Abstract Submission: In August 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) UHI (Urban Heat Island) Mapping Campaigns found exposure to higher temperatures disproportionately affected low-income, predominantly black communities and historically redlined neighborhoods in East Knoxville due to less infrastructure investment, abundant heat-retaining surfaces, and a lack of canopied vegetation (https://heatequity.utk.edu/knoxville-heat-map/). To address this multifaceted social and environmental justice issue, a collaboration between The University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) and the local nonprofit Socially Equal Energy Efficient Development (SEEED) organization will install cutting-edge “Gravel Tree Stormwater Systems” (GTSS). The GTSSs have significant implications for climate resilience, providing shading, evaporative cooling, and extreme precipitation mitigation. UTK/SEEED is working to leverage the benefits of these installations within underserved communities in East Knoxville. The project aims to provide ecosystem services and bolster the community’s resilience to climate change, emphasizing community engagement to guide implementation efforts. The project also aims to provide pathways out of poverty for young adults through K-12 environmental education and workforce development programs, including internships and certification programs. To ensure the project design holistic integrates with the needs and desires of the East Knoxville community, the project began by establishing an Environment and Economic Justice Framework (EEJF). The EEJF guides the project to ensure that equity is embedded in the entire project so that this environmentally and economically neglected community will accrue the benefits of green infrastructure development. This presentation will provide an overview of the EEJ Framework implemented in this project to guide the development of similar environmental justice programs. It will also discuss the project's progress, emphasizing design choices for maximizing the social benefits of BMPs to the community in need and the qualitative outcomes of the initial community engagement efforts.
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