Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice Working Hard to Eliminate Health Disparities in Detroit
SBN Detroit talked to Laprisha Berry Daniels, Executive Director of Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice (DWEJ), an environmental/social justice organization committed to community engagement and policy change that lifts the voices of Detroiters. Daniels holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Michigan State University, as well as master’s degrees in social work and public health from the University of Michigan. With over 20 years of public health experience, she has been responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating efforts focused on eliminating some of the most stubborn health disparities. Here she shares her thoughts and work in disrupting and dismantling the status quo to ultimately eliminate environmental health disparities in Detroit. Q: In June 2021 you took on the role of executive director for Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice. What is involved here? A: The work of Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice (DWEJ) started over 30 years ago. The vision then and now is to make certain all people benefit from environmental policies and practices that value the voices and reflect the will of impacted communities. As the executive director, I work with internal and external partners to challenge structures/systems that perpetuate racist and classist policies that negatively impact the well-being of Detroit and Detroiters. DWEJ is currently working with national organizers and local champions to push for adding a Green Amendment to the state’s constitution. Q: What are your short-term and longer-term goals and how will you reach them? A: DWEJ currently focuses on reducing environmental health disparities, specifically those related to asthma, lead poisoning, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Our approaches to reducing these disparities involve combining education about illness related to environmental hazards with political action to reduce the environmental factors that lead to disease. Two recent efforts involved engaging community members around making public comments – first, at Detroit city council meetings to object to proposed changes in a rental ordinance that would put more children at risk for having elevated blood lead levels that compromise the physical and mental health of children and pregnant persons, and second, before the zoning appeals board to urge officials to protect the health and well-being of residents by denying a permit to have a new asphalt facility in northwest Detroit. Overall, we focus collaboration, outreach, education, and advocacy efforts on improving the natural and built environment so that the physical, spiritual, mental, and economic health of Detroiters is improved, protected, and maintained. Q: What are the biggest challenges? A: If Detroit is going to be a model city for sustainability, nonprofits, for-profits, industry, education systems, health systems, government, art institutions, etc. – and I think we can be – we must all work together as we look for creative and innovative solutions to challenges. We must honor the ideas, perspectives, voices, actions, and leadership of the communities impacted by decisions that are being made. We must listen to the people in the areas we work in – the daily issues that impact their lives. Q: What drives your passion here? A: I believe that anyone, anywhere can collaborate for the greater good. I have been part of some unlikely alliances that have created transformative change. For example, in previous work, I was responsible for recruiting volunteers ages 55 and up to read to elementary school students. I facilitated relationships with local motorcycle clubs and had bearded, tatted bikers volunteering to read to third graders, encouraging academic achievement and helping to improve school climate. I’m ready to be part of that process as we focus on transforming the way we collectively “do business” as consumers and producers in Detroit. Q: From your perspective – what is the role of businesses in Detroit in terms of sustainability overall for the city? Businesses of all sizes with varying goals, visions, and missions can engage in co-learning, collaboration, and collective action. Many of the challenges that we are facing are the result of a few making decisions that will impact many. Therein lies the problem. The biggest challenge to sustainability, in business and beyond, is clinging to the status quo or “business as usual.” We have to engage in some business that is unusual. For far too long the blame for environmental woes and the measures to fix the issues have been passed on to individuals. We can shift the conversation from asking individuals to reduce, reuse, and recycle to expecting businesses, especially big businesses, to respect, restore, and replenish. Q: What are businesses in Detroit that are doing it well? A: Pingree Detroit comes to mind when I think of sustainability, innovation, creativity, and collaboration. They serve as a prime example of how businesses of varying sizes that have varying impacts on the ecosystem can partner. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates on sustainable business practices in and around Detroit.
Detroit 2030 District is Promoting Carbon-Free, High-Performance Built Environments
SBN Detroit interviews the executive director of the Detroit 2030 District, Connie Lilley. Connie has been working within the commercial built environment for over 25 years, with the last 16 years focusing on energy efficiency and sustainability. She has served on many industry trade groups, including past vice chair for the U.S. Green Building Council, Detroit Regional Chapter, where she implemented the popular My Green School Art Contest that runs annually throughout Michigan. Connie has received two awards from the National Women in Construction Detroit Chapter for being a green/sustainable leader. She has also volunteered for BOMA, IFMA, and the City of Detroit Green Task Force. Connie is a LEED AP, O & M (accredited professional, operations and maintenance) and has an MBA focusing on corporate sustainability. Q: Please tell me about Detroit 2030 District and your role. A: I am the executive director of the Detroit 2030 District, which is a nonprofit working with building owners and managers to help them reduce energy and water consumption and transportation emissions to and from their buildings. The movement promotes a carbon-free future, high-performance buildings, economic development, and environmental justice. The District is one of twenty-four 2030 Districts across North America, with three in Michigan – Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Ann Arbor. The Detroit 2030 District Is the fourth-largest District in the network, with over 51 million square feet committed. The District has 40 local nonprofit partners and 42 local businesses that support the program. The Detroit District was launched in 2017 with the support of the Michigan Department, of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. Q: Please elaborate on the work you are currently doing. A: We offer our building members resources and a robust calendar of educational opportunities to learn how to reduce energy and water consumption, transportation emissions, and operating expenses. We have three best practice groups, including houses of worship, venues, and museums, and multifamily. We assist our members in many ways, including helping them start an Energy Star Portfolio Manager Account to measure and track energy and water consumption and work towards reducing them. We also run many pilots on new technologies at member buildings, allowing our members to see if the technology is suitable for their buildings. We run webinars on relevant topics, including funding mechanisms, grant opportunities, renewables, green infrastructure, solar, etc. Q: You were instrumental in bringing a District to Detroit in 2017. What prompted this and what was the process of bringing this to Detroit? A: My industry colleague, Peggy Matta, and I talked for many years about the benefits of this type of program. We knew that Detroit had many aging buildings that would need renovation in the coming years. If Detroit were to make a comeback, healthy buildings and communities would be significant to the process and help to spur economic development. We both know it is best to consider energy efficiencies and other high-performance building techniques before a building is built or renovated. We felt we would be more successful in helping to rebuild Detroit if we educated many building owners at a time instead of one at a time. We had heard of the 2030 District Network and how it works. We thought it would be great to bring a District to Detroit. After working for several years with many volunteers and an exploratory committee, we became an Emerging 2030 District. After a lot of groundwork, and collaboration with municipalities, businesses, and nonprofits, our movement began to grow and finally became a full District in 2017. Peggy became the founder and Chair of the organization and is still very involved. Q: Are you pleased with the progress and impact you’ve been able to make? A: While there have been many ups and downs, including the pandemic, flooding, stormwater issues, and the political environment, we have made it through. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would have 51 million square feet signed into our program. When we were first touting the benefits of reducing carbon emissions from the built environment, the conversation about the impact of climate change on the built environment was challenging. Many people didn’t understand the economic and health benefits of reducing a building’s carbon footprint. Since our inception, we have helped hundreds of building owners and facility managers understand how to measure, track and work to reduce energy and water consumption. Many building owners don’t have an energy manager or a sustainability professional who understands how to combat issues with climate challenges. We have implemented several successful programs, including a Museum Best Practice Group, which has gone national across all 2030 Districts. Our unique House of Worship Best Practices Group includes over 20 local congregations. This program partners with 15 different local businesses and the EPA for Congregations and has crafted a collaboration opportunity for all denominations. One of the District’s strengths is bringing together groups of people from different entities and organizations to collaborate on strategies. Our program provides various events and workshops that bring people together that may not have had the opportunity to meet before. Facility managers across the city can now collaborate and work together instead of in a silo. Sharing best practices reduces the time and effort a building owner/manager must put into understanding climate challenges and overcoming them. We launched the Detroit Energy Challenge along with the City of Detroit and the Michigan Battle of the Buildings. Our first awards breakfast took place this June. We will also be adding awards in the future for internal water consumption reduction. This competition is an excellent opportunity for us to recognize facility managers who have done a fantastic job reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint Our organization also supports a future benchmarking ordinance for the City of Detroit. We are hopeful to see this pass soon as it will allow building owners to benchmark their buildings. We have made great strides and relationships with the local utilities, including DTE and Detroit thermal. We work to understand their goals and missions
Kerry C. Duggan Works With Game-Changing Sustainability Businesses in Detroit
SBND interviews Kerry C. Duggan,national political advisor and visionary climatech executive and former Obama White House official. Founder and CEO of SustainabiliD in Detroit, and recently named the founding director of the University of Michigan’s SEAS Sustainability Clinic, Duggan shares her thoughts on a local level, highlighting key women and businesses who are making an impact and offering advice on approaching sustainability. Duggan is a board director of Perma-Fix (NASDAQ: PESI) and a senior advisor at RockCreek. She also sits on several corporate advisory boards, including Our Next Energy (ONE), Lux-Wall, Aclima, Walker-Miller, Arctaris Impact Investors, BlueConduit, and Commonweal Ventures. She is a senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists and a member of the International Women’s Forum. Duggan’s current public service includes serving as an appointee to the (U.S.) Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board (SEAB) under Secretary Jennifer Granholm and to the State of Michigan’s Council on Climate Solutions under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Q: Kerry, please tell us about your current work. A: I started SustainabiliD five years ago. It is a woman-owned,service-disabled veteran-owned, Detroit-based diverse small business working with game-changers to equitably solve the climate crisis.So, I have no small mission statement. As such, I’ve spent the last five years working on climate solutions in two ways: On the institutional side, I’m working to help develop the business model around place-based work for larger organizations. I have been appointed as the founding director of UM’s SEAS sustainability clinic in Detroit, and we are currently focused on three goals: To seek equitable and just solutions to the city’s most pressing sustainability-related issues; to lower operating costs—particularly in energy management for city operations—while reducing carbon emissions; and to support the delivery of services directly to the city and, through partner programs, to improve residents’ quality of life. Second, I work with climate solution companies. These are the game-changers. For example, Our Next Energy (ONE) recently set a world record of EV miles traveled on a single charge: 752 miles, in December, in Michigan. This is a very big deal. I work to help these businesses navigate opportunities to scale with the speed that we all need to combat the climate crisis. Q: Your work is largely around energy, climate, and environment.Where does your passion in these areas come from? A: First, I’m a mom. Climate is the most urgent issue of our time, and I want to create a safer, more sustainable planet for the next generation. Second, I have always loved doing my work in Detroit. My ancestors immigrated to Detroit from Ireland, so from a generational perspective, I try to give back to the place that has given my family so much. In this way, I’m very grounded in Detroit. I was also blessed to spend many summers of my youth on the shores of the Great Lakes, home to 21% of the world’s fresh surface water. How lucky are we? I work to protect that and make it available for my kids. Lastly, I have a basketball background, and the skills I gleaned from playing high-level hoops have transferred to my work. I’ll give an example. There is a move in basketball called the ‘give-and-go move’ where you give the ball away, then cut to the net, and get the ball back to make the lay-up. In my work, I listen to the needs of leaders in communities, putting aside my point of view, because if I don’t listen to real and immediate needs, we are just talking past one another – and no one wins. I put the give-and-go into practice in this way a lot. Q: What is your vision behind SustainabiliD? A: I grew up in a suburb of Detroit. Kids twenty miles down the road living in the city of Detroit faced injustices that I did notand conversely did not have the opportunities I had. That’s been my charge: how can we change this and ensure the city is not only vibrant and safe but also offers equitable opportunities to everyone? Q: The SustainabiliD team is predominantly women. What are your thoughts on women as leaders in sustainability? A: I think if I created a pie chart of my calendar, we’d see that daily I’m mostly speaking with female leaders across the globe, who are mostly non-white. These are the voices that have been left furthest behind in every conversation to date on the planet. I know I don’t have all the answers, but I always try to listen to people of color, women, other minorities, and people with underrepresented identities on what their needs are and try to help them position themselves to win the future. That’s where I’ve chosen to spend my time. Q: Speaking of women, what Detroit female business leaders in the sustainability space can you point to who are making a difference? A: Carla Walker-Miller. I work with a variety of companies but one that is an absolute stand-out is Walker-Miller Energy Services. In addition to what they do, which is to help relieve folks of energy burden by doing energy retrofits, Carla is an equitable economic development leader and a woman of color. I admire her not only for her company’s work but for her leadership. She is a national figure living and working in Detroit making a great impact on equitable economic development. Her work constantly informs what I’m doing now. Carla Walker-Miller has hired Dr. Brandy Brown as Chief Innovation Officer for Walker-Miller. She is another amazing talent. Before joining Walker-Miller, Dr. Brown served as Climate & Energy Advisor within the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy. She also serves as part of the Environmental Justice faculty for the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability and as an appointee to Michigan’s National Resources Trust Fund Board. A native Detroiter, Dr. Jalonne L. White-Newsome was recently tapped to be the new White House Council on Environmental Quality’s Senior Director for Environmental Justice. She has tackled environmental challenges from a wide range
