New environmental education program builds connections for refugees and immigrants in Spokane

For refugees and immigrants, adjusting to a new home can be challenging and overwhelming. Many are navigating unfamiliar surroundings, cultures and languages. But a unique environmental program in Spokane is helping them build connections with the environment and their new community.

Ecology’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Education grant program aims to increase education and outreach on litter control, waste reduction, recycling and composting for communities that have dealt with disproportionate challenges due to social, economic or environmental factors.

Spokane River Forum, a nonprofit, is using a Waste Reduction and Recycling Education grant to do just that.

Using funding from Ecology, Spokane River Forum offers education and outreach to refugees and immigrants in Spokane County. To make information more accessible, they have translated the Spokane Waste and Recycling Directory into Russian, Spanish and Ukrainian. These languages were selected because they are among the most widely spoken in Spokane.

According to Ecology’s grant manager, Steven Gimpel, the directory “is a great tool for local residents to find solutions for their waste.” By providing translated versions of the directory, refugees and immigrants have access to detailed information on the proper methods, locations, and procedures for disposing of waste and recyclable materials. Waste management then becomes more accessible for individuals who do not speak English as their primary language.

Spokane River Forum has also partnered with Refugee and Immigrant Connections Spokane to fund educational field trips for their Kids Connect program. For participants of the Kids Connect program, moving to a new city, let alone a new country, is a daunting endeavor that is full of many new challenges. However, through hands-on experiences, participants can see how we deal with waste in our community and how waste management ultimately impacts our water systems. Participants learn valuable information that they can share with their family members and use to take action in proper waste management.

Although these field trips are designed for young people, a total of 120 participants from different age groups have had the chance to explore various facilities around Spokane. Field trips have included visits to the Waste to Energy facility, the Water Resource Center, and the Combined Sewer Overflow tank at Spokane Falls. Participants have also taken part in Arbor Day activities at Finch Arboretum, as well as several other outreach events. The next field trip will take participants to the Water Treatment Facility at Riverside State Park, where they will have the opportunity to learn about how wastewater is treated.

Happy Avery, the executive director of Spokane River Forum, hopes that these field trips will engage our young people. “Kids are our future, and they want to know about this stuff.”

As the program grows, Happy not only hopes to involve more young people but to also expand the variety of languages used in education and outreach materials. The effects of this program go far beyond that of waste management. This program is helping immigrants and refugees feel a sense of belonging in our community by creating opportunities to engage and learn so that they can take action and be participants in our city’s waste management.