Brownfields Buzz

Your hub for brownfields spotlights, tools, events, news, and more

April, 2024

Spotlight

PlaceKnowing Limited Podcast Series Debuts

We are excited to announce the debut of PlaceKnowing, a limited original podcast series sponsored by KSU Tribal TAB and hosted by KSU TAB Partner & friend, Dr. Ted Jojola (Pueblo Isleta) of University of New Mexico's Indigenous Planning and Design Institute (iD+Pi).

The six-episode production, which premiered April 17, examines the essential relationship between land, storytelling, and community, and the importance of visioning and revitalization around brownfields in Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Each episode delves into a host of different case studies intended to inform and inspire listeners to learn and lead change in their own spaces through Indigenous design methodologies. Topics include the burned site of a historic trading post at Round Rock community in western Navajo Nation; a subarctic Indigenous village tackling climate change and relocation in Golovin, Alaska; and the rematriation of a historically contaminated site in Oklahoma City that eventually became the First Americans Museum.

Tune in to PlaceKnowing wherever you get your podcasts and check out new episodes every two weeks. And get the discussion going around brownfields and the vast possibilities they provide to changemakers and their communities. Read the full Press Release here. And click here to listen to the limited series trailer and the premier episode and spread the word!

Toolbox

The Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST), developed by the Council on Environmental Quality, is an interactive mapping tool that shows information about the burdens that communities experience. CEJST examines datasets from eight categories of community burdens - climate change, energy, health, housing, legacy pollution, transportation, water and wastewater, and workforce development - and may be useful in understanding which communities are disadvantaged due to being overburdened and underserved. This tool can be very helpful in preparing competitive brownfield grant proposals or other community-based grants by providing data to support the community story and demonstrate environmental, climate, and economic justice disparities. Want to learn more? Visit the CEST webpage or watch this brief video overview.

Events

In addition, KSU TAB has regional and national events that will be scheduled throughout the year. Please visit our Events webpage to find an event near you!

News & Noteworthy

Tribal TAB Program Returns May 1

As we shared earlier this year, KSU has been selected by the EPA as the recipient of the FY24 Technical Assistance to Tribal Nations and Entities Addressing Brownfields cooperative agreement. The Tribal Technical Assistance to Brownfields (Tribal TAB) program, which officially launches May 1, supports Indigenous communities in protecting and restoring sacred lands and accomplishing revitalization goals through the reuse, restoration, or redevelopment of brownfields. By providing collaborative, culturally-informed assistance and resources, practical tools, and a meaningful network of peers, mentors, and subject-matter experts, Tribal TAB equips Tribal Nations and Tribal entities to address brownfields, build strong Tribal Response Programs, and enhance self-governance opportunities, while protecting and preserving the local environment.

Tribal TAB features a core partnership between KSU, Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP), and Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), and provides technical assistance on topics like:

Storytelling and Community Visioning;
128(a) Tribal Response Programs;
Brownfields Assessment, Cleanup, and Reuse; and
Finance and Planning Strategies.

Connect with the Tribal TAB team to discuss ways in which we may support and advance your Tribal Brownfields projects and initiatives by emailing us at tribal-tab@ksu.edu.

Environmental Health and Land Use Reuse Certificate Program

The Environmental Health and Land Reuse Certificate (EHLR) Program is a free, online, asynchronous course developed by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and National Environmental Health Association with the goal of building capacity within communities to help remediate and redevelop many of the brownfields across the country. The program explores in-depth the environmental and health risks and social disparities associated with contaminated land properties, key players in land reuse planning and policy, and redevelopment techniques to improve community health. This holistic training course includes modules on Engaging With Your Community, Evaluating Environmental and Health Risks, Communicating Environmental and Health Risks, Redesigning With Health in Mind, and Measuring Success. Visit the EHLR Certificate Program website for details and registration and take your community brownfields planning efforts to the next level!

Follow your KSU TAB Team on LinkedIn and Facebook!

Visit our website at www.ksutab.org.