This pillar addresses the barriers for BIPOC communities in access to green spaces, outdoor recreation and inclusion in conservation efforts, as well as access to healthy food. BIPOC communities have historically disproportionately experienced these barriers due to factors such as environmental racism, redlining, discriminatory housing practices and being pushed to the outskirts of cities which are food deserts in often toxic industrial areas. This is especially true for Phoenix Arizona. 

Specific Challenges:

• Access to green spaces and healthy affordable food: According to data from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, South Phoenix, Durango Complex and West Phoenix consistently rank as the having the worst air quality in all of Maricopa County. According to research complied by the ASU Morrison Institute for Public Policy, these areas have less green spaces, hold most of the counties' factories and waste facilities, and are also mostly populated by BIPOC communities that were intentionally pushed to the outskirts of west and south Maricopa county through a history of segregation and discriminatory housing policies. They also lack access to healthy affordable food.