Colorado Springs non-profit eager to share feedback on Environmental Justice Action Task Force draft

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A Colorado Springs non-profit organization, Food to Power, is eager to provide insight to a state task force aimed at helping disproportionally impacted communities when it comes to environmental health.

At the end of August, the Colorado Department of Health and Environment asked for feedback to help determine:

• The definition of “disproportionately impacted communities”
• How agencies should engage with disproportionately impacted communities
• How agencies should consider equity and the cumulative impacts when making decisions that affect environmental health
• How agencies can make data about environmental health risks more transparent to Coloradans living in communities disproportionately impacted by pollution and climate change

Food to Power is one of the organizations that plan to provide feedback on topics, including environmental pollution and access to fresh food.

The non-profit focuses on providing help food deserts in Southeast Colorado Springs. That includes communities like Meadow parks, Pikes Peak Park, and Hillside areas.

The executive director of Food to Power, Patience Kabwasa told KRDO she's glad the state is finally recognizing that it needs to step up for underserved communities.

"This data we have known in some shape, form or fashion for decades and right now it is just a time for bold action and bold action means bold investments into communities , into individuals, into families, I think it is time for bold action to really start to move the needle and help equity so we can start to see those life expectancies differences," said Kabwasa.

The organization believes the definition of 'disproportionately impacted communities' is someone who lives in a geographic or environmental area where there are several contributing barriers to anything that would cause environmental justice, food access and resources. In essence, the barriers that one experiences in order to access resources are disproportionate in comparison to other counterparts in the community.

Those barriers include transportation, housing, economic means and food access.

State health officials will also hold a meeting later in September in Pueblo to discuss with community members about these recommendations.

The plan is to send the final draft to the legislature and governor's office this fall. The deadline for public feedback is Oct. 14, 2022.

Read the current draft recommendation below:

To provide feedback, people can do one of the following:

• Fill out this survey
• Edit the draft and email the edits to cdphe_ej@state.co.us
• Send written comments to cdphe_ej@state.co.us