New Haven, CT – On August 17, Mic at the Mill will showcase the climate stories of Fair Haven residents. The event, organized by Save the Sound’s Urban Waters Initiative (UWI), Project Drawdown, Women Without Borders, and Semilla Collective, is part of a summer-long series of community happenings in the New Haven neighborhood along the Mill River.
Picking up where the UWI PhotoVoice project left off in 2022, Mic at the Mill will highlight the stories of Fair Haven residents, as well as the vital role of storytelling, creativity, and music making within climate and environmental justice movements. “This project is an emerging cultural catalyst in the Fair Haven neighborhood,” says Xochitl Garcia, UWI community leader and an organizer of the UWI PhotoVoice project. “It’s one of the first major projects emphasizing community input and action with support from a regional organization.”
During the PhotoVoice project, Fair Haven residents shared visions for their neighborhood through photography that communicated their desires – more blue and green spaces, transformed abandoned areas, and a cleaner, litter-free environment.
Fair Haven is designated by the state of Connecticut as an environmental justice community because it is disproportionally affected by excessive pollution and other environmental issues, clearly illustrated in the Connecticut Environmental Justice Communities Map, released by CT DEEP. “Fair Haven residents suffer from an unfair amount of exposure to pollution,” says Save the Sound’s environmental justice specialist and UWI project team member, Alex Rodriguez. “Promoting increased access to blue and green spaces is within the mission of environmental justice.”
Mic at the Mill will emphasize the power of storytelling to enact change. The event is being organized alongside Project Drawdown, an organization that leads the climate storytelling initiative Drawdown Stories, and Semilla Collective, a New Haven-based organization that hosts community cultural events around music and storytelling.
“Stopping climate change as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible requires that all communities – particularly those most vulnerable and least represented in the current dialogue – have a seat at the table and a role in implementing solutions,” says Matt Scott, Project Drawdown’s director of storytelling and engagement. “Drawdown Stories exists to pass the mic to diverse climate heroes often left out of the solutions conversation.”
Following Mic at the Mill will be Chill at the Mill on August 24. Chill at the Mill will be a Fair Haven community gathering celebrating the work of the Urban Waters Initiative and community partners. The event will showcase local live music, food, workshops, and tables from community organizations such as Semilla Collective, Peels & Wheels, and more.
Mic at the Mill will take place on August 17 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Bregamos Community Theater, 491 Blatchley Ave, New Haven, CT. You can register to attend Mic at the Mill here. Registration is required for all attendees.
Chill at the Mill will take place on August 24 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at 162 James St., Haven and Exchange Street Park, Fair Haven, New Haven, CT. You can register to attend Chill at the Mill here.
Urban Waters Initiative events are graciously sponsored by Ben & Jerry’s, who will be providing free ice cream during all programming.