Wednesday, September 17, community members, organizers, and youth leaders came together for an Air Quality Justice Walk through the South Bronx, co-led by the Energy Justice Law & Policy Center, South Bronx Unite and Groundwork Hudson Valley. Designed to take place during peak rush hour, the walk offered a firsthand look at how air pollution and land use decisions impact daily life in one of New York’s most environmentally burdened neighborhoods.

Each participant was given a portable air monitor by Groundwork Hudson Valley to track real-time air quality levels throughout the walk which included data such as relative humidity and particulate matter. Led by Javier Marchand of South Bronx Unite, the group followed a route that highlighted key pollution hotspots and community monitoring sites. Participants visited several of the stationary air monitors installed across the South Bronx through South Bronx Unite’s Clean Air Program, which provides ongoing data to support local organizing and policy change.

Stops included the Maria Sola Community Greenspace, a vital but vibrant patch of green space underneath the Major Deegan Expressway surrounded by traffic, as well as the rapidly growing building development on the waterfront, where new construction is bringing increased concerns about emissions, truck traffic, and displacement. Along the way, participants discussed how air quality is shaped by overlapping issues: industrial zoning, truck routes, lack of green buffers, and decades of disinvestment in the community.

This part of the South Bronx, particularly the neighborhoods of Mott Haven and Port Morris, has long been recognized as one of the most environmentally burdened areas in the country. With high asthma rates, major truck corridors, limited green infrastructure, and a history of industrial zoning, the community faces layers of environmental and health threats. South Bronx Unite has responded by combining advocacy, community science, and legal strategy to demand clean air and community-led planning.

The walk concluded with a community debrief back at South Bronx Unite’s office, where participants shared insights from the data they gathered, reflected on the neighborhood’s history, and discussed strategies for pushing local and regional policy change.

The Energy Justice Law & Policy Center is uplifting this work on a local, New Rochelle level with their Air of Truth campaign to uncover and address air quality disparities through community science, youth leadership, and legal advocacy. As part of this ongoing work, residents are invited to join the Voices for Air Circle, a monthly gathering focused on air justice, community science, and collective action in New Rochelle.

This builds on ongoing organizing in New Rochelle to address environmental racism and the health risks associated with it.  

Sign up HERE ! The first Voices for Air Circle meeting is October 7!