Environmental Justice Continues with Payne-Phalen Community Council & Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association

Payne-Phalen Community Council (PPCC), Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association (PPNA), and HOURCAR are continuing work towards environmental justice through upcoming environmental justice brainstorm sessions and EV Spot Network (Evie Carshare & EV Spot Charging) trainings held in American Sign Language (ASL), Hmong, Karen, Somali, and Spanish languages.

Environmental justice is defined by the EPA as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” As low-income and marginalized communities are unfairly exposed to the harmful uses of land, including contaminated water and poor air quality, these brainstorm sessions will provide space for community members to gather and discuss environmental issues.

The EV Spot Network was designed to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in low-income and majority BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities in Saint Paul and Minneapolis by providing a network of renewably-powered on-street public electric vehicle charging stations (EV Spot Charging) and all-electric, one-way fleet of shared vehicles (Evie Carshare). Trainings will be provided in tandem or separately of the brainstorm sessions to help increase awareness of the service. As the average carshare member generally saves hundreds of dollars per month over owning a vehicle, these training sessions are designed to support non-native English members to increase access to and the adoption of carsharing services.  

Brainstorm sessions and EV Spot Network trainings will run March – June 2023 and will be held in both PPCC and PPNA communities. More information will be provided here as we get closer to the event dates.