Achieving Community Tasks Successfully celebrates our accomplishments – our TEAM works to contribute to the resiliency and sustainability of the communities in the area.  

Our team is growing, our Project Manager for the EPA Air Monitoring Grant comes to us with extensive experience.  Katie Moore is no stranger to Houston, and she provides a wealth of technical experience.  The EPA Grant is a collaboration with three other community-based organizations – Coalition of Community Organizations (COCO) in Fifth Ward, Sunnyside Community Redevelopment Organization (SCRO) and Environmental Community Advocates of Galena Park (ECAGP).  Each of us represents disadvantaged communities as described in the Biden Administration’s Justice 40 initiative.  

ACTS celebrates 5 years of community-led air monitoring.  Our program has grown from our stationary monitors in the community, to the federal funding to include mobile air monitoring of air toxics, and the state (Texas Commission Environmental Quality – TCEQ) installing a federal equivalent monitor (FEM) in the community.   We have community team members that install and provide maintenance to the equipment. 

We continue our work with HISD – Holland Middle School addressing food security.  New Team Member Giovanna Salazar is working directly with HISD Agriculture Teacher, Shannon Scott, to enhance the educational experience of the students/scholars.  We have partnered with Furr High School’s Agricultural Program and Student Conservation Association to bridge learning from elementary to high school.  Preparing our youth with STEAM, life skills, and career and technical education.   

In addition, our community support team includes individuals in the Pleasantville and Clinton Park/Tri Community for outreach.  So many of the climate, environmental and social justice issues impacting our nearby port communities are shared.  Our goal is to engage, educate and empower residents to become advocates for solutions. 

Urban Heat Island – A project at Judson Robinson Sr. Community Center and Park with the City of Houston Parks Department and Houston Parks Board  focused on reducing urban heat island effects in the Pleasantville community will be completed in 2024.  We know that our green spaces need more canopy/shade to protect youth and families that want to utilize the green spaces provided within the community.  As we acknowledge the significance of climate change and extreme heat, this project will help to mitigate the impacts of urban heat, as well as, enhance the landscape of our community.  

TCEQ Monitor – Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approved placing a federal equivalent monitor (FEM) in the Pleasantville community.  This is a great win for the community. We worked closely with TCEQ to identify a location for installation of the monitor.  The date for installation remains pending, but we continue to monitor.  

Statutory partner –    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University was selected as one of the eleven “Grantmakers” under its $600 million Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking (EJ TCGM) program, created by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the largest investment in climate action in history.  Achieving Community Tasks Successfully (ACTS) is the community-based statutory partner for the program.  The implementation of the EPA Region 6 Grantmaker program is slated for late 2024.  An overview of the program is available on the Bullard Center’s website here.

We are grateful for the recognition from the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Black Congressional Congress.   We have long-term working relationships with the HBCU-CBO Gulf Coast Equity Consortium, The Robert Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University, the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice and the Environmental Defense Fund  – much of our success is because of the mentorship, support, and sharing of their expertise.  It is our goal to continue to share how community-based organizations can be a part of change and improvement in their respective communities.   By example – WE ENGAGE, EDUCATE AND EMPOWER!

Sincerely 

Bridgette Murray BSN MBA

Founder/Executive Director 

Achieving Community Tasks Successfully