The Green Initiative
The Climate Resiliency Coalition
As part of the Fairmount Indigo CDC Collaborative, we have received a grant from the Kresge Foundation to engage community members in developing plans to help us meet the challenges of climate change. Working with neighborhood groups, we are educating residents about the local impacts of climate change. We are identifying climate resiliency and mitigation strategies such as maintaining and increasing tree canopy around homes and large buildings, increasing funding to maintain and expand conservation land, Net Zero construction, cleaning the Neponset River and converting the Fairmount Commuter Line from diesel to electric.
Save Crane Ledge
Southwest Boston CDC is part of the Crane Ledge Coalition. The Crane Ledge site is the largest unprotected natural area within the City of Boston. Saving the Crane Ledge Woods is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to preserve urban tree canopy for inland neighborhoods, simultaneously addressing climate resilience, inland flooding, natural habitat protection, climate equity, and environmental justice. It would allow for unprecedented inland climate mitigation in 3 environmental justice neighborhoods - Mattapan, Roslindale, and Hyde Park.
Boston’s urban wilds are less than 1% of the city’s land area. Crane Ledge is the city’s largest unprotected urban wild and Boston’s best opportunity for inland climate resilience.
Protecting Crane Ledge will increase Boston’s urban wilds by 12.5% and sustain green infrastructure in a census tract that is 90% people of color.
Environmental Justice populations which make up most of City Council District 5 and House District 6th Suffolk, face gaps in green infrastructure.
Climate Ready Boston sees climate adaptation as key to the city’s resilience. However, because the plan is largely focused on the coastline it lacks equity, as most Environmental Justice populations are inland.
Environmental Justice populations have three times the average amount of impervious surface in Massachusetts, making them more likely to experience heat stress and flooding caused by climate change.
Green infrastructure mitigates heat stress and flooding, costs less than grey infrastructure, and supports public health with air quality and recreation.
To advance Environmental Justice, the city must make climate adaptation equitable. Doing so requires a budget that acquires green infrastructure for inland climate resilience.
Doyle Park
For the past three years, Southwest Boston CDC has worked with the neighborhood group, People of Hyde Park Wanting Equal Representation (POHWER), and the Solomon Foundation to rebuild Doyle Park, a one-acre former state-owned playground that was dismantled some 20 years ago. SWBCDC and P.O.H.W.E.R engaged neighbors to work with DCR, the Solomon Foundation and volunteers from “The Mission Continues” to remove invasive plants and trash from the site.
The Offshoots design company is working with the community on a new park design that will include a picnic area, performance stage and children’s play area made of natural elements; such as hollowed out tree’s trunks and rocks for climbing. The design will also include a footpath from the park to the adjacent Shops at Riverwood.
In 2019, with support from DCR, Solomon Foundation and Mass Development through Patronicity, we engaged the non-profit Artists for Humanity to design a mural for Doyle depicting the community enjoying the park and the river. The mural has received enthusiastic praise from the community. Now through 2022, we expect to finalize the park design and work with DCR on implementation.
The Neponset River
The EPA recently completed an evaluation of the Neponset River, confirming that the contamination in the Neponset is high enough to warrant requesting that it be placed on the National Priorities List (NPL) under the superfund law. The Baker-Polito administration have now signed the lower Neponset River on the EPA superfund list! SWBCDC we will work with the MA Department of Public Health and DCR to install signage along the River in multiple languages warning residents not to swim, fish or wade into the river. Ultimately, having a clean river will allow for safe recreational use of the river and will boost economic development along the river.
Another long-term goal is be to create a footpath along the Neponset from Hyde Park to Mattapan, connecting the Hyde Park business district, the West Street urban wild, Doyle Park, the Shops and River Street and Mattapan Square. This path would not only connect the business districts but would provide a new way for residents to enjoy the physical, mental, and environmental health benefits of additional green space and river access.
Make a donation.
It is clear now, more than ever, how important it will be to mitigate the effects of climate change, and maintain our resilience as we face its challenges. In Hyde Park, we are lucky to have conservation woodlands, which are a key factor in climate resiliency. Southwest Boston CDC’s commitment to stewardship of conservation woodlands not only helps keep our urban environment healthy, but also helps keep individuals and families healthy. Author Richard Louv has written extensively about the use of nature to reduce family violence, and improve individual health by offering a serene setting for exercise, relaxation and exploration. He reports that some doctors prescribe woods exploration to treat children with ADHD; and that spending unstructured time in nature has a very positive and different impact on cognitive development and mental health than do playing sports and using electronics. Yet, today’s youth spend a fraction of their time in nature compared to previous generations. The only way our younger generation will be motivated to protect our environment is if they fall in love with it, and to love it they must first experience it. So please help us keep this crucial work going. Donate to our Green Initiative.