Bullard Center Team Attend the 2023 National Brownfields Training Conference

The Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice delegation, including Dr. Robert Bullard, the center's founding director, along with other staff members and community partners, attended the Brownfields Conference in Detroit, MI, August 8-11, 2023. This conference provided an exceptional opportunity for the Bullard Center team and its Houston community partners to share and be among some environmental justice frontrunners.

Brownfields are industrial or commercial properties that have been contaminated, making them unsuitable for redevelopment. These sites are often located in low-income communities and communities of color, posing a significant health risk to residents. The Brownfields Conference is the largest gathering of brownfields professionals globally. It allows experts to share their knowledge and learn about new developments while building partnerships to address environmental and economic challenges across the country.

The conference presented an energetic platform of speakers and mobile workshops and offered innovative trainings which highlighted effective strategies for addressing brownfields and other environmental challenges. Some workshop topics include brownfield redevelopment, community engagement, and environmental racism, of which Dr. Bullard is a renowned expert, having championed the cause for more than four decades and continues to do so today.

The Bullard Center’s Houston community partners attended the conference including Sunnyside Community Redevelopment Organization, Northeast Houston Redevelopment Council, and The Coalition of Community Organizations. The Bullard Center is committed to supporting all Houston community partners who work towards just and sustainable communities.

The Brownfields Conference was a great networking opportunity and provided resources for anyone interested in regenerating their community, stimulating economic development, and safeguarding public health.

For more information on the Brownfields Conference, please visit brownfields2023.org.

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*Pictured Above: (l) to (r): [first row] Sandra Edwards (Coalition for Environment, Equity & Resilience), Huey Wilson (Northeast Houston Redevelopment Council), Dr. Beverly Wright (DSCEJ), Dr. Robert Bullard, Kim Dunn (DSCEJ staff), Joetta Stevenson (Coalition of Community Organizations), Bertina Carter (Bullard Center staff), Paulette Lynch (Bullard Center staff) and Daniella Flanagan (Coalition of Community Organizations); [second row] Keith Downey (Northeast Houston Redevelopment Council), Pastor Timothy Grier (Unity In The Family Ministry),unknown,  Dr. Calvin Avant (Unity In The Family Ministry), Debra Walker (Sunnyside Community Redevelopment Organization), Dr. David Padgett (Tennessee State University/HJETT) and Bruce McClue III (DSCEJ staff).