The complexity of social, economic, and structural factors that have created such lasting social problems as substandard housing, segregation, and homelessness and the need for sustainable community development demand a multidisciplinary, multi-method, community-engaged approach. CHCS brings together faculty, staff, and students from multiple disciplines to address these problems as well as to provide a point of contact for community partners, an opportunity for the practical education and training of UNCG students, and community-based evaluation and sustainable long-term regional planning.

This community-engaged project with residents in East Greensboro will address environmental justice concerns with two unnamed tributaries of South Buffalo Creek. Many communities of color have, over the last century, experienced the destruction of historical landmarks, erosion of social ties through urban renewal projects, and challenges to health by environmental hazards.

The project will involve the residents and youth of the Cottage Grove community in collection of oral histories of long-time residents, neighborhood surveys, resident focus groups, community-planning charrettes, trash/litter clean-up days, and finally a citizen-science stormwater curriculum with school-aged children. We expect the main outcome of the project will be building community capacity to organize and advocate for resources like green infrastructure through the City of Greensboro’s Participatory Budgeting process as well as developing an understanding of the importance of the storm-water system. The residents will build relationships with the City of Greensboro’s environmental educators and those relationships build trust in government and can help connect them to other resources in the community. The project will also initiate an environmental educational program with school age children, which will have a continuing impact as the water quality and stream studies become part of the curriculum for students. The results of the surveys will provide the Stormwater Group rich information about how this community views their undeveloped/natural areas and how they would like to see them improved as well as how much the community engagement activities changed their outlook about the neighborhood over the two-year project.
Position Summary
This Stormwater Project Coordinator position will be tasked with developing and implementing an environmental education program for an afterschool program, planning and organizing 3-4 clean-up days in the Cottage Grove neighborhood in Greensboro, leading citizen science water quality monitoring on two unnamed tributaries of South Buffalo Creek, and assisting in development of a tool kit for other communities. The Stormwater Project Coordinator will also assist the PIs in instrument development, data collection, analysis, and report writing.
Minimum Qualifications
Currently holding or working towards a Master’s Degree or PhD in natural resources, environmental science, environmental studies, sustainability, conservation, planning, civil engineering, public administration, science education, biology, geography, environmental sociology, or related field.

Knowledge of stormwater concepts, best management practices.

Experience in curriculum development and/or demonstrated work with elementary and middle school children.