Founded in 1994,[2] ACE works to eradicate environmental racism, and classism and achieve environmental justice by empowering lower-income and minority communities to participate in decision-making regarding economic, environmental and social issues and providing legal supports. [3]
ACE often forms cross-boundary coalitions and operates various youth, transportation networks, and environmental health programs such as Dudley Square Organizing Project (DSOP), Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Project (REEP), T Riders Union (TRU), the Safety Net, and Environmental Justice Legal Services (EJLS). [4][5]
Accomplishments
Some of ACE's notable accomplishments include the following:
ACE's Environmental Justice Legal Services represented Chelsea residents in a 2007 case that prevented the construction of a diesel-fueled power plant adjacent to an elementary school.[6]
In 2013, The Safety Net fought with Roxbury residents to avert the development of a Boston University-sponsored Level 4 biolab that involved Ebola and Smallpox.[7][8][9]
Cross-boundary coalitions
In 1999, ACE collaborated with governmental agencies to implement Airbeat, a real-time air pollution monitoring system in Roxbury to address the asthma, which is the historic environmental justice issue in Roxbury. Youths investigated a potential link between high asthma rates and air pollution from diesel vehicles, leading to AirBeat's development. Airbeat data was used to advocate for clean air measures such as alternative fuels for buses.[10]
In September 2009, youth members of REEP and TRU, in collaboration with the Youth Way on the MBTA, reached an agreement with Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation James Aloisi to extend the hours for student passes and investigate the feasibility of an unrestricted youth pass.[11][12]
In 2015, ACE partnered with MPHA(Massachusetts Public Health Alliance) and facilitated the implementation of Boston's Diesel Emission Reduction Ordinance(DERO). DERO address air pollution by reducing emission from transportations and buildings, especially communities that have disproportionately suffered from air pollution.[14]
In 2023, ACE’s partnership with MPHA facilitated the implementation of Energy Facilities Siting Reform bill, which ensures the impacts of air pollutions on environmental justice communities to be adequately addressed.[15]
