Dealing with community resistance during a cleanup project. How can you effectively navigate the challenges?

Environmental Justice communities have historically borne the brunt of environmental pollution. Often, the trade-off for economic development for others has been the health and well-being of low-income or minority communities. Resistance to cleanup can arise from the belief that the cleanup is just another way to pacify the community without addressing the broader systemic inequities and injustices. Resistance may also relate to a fear of displacement and gentrification from recovering previously contamined land. Developers would be wise to identify the roots of resistance and be prepared to negotiate community benefits agreements that help these historically disadvantaged and disinvested communities improve their circumstances.

Build, maintain, and strengthen partnerships with relevant agencies and NGOs in the area ... involve them in planning, implementation, and evaluation of clean-up events ... and when you promote the accomplishments and community benefits in the local media, be sure to affirm and thank your partners.

Resistance can be lowered once a person understands how their resistance causes harm to others around them. A client in a community wanted to build a wall to keep their yard from flooding, they did not want to allow their yard to remain part of the local flood plain. Once they understood that their resistance caused more problems for their neighbors down stream they canceled plans for a wall. Educate, educate, educate. Help anyone who is resisting changes to see the value of the changes and their part in it.

One thing thatbi h Ave found helpful is follow through. Individuals affected by Cleanup often feel left out after all activities are said and done. Doing a follow through as part of wrap up provides the consultants with insight about information or issues that might not have been discussed outside of community meetings and ensures the development of sincere relationship with the community, which is likely to turn unto further support.

I have found that a lot of mistrust comes from leaving the community out at integral steps. I have seen countless times bureaucrats make decisions without engaging with the public and then bring these forward once they have decided the direction. Each and every community is unique, and engagement should take place at every stage and be meaningful. Listening and building trust with residents is vital to successful projects that the public will support. Also being transparent from the start on exactly how feedback and input impacts the process is key, engagement to check a box is not engagement, it is tokenistic.

Deve ser realizado um diagnóstico dos hábitos dos integrantes da comunidade, observar principalmente os hábitos de consumo e descarte de resíduos.

Problem with a greenway and stream in a large development. I met with the HOA management company, the HOA board, and concerned members of the community. I gave a presentation to educate everyone on how the stream and greenway interacted with nature. The the sides of the greenway are only one mower width now with the rest filled by what ever nature places there. The area is now much more stable with plants and shrubs and the community has chosen the natural look as it has shown to be helping the greenway become more stable even when it goes under water.

There are reasons why the community is resistant and if you do not deal with root cause of their resistance than you might be aiming in the dark in solving the problem and waste valuable time. Understanding why they are resistant and addressing their concerns will foster some level of trust in your efforts. Perhaps also understanding the reasons that lead to the cleanup project might also have an impact in how you approach the community members.

Fomentar o engajamento apresentando todo o fluxo do processo. Mostrar os benefícios da ação alcançados com a participação deles.

In the Triangle area of NC I do most of my work. We had heavy rains with storm Debby. Today I got an email from an HOA I had done work with on their stream bank. They were told if they followed through with the work it would improve their area and help cut down on flooding. Here is what I was sent: Hi Frank, Every time we get loads of rain at Pebble Creek in Durham, we are grateful to you for the great job you did re-shaping the contours of our creek and regrading the yard behind building 706. There was a deluge last night and this morning, and again you were in our appreciative thoughts, as you are so often. Thank you again for your fine work on our behalf!

Most of my clean up projects involve riparian areas or parks. Water is essential for all life, and no one likes the sight of a trashy water way. Shoreline clean-ups, on a monthly scale, shows actionable progress. It lets the citizens feel empowered that this piece of the City is theirs, and have a part in it. Park clean ups are great too, as the sports groups learn that the trash on the fields comes from players more than other patrons. They take personal responsibility to keep the fields they love to play on clear and clean. That allows staff to spend money on striping, Turf management and dirt work, and not wasted on hours of waste management. And never underestimate a 5 yr olds ability to shame a polluting parent/guardian. Teach them.

In Yukon the Government offers $200 to $300 to Non-Government Organizations to clean up the road sides in and near communities. I recommend that schools should spend time talking about waste management and littering and some of the ways it damages the wildlife and can affect wildlife. Engaging children can has influence on parents.

1. Planning with the community has so far proven to be the most effective way. Identify a reasonable number of community representatives from the specific community and involve them in planning and mainly allow them to air their views and take them into considerations when final decisions are taken. 2. Reward them, when conducting our cleaning campaigns, we always reward the area with high number of participants as well as the cleanest area by giving them certificates. This create good competition and yield great results.