community partner projects

The University of Texas at Austin 

C.R.E.S.S.L.E.

Community Resilience integrated into an Earth System Science Learning Ecosystem is a partnership between PODER and the Environmental Science Institute at UT Austin to work with underserved communities from East Austin neighborhoods and assess community needs. The goal of CRESSLE is to create a community of practice that will design and implement community-driven research projects addressing community resilience and sustainability challenges adhering to four themes:  Water Resources, Climate Resilience, Land Use and Air Quality (UT Austin RESET Labs).  

City of Austin

R.E.M. 

In partnership with the City, PODER's Resilience and Emergency Management project is working to strengthen community stability and healthy living via a series of Emergency Preparedness workshops throughout neighborhoods in the Eastern Crescent of which are disproportionately impacted by emergency and climate related events.

RESET Lab at UT Austin

Air Quality Monitoring

The Rapid, Equitable and Sustainable Energy Transitions Lab is an interdisciplinary research hub seeking sustainable solutions at the interface of energy, equity and data science. The researchers making up this lab have proven to be an invaluable asset to the work that we've partnered on, in topics including air quality, land use, climate resilience, water resources, as well as the engagement of community on these themes via surveys. 

Our Network

  • DSCEJ

    Deep South Center for Environmental Justice

    Founded in 1992, the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice is dedicated to improving the lives of community members of all ages who are harmed by pollution and vulnerable to climate change, through research and policy studies, community and student engagement to impact policy change, and health and safety training for environmental careers.

  • WE ACT

    We Act for Environmental Justice

    Founded in 1988 as West Harlem Environmental Action Inc., WE ACT for Environmental Justice is a community-based organization fighting to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and low-income participate meaningfully in the creation of sound and fair environmental policies and practices. We are still headquartered in Harlem and have grown to become one of the most recognized and respected voices in the environmental justice movement, with more than 1,100 members and serving all of the Northern Manhattan section of New York City – including Harlem, Washington Heights, and Inwood.

  • EJHA

    Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform

    EJHA is a national network of grassroots Environmental and Economic Justice organizations and advocates in communities that are disproportionately impacted by toxic chemicals from legacy contamination, ongoing exposure to polluting facilities and health-harming chemicals in household products. EJHA supports a just transition towards safer chemicals and a pollution-free economy that leaves no community or worker behind. The EJHA network model features leadership of, by, and for Environmental Justice groups with support from additional allied groups and individual experts.

  • US Water Alliance

    US Water Alliance

    The US Water Alliance is a member-supported national nonprofit organization that aligns diverse stakeholders to develop common-ground and transformational solutions to our nation’s most pressing water challenges.