ASPIRE Center Newsletter
Welcome! Please enjoy the latest news and updates from our center!
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November is Environmental Justice & Health Equity Month!
This month is a crucial reminder that not all communities experience the impact of environmental hazards equally. Children from historically marginalized communities bear a disproportionate burden of environmental exposures that can affect development and long-term health. Shedding light on health disparities and championing equal access to clean air, water, and green spaces promotes a healthier and more equitable environment for everyone.
Consider how you or your organization can work to address systemic environmental justice issues, foster meaningful discussions, advocate for just policies, and collaborate on initiatives that create a safer, healthier environment for every child.
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Native American Heritage Month
Environmental justice and health equity are of utmost importance as we recognize Native American Heritage Month and Native American Heritage Day (November 24, 2023). The impact of climate change is especially severe for many federally recognized tribes in the United States that depend on traditional places, foods, and lifestyles. The U.S. Climate Resiliency Toolkit also notes that "Chronic stresses such as extreme poverty are being exacerbated by climate change impacts: these impacts include reduced access to traditional foods, decreased water quality, and increasing exposure to health and safety hazards. In Alaska, Maine, the Pacific Northwest, and other coastal locations, erosion and inundation related to climate change are so severe that some communities are already relocating from historical homelands to which their traditions and cultural identities are tied." Read first-hand accounts of how climate change is adversely impacting tribal lands: "Dispossessed Again: Climate Change Hits Native Americans Especially Hard." Christopher Flavelle and Kalen Goodluck (Published June 27, 2021, Updated June 22, 2023). New York Times.
Learn more:
NIEHS: Native American Health and the Environment
EPA: Environmental Justice for Tribes and Indigenous Peoples
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Pilot Project Request for Proposals Now Open!
Application deadline is January 05, 2024
We are pleased to announce that the ASPIRE Center Request for Pilot Project Proposals is now open! The Development Core anticipates funding multiple projects ($60,000 total available for all projects) and the Translation Core anticipates funding 1-2 projects ($40,000 each).
This year’s priority areas for pilot projects are:
- Reducing the exposure and health impacts of wildfire smoke and air pollution
- Supporting the Oregon Choose Safe Places and/or CEHN Eco-Healthy Child Care® programs
- Efforts to adapt and increase resilience to hazards produced by climate change
- Promoting or evaluating policies and practices to protect children from environmental hazards
We will consider applications for other projects areas that will translate existing research into policies, programs, or practices to improve children’s environmental health. If you have another children’s environmental health topic that you would like to pursue, please contact Molly Kile.
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79th OPHA Annual Conference & Meeting
October 16-17, 2023
Were you able to stop by the ASPIRE Center table at the OPHA Conference last month? Our Fall themed table was a hit (mostly the big bowl of candy!) and we were able to make some great connections with other groups and individuals who care deeply about children's environmental health issues. If you weren't able to attend or stop by our table at the OPHA conference, don't worry! You can find us December 4-7, 2023, at the 2023 OSU Extension Annual Conference. And of course, you can also always reach out to the ASPIRE Center directly with questions, ideas, or just to say hello!
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National Lead Poising Prevention Week
October 22–28, 2023
National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is a joint call to action from CDC, EPA and HUD to bring together individuals, organizations, industry, and tribal, state and local governments to reduce childhood exposure to lead by increasing lead poisoning prevention awareness. This year's theme was "Together, we can prevent lead exposure!" The ASPIRE Center was pleased to take part in National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2023 (#NLPPW2023) activities, including a social media series on Facebook and X (Twitter) and taking part in the #NLPPWchat on X (Twitter) hosted by the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH).
Learn more about how to prevent childhood lead exposure!
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Oregon State University’s Advancing Science, Practice, Programming and Policy in Research Translation for Children's Environmental Health (ASPIRE) Center is proud to be one of six centers in the United States funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to develop strategies to translate key children’s environmental health research findings to relevant stakeholders.
We are a dedicated, cross-disciplinary team working together to improve children’s health and wellbeing. Our efforts focus on accelerating the adoption of evidence-informed policies, programs, and practices that can reduce harmful environmental exposures where children live, learn, and play.
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