A Brownfield Youth Movement

By Daniel Somerville and Sol Marie Alfonso Jones

A generation ago, amid the disco craze, bell-bottom jeans and Star Wars, programs that promoted youth involvement in recycling through education and public service projects began to appear. Within 10 years, the phrase “reduce, reuse, and recycle” was part of the public discourse. By the mid ‘90s, communities across America had municipal recycling programs.

Was this a coincidence? No. We recognize that the success of these programs can be attributed in large part to the fact that kids grew up learning about the importance of recycling to our environment.

Today, urban school districts across the country are dealing with critical funding issues. This can create a challenge for hands-on programs that focus on new technology and community-based outreach, because they are often rejected as schools focus on traditional subject areas to raise test scores and maintain their funding. However, there is value in focusing on getting kids excited about learning, especially when it relates to issues and problems in their community.

A new generation of kids is now learning about brownfields through education programs that focus on youth involvement in the identification, assessment and redevelopment of local brownfields. These new programs apply the same principles that were successful 30 years ago, and operate on the belief that by facilitating youth participation in local economic and environmental issues, communities will be more likely to pursue remediation and redevelopment of local brownfields in the future. 

Our Town

Our Town, a K–12 education program at Purdue University sponsored by a grant from U.S. EPA, engages students in the science and economics of brownfields in their community. Many of the activities are Web-based and enable students to apply geographic information systems (GIS) and critical analysis to real problems.

Students participating in Our Town conduct a variety of activities appropriate for their age groups:

• Elementary students identify likely brownfield sites in their community.

• Middle school students conduct health risk assessments on the confirmed sites.

• High school science students research site histories, review regulatory records and examine geological and hydrological conditions.

• High school senior economics students design redevelopment proposals for selected sites and present their reports to members of the community at local brownfield forums.

Our Town was piloted in Hammond, Indiana in the 2004–05 school year. Students in this industrial community along the shores of Lake Michigan presented their brownfield site reports and redevelopment proposals to members of the community in May 2005.

In 2005–2006, the program is expanding to schools in Indianapolis, Kokomo and Lafayette, Indiana. By the fall of 2006, students across the United States will learn about brownfields in their communities through Our Town.

Brownfield Patch

Long Island, New York is home to approximately 6,800 brownfields, most of which are in Nassau County. Working toward their redevelopment is a daunting task for the few organizations committed to this goal.

Sarah Lansdale is executive director of Sustainable Long Island, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote economic development, environmental health and equity for all Long Islanders. Lansdale wondered how her organization could be more effective in these efforts, and which responsible group she could enlist to provide support in this endeavor. The Girl Scouts, with approximately 22,000 members in Nassau County, seemed like the perfect solution.

In collaboration with the Girl Scouts of Nassau County, Sustainable Long Island created an innovative patch program, the Brownfield Buster patch. Patch-earning activities are aimed at generating interest and involvement among youth around brownfield redevelopment, teaching them the value of active citizenry and encouraging them to get their parents, families and neighbors involved.

Girl Scouts from all levels (Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes and Seniors) will earn this patch by participating in various “Girl Scout friendly” activities including learning about the New York State legislation that sets standards for cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields, identifying and cataloging abandoned properties in their own communities, and thinking creatively of alternative uses for these areas. The older girls are expected to participate in civic meetings to educate all stakeholders in their communities and to encourage local elected officials to take action.  Additionally, this program aims to strengthen cooperation among girls of different ages by encouraging them to work together within their local communities — each group having their own age-appropriate responsibilities.

In order to support the Girl Scouts in earning this patch, Sustainable Long Island has identified a cadre of volunteers — specialists who represent various professions within the environmental field — to provide technical assistance to the troops. Because of the partnership with the Girl Scouts, this patch program has the potential to reach millions of girls nationally fostering broad community awareness of this important issue. BFN

Daniel Somerville is program manager of Our Town at Purdue University. Sol Marie Alfonso Jones is director of programs at Sustainable Long Island.