Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 9, including Regional Administrator Martha Guzman, seated, second from left; meet recently with Austin Shelton, Director of the University of Guam’s Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant, seated, third from left; and other Center staff at the G3 Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub at the Chamorro Village in Hagåtña, Guam. Photo courtesy University of Guam ()
The University of Guam’s Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant will receive $526,000 as part of a new nationwide initiative to help local communities access federal technical assistance as they resolve environmental challenges.
UOG’s participation will be through a partnership with San Diego State University (SDSU).
SDSU will establish one of 17 Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers nationwide. Each of the 17 centers will receive $10 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and UOG’s $526,000 will come from its partnership with SDSU.
“UOG continues to serve our students, our island, and our region through our faculty and research expertise, as well as through meaningful partnerships we are building across the globe,” said UOG President Anita Borja Enriquez. “We are pleased to partner with the prestigious San Diego State University under the leadership of its President, Dr. Adela Dela Torre, to deliver new resources and networks for the benefit of our island communities.”
Many communities across the nation have the solutions to the environmental challenges they face but have lacked access or faced barriers when it comes to the crucial federal resources needed to deliver these solutions, said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan in a previously issued statement about the $177 million nationwide effort.
The 17 Centers will ensure all communities can access benefits from President Biden’s historic economic plan, Regan said, “which includes groundbreaking investments in clean air, clean water, and our clean energy future.”
In Guam, the UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant will lead outreach, engagement, and service delivery for Guam and the rest of the Micronesia region. The local efforts will be coordinated with the Guam Green Growth (G3) and the Guam Energy Office.
“Guam and the rest of Micronesia are no strangers to environmental justice issues. We are on the frontlines of climate change's impacts despite contributing the least to its causes. This significant grant will build local capacity to address some of these justice issues and expand our center’s ability to support sustainable development in Guam and our region,” stated Austin Shelton, Director of the UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant.
Over the next five years, the SDSU Center for Community Energy and Environmental Justice and its partners will co-create accessible, multilingual, in-person, and virtual services to help communities that are often most affected by environmental challenges like drought, flooding, and pollution apply for government funding.
