boon, Darkhorse Analytics
  • Nancy Ho, Darkhorse Analytics
  • Lara Alameddine, Darkhorse Analytics
  • Craig Hiltz, Darkhorse Analytics

Acknowledgements

Thank you to the following additional individuals for their input into the development of the CVI:

  • Ivan Rusyn, TAMU
  • Reza Farzeneh, EPA
  • Krist Pullen Fedinick, GWU
  • Gaige Kerr, GWU
  • Susan Anenberg, GWU
  • Andrew Pedicino, EDF
  • Lesa Walker, EDF
  • Julia Gohlke, EDF
  • Sharmila Bhandari, Houston Health Department
  • Kelsey Meisenhelder, EDF
  • David Reif, NIEHS
  • Johnathan Fleming, NCSU
  • Lauren Johnson, EDF
  • Madeline Kitch, EDF
  • Margerie Snider, EDF
  • Maia Draper, EDF
  • Molly Ellsworth, EDF
  • Mica Crouse, Big Mountain Impact
  • Nina Lutz, KTLN Consulting
  • Seamus Lombardo, PhD

Funders

This work was supported in part by grants from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences to the Texas A&M University Superfund Research Center (P42 ES027704) and Center for Environmental Health Research (P30 ES029067), as well as institutional support from Texas A&M University and Environmental Defense Fund.

"The U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index is incredibly helpful! Because I am a bi-state MPO, the ability to examine and compare data on both sides of state lines is critical. We included local data and easily cut and paste maps from the CVI into our latest Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant application for federal funding to complete critical transportation infrastructure projects in Texarkana. Because it includes a broad range of indicators related to health, social, environmental, economic and infrastructure, I plan to use this tool for all of our grant applications – especially federal Justice40 funding that flows to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved and overburdened by pollution with regards to equality."

Rea Donna JonesMPO Director, Texarkana Metropolitan Planning Organization

"The U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index has a lot of indicators that most data sets don’t have, and it’s very useful for community members to see everything in one place – so they understand what they are suffering from compared to other communities. For example, Achieving Community Tasks Successfully created maps using CVI data that compared COPD and cancer rates, life expectancy, and more in affluent vs. disadvantaged communities in Harris County. As an analyst, the ability to overlay environmental indicators and data on social determinants of health – such as income, access to healthcare, and insurance status – helps us locate and determine the most impacted areas to effectively target resources and advocate for more grant funds to support our community."

Rachel RoyAchieving Community Tasks Successfully Board Member

"As part of our ongoing collaboration with Environmental Defense Fund, our research team had the unique opportunity to provide input from the beginning of this effort and vet the U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index before it went live. We’ve found the tool’s ability to dig into the environmental and social data at the census tract level extremely valuable to targeting policy interventions. For instance, overburdened communities in Will County, Illinois are extremely concerned about rising air pollution and potential health impacts from the expansion of inland container ports and warehouses. We used data and maps from the CVI in a recent EPA environmental justice grant to help justify and site community air quality monitors in the city of Joliet and the Illinois & Michigan Canal Corridor in Will County. Being able to dig down to the granular level regarding air quality, transportation sources, health impacts, pollution sources and more is critical to better understanding and homing in on where air quality monitors are most needed."

Dr. Joe KozminskiProfessor and Chair of Physics at Lewis University