South Bronx Unite: In Search of Environmental Justice

South Bronx Unite: In Search of Environmental Justice | Youth Climate Report

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2015Nov 14

South Bronx Unite is a coalition of South Bronx residents, organizations, and allies working together to improve and protect the social, environmental, and economic future of the South Bronx. South Bronx Unite formed in response to the proposed relocation of Fresh Direct from Long Island City in Queens to the Harlem River Yard, a 96‐acre Port Morris/Mott Haven waterfront parcel of public land leased by the New York State Department of Transportation to Harlem River Yard Ventures in 1991 for 99 years. In an undemocratic and community excluded process, the City and State have offered Fresh Direct $128 million of publicly financed subsidies to assist with Fresh Direct’s proposed move to the Harlem River Yard. Even though Fresh Direct would introduce thousands of vehicle and truck trips to South Bronx neighborhoods every single day, the City and Fresh Direct failed to adequately review the environmental impacts associated with the project as required by State and Local laws and excluded the affected community from the decision‐making process. http://southbronxunite.org/ At Brook Park, 100 pepper plants have taken root in a corner of the garden known as the “youth farm.” Their primary caretakers are teenagers with criminal records who were sent to work in the garden through a court order as an alternative to incarceration. Ray Figueroa Jr is the program director for Friends of Brook Park, which runs the garden. A few of the youth have completed their requirements but continue to work at the Youth Farm. http://friendsofbrookpark.org/ Youth Climate Report is a youth-led documentary initiative that operates in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Subscribe to Youth Climate Report on YouTube to receive easy access to the full In-Depth Video Archives as well as short and feature-length documentary films produced by youth from around the world.