Groundwork Milwaukee Connects the Dots on Flood Risk, Climate Change, and Public Health

Many Wisconsinites are familiar with the fact that Milwaukee ranks as one of the most segregated cities in the United States. This unfortunate status is no accident, but a result of historical government housing policy from the 1930’s. The goal of the policy was to slow down the rate of foreclosures that ran rampant in the years following the Depression. In this interview with the Wisconsin Environmental Health Network,

Young Kim explained how Groundwork Milwaukee crews were setting their sights on the very real and urgent matter of building resilient communities that can stand up to the effects of climate change, flooding in particular at the beginning of the season.

Network News: August 2023

Q: Where on Earth has Groundwork been?

A: The National BrownFields Conference!

“The National Brownfields Training Conference is the largest event in the nation focused on environmental revitalization and economic redevelopment. Held every two years, the conference attracts over 2,000 stakeholders in brownfields redevelopment and cleanup to share knowledge about sustainable reuse and celebrate the EPA brownfields program’s success.

The conference features a range of sessions, workshops, and networking events that cover topics such as financing, liability, and community engagement, with the goal of promoting the cleanup and revitalization of contaminated sites across the United States.”

Community Gardening at an all-time high in Milwaukee

100!

Mid-summer inventory is in, and the Milwaukee Grows Garden Network has 100 gardens! That’s one hundred neighbors who’re reaching out to green Milwaukee and make their environment safer, greener, and healthier!

We can’t even cheer loud enough on this one but, HOORAY!

healing spaces grow on

The Healing Spaces Initiative continues to take root as the summer goes on. We’re opening to two more sites on Milwaukee’s South Side. Each is being hand designed to fit the needs of the neighborhood where it’s located, and is pretty cool! Literally.

Heat Islands Dial Up The HEat For Many Milwaukee Neighborhoods

Urban heat islands are created when surfaces like parking lots, sidewalks and streets absorb and hold onto heat. During heat waves, nearly 40% of Milwaukee’s residents are exposed to temperatures that are more than 8 degrees hotter than the temperature forecast, according to new data from Climate Central.

“We can’t air condition our way out of this,” said Young Kim, the executive director at Groundwork Milwaukee

Click the link below to hear Young’s and Danell’s Cross of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges’ conversation discussing climate change and the effect of heat islands in the city of Milwaukee.

Community Garden Spotlight: Florence Lambert

Chef Grian will be in the Lambert Community with Garden Leaders and the neighbors on September 9th, cooking up some snacks for cool weather.

Will we see you there?