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The primary concern of the community is that Scott Memorial United Methodist Church experiences high levels of illegal trash dumping. The first project priority is to mitigate illegal trash dumping at the church by investigating cost-effective and sustainable ways for the community to dispose of waste. A secondary priority is to begin educating the congregation and community on this and other environmental justice issues and empower them to take action on keeping the community clean and safe.
Scott Memorial United Methodist Church serves a predominantly Black congregation on Detroit’s Westside. Scott is a home for many. Members have fostered a loving church environment focused on uplifting the church’s youth. Most of the congression are elders, so they do not have modern information about clean energy and environmental justice. A key concern is that Scott Church experiences high levels of illegal trash dumping, with trash polluting the neighborhood and the area behind the church. The community’s goals are to reduce this illegal dumping and begin to educate the congregation on environmental justice issues and the solutions they can be a part of.
The community would like to research barriers and solutions to cost-effective and sustainable waste disposal for community members, including potential waste-to-energy solutions. This will include researching existing waste management facilities and potential resources from the city of Detroit such as signage to support proper waste disposal. The community would then like to create infographics to share information with the congregation and surrounding community about the negative effects of trash dumping and alternative solutions. They would like to coordinate other ways to raise awareness and mitigate this issue, such as a community clean up event. This project will result in environmental education that empowers the congregation to keep the community clean and safe.
Key stakeholders include the Trustee Board of Scott Church and the Community Block Club, who are interested in addressing this issue and are already in contact with local residents and the City of Detroit. The City of Detroit is also implementing a citywide beautification project, and may be a helpful partner for the community’s goals.
The team envisions sharing environmental education with the community surrounding the church, and sharing the results of the project with the broader network of United Methodist churches in Greater Detroit as well as local media outlets.
The intended duration of the project is 12 months. The team will develop a project timeline with the volunteer scientist(s).
Cydnee Harris is a rising senior at the #1 HBCU in the country, Spelman College. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Philosophy and a minor in Environmental Science. In middle school, she discovered her passion for environmental justice, vowing to educate Black communities on climate change’s effects and advocate for clean energy, sustainability, and related topics. Cydnee aims to reduce global warming and climate change’s impacts on underrepresented communities and, ultimately, the world.
Joshua K. Matthews has been a member of Scott Memorial United Methodist Church since the age of 3 months old and has affectionately adopted the name of “Scott’s Baby.” Taking on numerous roles in the church; serving on the Administrative Council as Secretary since 2015, a member of the Trustee Board since 2009 and Co-Chair of the Trustees since 2016, Director of the Choirs since 2011 and also serving on the Culinary, Worship and Youth Ministries, he has earned the title of “Mr. Scott”.
Lisa Nguyen is an Applied Physics PhD student at the University of Michigan, focusing on the impacts of global warming on drought and precipitation extremes, with a particular interest in how these changes affect crops and vulnerable communities. In addition to their research, Lisa is passionate about educational outreach, having taught students through Math Corps (a program started in Detroit’s Wayne State University) and mentored youth through the FATE Give Merit program. They are eager to contribute to the AGU TEX project and engage with the broader community.
Delanie Lowe is a visual communications designer with experience in marketing and development in-house for non-profit, scientific, and environmental institutions. She is currently the Communications Manager at Save The Bay, an organization protecting and restoring San Francisco Bay through nature-based climate solutions. She specializes in graphic design, video production, infographics, and branding, and is committed to telling stories of environmental justice and hope around climate change.
Lily Hahn is a NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellow at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where she studies the impact of ocean circulation on global warming. Lily joined AGU TEX as a volunteer scientist during her PhD, which inspired her to start a similar community science program at the University of Washington as a PhD student and to become a TEX Community Science Fellow during her postdoc.
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