The Environmental Health Coalition collaborated with the Tijuana Colectivo Chilpancingo Pro Justicia Ambiental Youth Group, to launch a comic book that tells the story of Tijuana’s Alamar River and its importance for regional sustainability.

Check out the digital version of the comic book "Mi Comunidad y el Alamar, un rio binacional y una comunidad fronteriza,” or “My Community and the Alamar, a Binational River and a Border Community":

The Alamar’s riverbank forest is a very important opportunity to mitigate the air pollution emitted by the Mesa de Otay maquiladora industry in Tijuana and by the heavy-duty diesel cargo trucks passing through nearby communities.

Learn more about EHC's Border Environmental Justice work in Arroyo Alamar.

Read the full press release on the comic book launch.

Mayra Velazquez de Leon is the President and CEO of Organics Unlimited, a family-run organic banana business. Banana cultivation is a family tradition, with an emphasis on natural, organic methods that protect our environment. Mayra remembers fondly that her grandfather would water their crops using water from the river that flowed through their farm. Her father carried on that tradition of respect for natural resources, and in 1972 initiated a partnership to import the first commercially grown organic bananas into the US.

Growing customers and community

Mayra explains, “Our mission is to provide the best quality organic bananas and tropical fruits in a socially responsible way. Alongside quality stands our commitment to serving customers and the community.” Organics Unlimited is dedicated to organic farming using sustainable methods not only for the health of the workers and the consumers, but also for the health of the environment. Mayra continues, “Growing organic gives us the ability to sustain the land on which we grow our produce. Without the addition of chemicals, the land can continue to raise wholesome, delicious produce year after year, without the threat of destroying nature’s balance.”
 

In 2005, Mayra created the Giving Resources and Opportunities to Workers Fund (GROW), a Donor Advised Fund managed by the International Community Foundation, to provide funding for various social responsibility programs. This includes programs that help improve the quality of life of farmers and communities where Organics Unlimited is located. GROW also provides funding for organizations that share the objective of preserving natural resources and creating healthy environments for our future generations.

Sustainability on both sides of the border

In 2016, Mayra attended Environmental Health Coalition’s Awards Celebration One People, Una Frontera, and discovered our shared values for sustainability. EHC is the only binational organization fighting for clean air and a healthy environment in the region, thus our mission and values naturally aligned with those of GROW. Since then, GROW has supported EHC on sustainability projects on both sides of the border, such as advocating for renewable energy and mass transit in San Diego and protecting the Alamar River region in Tijuana.

Your donation makes twice the impact with GROW

This year, we are happy to announce that in addition to our sustainability partnership, GROW is offering match challenge throughout December. “EHC works relentlessly to protect our communities and fight for clean air, so I hope this match will inspire new supporters to join their efforts or give more to EHC,” anticipates Mayra. GROW and an anonymous donor have set a challenge to match $25,000 in donations.
 

For the month of December, know that your donation will make twice the impact. Together, we can raise up to $50,000 for environmental justice in our communities.
 

To learn more about GROW and their social responsibility program, visit Organics Unlimited’s website.

Both starting and ending in the United States, the Arroyo Alamar (Alamar River) is an example of a U.S-Mexico shared ecosystem. The river is born east of San Diego in Campo, as a network of creeks and springs that join the Tecate Creek south of the border, and travels west through Tijuana and the community of Chilpancingo, it crosses back north and makes its way to the Tijuana River Estuary in Imperial Beach, and into the ocean.

Most of the river in Tijuana has been destroyed and covered by concrete. The Arroyo Alamar is the only stretch of the river where the natural habitat remains and where ducks, owls, raccoons, cranes, woodpeckers and crawfish can be found. The Arroyo Alamar helps clean the air and is one of the few open green spaces left in Tijuana where residents can enjoy nature and wildlife.

EHC is working to preserve this threatened pocket of natural habitat by hosting tours into the river to educate youth, through the recently launched “Cuaderno de Actividades del Guardián del Alamar” (Guardian of the Alamar Activities Booklet), and by working with Mexican authorities to have the Arroyo Alamar be declared a natural protected area.

To learn more about the Arroyo Alamar, please click here, and to learn more about EHC’s binational work, please click here, or contact Anibal Mendez at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For over a decade, Environmental Health Coalition (EHC) has worked with residents in Old Town National City to address food insecurity. Responding to an EHC community survey in 2005, residents were already voicing their concerns about the lack of affordable healthy food in OTNC and its impact on their daily lives. Their struggle for food access has been acknowledged at the federal level by the United States Department of Agriculture that designated Old Town National City as a “food desert”; defined as a part of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthy whole foods¹. Residents of National City are suffering and dying from preventable diseases that are a result of poor nutrition and lack of access to healthy food. Within National City, there are approximately twice as many fast food and convenience stores as there are general grocery and fruit and vegetable markets². Over 50% of children in the National School District are overweight or obese³, and National City residents have the highest rate of heart attacks in all San Diego County⁴.

In response to this severe community health crisis, residents have been working with city officials to find community driven solutions. Community members have identified the inclusion of a community garden in the Paradise Creek Park plan design as a solution to help increase physical activity and food access.

EHC will continue to work diligently to ensure that National City residents remain in the planning process and that their neighborhood transitions from a toxic to a healthy one . Follow EHC on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates on the Paradise Creek Park community garden and contact Sandy Naranjo, National City Policy Advocate, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for ways to get involved.

¹  American Nutrition Association. USDA Defines Food Deserts. http://americannutritionassociation.org/newsletter/usda-defines-food-deserts
²  National City, National City General Plan (2011), 227. http://www.nationalcityca.gov/home/showdocument?id=5217
³  San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative, State of Childhood Obesity in San Diego County (2016), 7. https://sdcoi.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/stateofchildhoodobesity-sdcountyfinal1.pdf
⁴  Schroeder, Lauryn “Coronado has Good Hearth Health, National City Much Less So. Find Your Community on Interactive Map. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/data-watch/sd-me-cardiovascular-rate-20180209-story.html. July 23, 2018.

In December 2017, Environmental Health Coalition Executive Director Diane Takvorian was honored as the KPBS and National Conflict Resolution Center’s community hero for environmental sustainability.

That honor culminated with a community conversation on January 11, 2018, between Diane and KPBS environmental reporter Erik Anderson.

More than 145 community members joined Diane and Erik as they talked about nearly 40 years of EHC’s work to protect public health and our communities burdened by toxic pollution. After their conversation, each table discussed three important questions among themselves and shared their answers with the crowd. Community members from Barrio Logan, National City, City Heights and Sherman Heights joined us and the conversation was translated into English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Thank you for joining us. If you missed it, you can check out the Facebook Live video of Diane’s interview with Erik here.

In December 2017, National City Council unanimously approved a community garden for the neighborhood and granted oversight and maintenance to National-City based Mundo Gardens.

Mundo Gardens is a neighborhood garden program which cultivates wellness and empowers youth and families by combining nature, music and art.

Why Does A Community Garden Matter?

Since 2005, residents have expressed the need for access to fresh, healthy food and natural space owned and operated by the community, for the community.

The garden, soon to be located on the north side of Paradise Creek Park near Kimball Elementary School, aligns with the community’s vision for a healthy neighborhood.

In a place that ranks among the top five percent of communities in California most impacted by pollution, a locally owned and operated garden embodies our hope for a healthier future.

National City Council will finalize the implementation agreement with Mundo Gardens in 2018. The garden is expected to open in the summer of 2019.

This op-ed originally ran in Voice of San Diego. It is authored by Philomena Marino and Maria Martinez, Barrio Logan residents and community leaders with the Environmental Health Coalition.

Our polluted neighborhood has long been ignored. We have a vision for a healthy, clean neighborhood and we have a solution: the community-developed Barrio Logan community plan update from 2013.

Children suffer in Barrio Logan because polluting businesses operate next to homes, schools and parks.

Families here live on the same street as companies like SA Recycling. You might think “recycling” means neat rows of bins for glass and cans, but SA Recycling crushes junked cars creating hazardous wastes, and moves mountains of debris onsite using noisy and diesel-driven equipment. Additionally, fires at recycling centers are regular occurrences, and SA Recycling had a large, middle-of-the-night fire in 2015 that sent toxic smoke into our homes.

We know that most people in San Diego don’t have an industrial-scale recycling plant on their street, but in Barrio Logan, it’s common. That’s why, when the city asks us about what we want to see in our neighborhood during its redrafting of our outdated community plan, we feel frustrated because the answer is so clear.

We have already answered the question of what we want to see here so many times. In fact, it’s been such a long process answering this same question that our children are now old enough to attend the meetings themselves and reiterate what we’ve been saying for years.

We want clean air in our community.

Our polluted neighborhood has long been ignored. We have a vision for a healthy, clean neighborhood and we have a solution: the community-developed Barrio Logan community plan update from 2013.

Currently, Barrio Logan operates with a community plan from 1978 – the oldest in the city of San Diego. Nearly 40 years of an outdated community plan has led to a neighborhood where children are almost three times more likely to end up in the emergency room for breathing problems than the average San Diego child, according to data from California’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. We know that playing outside leads to coughing fits and asthma flare-ups for our kids and elders. Barrio Logan ranks in the top 5 percent of most impacted communities in California in CalEnviroScreen, the state’s screening model to identify areas with high levels of both pollution and socioeconomic disadvantages such as poverty that make pollution more harmful to health.

More than 50 community meetings over five years resulted in a plan for a better Barrio Logan that was approved by the City Council in 2013. The plan is simple. It re-zones Barrio Logan – establishing residential, industrial, and commercial areas within the community so that residents, industries, and businesses can each operate safely. A “buffer zone” separates residential areas where families live and children play from the heavy industries and shipyards. The buffer zone encourages the development of a parking structure for the working waterfront workforce, maritime administration offices, and maritime suppliers that would not pose health threats to residents, and more.

It also protects Barrio Logan’s historical culture and improves the community. It prioritizes developments that enhance and reflect the character of Barrio Logan, encourages affordable housing opportunities and preserves and restores older homes in the neighborhood. The plan even identifies Barrio Logan as a cultural and arts center and lays out the development of the Logan Avenue Arts District. Those elements of the plan protect and preserve our neighborhood for the people who currently live here.

In 2014, Mayor Kevin Faulconer supported the repeal of the plan. Now, three years later, we see the city proposing a plan that doesn’t support the community’s vision and adds significantly more polluting industries to the buffer zone.

So when city planners come in and ask, “What do you want to see in your neighborhood?” we feel insulted, because we’ve already given the answer. They know that our air is thick and tastes dirty when we wake up until we go to sleep. They know that we live with the reality that our children and elders will struggle with asthma their entire lives. They know that we will never be able to breathe easily, and that playing sports or being active will never be effortless. They know all of this because we’ve said it. And, they know the answer, because we developed it more than four years ago.

So let’s not go back to square one. Barrio Logan families deserve the plan they spent years creating. Please don’t come to our meetings and ask us questions you already know the answer to. When you are ready to talk about implementing the community-created plan, we are ready to talk about what a just future looks like for Barrio Logan.

Community planning helps our neighbors cultivate a sustainable City Heights that is safe, healthy and affordable for the people who live there. As a community, we notice the rising cost of living and the stress it places on our quality of life.

This letter from the California Endowment evaluated the biggest concerns residents in City Heights have about the changes we’re seeing in our neighborhood. Most notably, our neighbors are worried about the increasing cost of living and the lack of affordable housing.

City Heights is not alone. Low-income communities of color around the country face similar challenges and families share similar fears. Our neighborhoods are changing.

We must continue to talk openly with each other about cultivating neighborhoods that are affordable for long-term residents and community members who have a stake in the neighborhood and have invested time, money and care into the place they call home.

Want to get involved? Learn more about preserving our communities, for our communities, here.

Lead poisoning is the number one environmental health threat to children, and also considered the most preventable.

You may know that the week of October 22 is National Lead Poising Prevention Week -- although we work year round to protect our children from lead. Here are some important steps to keep your children healthy and create a safe place for them to live, learn and grow:

• Check the year your home was built. Homes built before 1978 may have lead-based paint. Find out the year your house was built by asking your neighbors for a date range, checking online at Zillow.com, visiting your Tax Assessor’s Office or calling a realtor.
• Update your home. It’s best to fix all of the deteriorated paint around the house using lead-safe work practices. Sanding, replacing doors and windows and other common renovation activities can create hazardous lead dust. Hire contractors certified by EPA, which are trained on how to minimize the dust and cleaning thoroughly.
• Get your child tested for lead. Ask your doctor to test your child for lead, or follow EHC on Facebook and Twitter to find out when we schedule our next free lead testing. There is no lead safe level.
• Remove lead-contaminated toys and jewelry. Visit this Consumer Safety Product Commission website to find out if your toys and jewelry contain lead.
• Choose nutritious foods. A healthy diet helps prevent lead absorption into the body. Give children foods rich in iron, calcium and vitamin C.
• Watch what you bring home. Don't take lead home with you! If you work in auto repair, shipbuilding, construction, demolition, steel welding or other industrial work places, don’t forget to wash your hands and face, change your clothes and dust off your shoes before walking into your home.
• Keep lead out of schools. Support statewide bill AB746 to protect children from lead in schools by signing our letter here.

Lead causes learning disabilities, stunts growth, reduces IQ, causes aggressive behavior and is linked to teenage pregnancy and juvenile delinquency. Together, let’s do everything we can to ensure a healthy future for our children.

Leticia Ayala
Campaign Director, Healthy Kids

La noche era fresca, pero era suficiente un suéter delgado y el calor de la fogata para disfrutar de las estrellas, la compañía y las buenas pláticas.

Llegamos al evento alrededor de 60 personas. El Arroyo Alamar nos recibió con nuevos brazos de arroyitos que se formaron desde las lluvias de febrero. Estaba verde y vibrante y los mosquitos eran una fiesta que había que alejar si no querías pasar la noche rascándote los brazos, pero nadie se quejaba porque estábamos felices de compartir ese inesperado bosque en medio de la zona industrial de Tijuana.

El evento comenzó desde la tarde, alrededor de las cinco y media y conforme íbamos llegando íbamos instalando las casas de campaña. Empezamos por dar una caminata por el bosque ripario en donde nos platicaron de las plantas y animales de la zona. Conocimos diferentes yerbas medicinales que se dan de forma natural ahí y que por generaciones han servido para apaciguar los síntomas como dolores de cabeza, fiebre y dolores de estómago por la gente que solía tener ranchos en esa zona.

Llegamos al “árbol del ahorcado” donde nos platicaron las historias de miedo que platicaban los abuelos de la zona. Y valerosamente regresamos al campamento antes de que se oscureciera para evitar cualquier encuentro sobrenatural no planeado en el programa.

Cuando llegamos a la zona de campamento, el equipo de Scouts ya estaba iniciando la fogata.

Mientras seguía llegando la gente, los scouts coordinaron cantos y ceremonias alrededor de la hoguera, mientras platicábamos y preparábamos la cena para compartir que todos trajimos. A las nueve de la noche dimos la bienvenida general ya con toda la gente alrededor de fuego. Platicamos sobre la importancia del Alamar para las comunidades cercanas y de los beneficios que presta a la zona. De cómo es un rio binacional que nos recuerda que a pesar de los muros somos una misma región, con la misma gente, la misma agua y el mismo aire.

En seguida se presentó el grupo de danza africana “Proyecto Danza Afro Tj” que nos recordaron nuestra historia, raíces y al latido de la tierra con sus tambores y su danza. Y como no hay campamento que sea memorable sin una guitarra, el compañero Guillermo Guadalajara interpretó canciones de canto nuevo que nos recordaron que todos estamos conectados. La noche siguió y seguimos.

Amaneció a las 5:30 de la mañana ya con los chilaquiles en la fogata y el café y los frijoles calientes. Nos despedimos todos con una sonrisa por haber hecho nuestro por esa noche ese bosque y porque estamos seguros de que ese espacio es de todos y para todos y que seguramente no será el último campamento en el Alamar.

#ElAlamarEsDeTodos #ViveElAlamar

Aníbal Méndez
Community Organizer, Border Environmental Justice Campaign