Winston-Salem’s new environmental justice report highlights past, present and path forward

Winston-Salem’s Sustainability Department is identifying areas where the city can work to create a clean and equitable environment for its residents. 

During a community development, housing and general government committee meeting on Dec. 9, Director Shaleen Miller presented the department’s 2024 environmental justice report.

In the report, the city acknowledges its “history of intentional residential segregation.” With the slew of segregation laws, redlining policies, racial covenants, roadways that split communities apart and more, the city has been shaped by its racist past, the report noted, giving many resources to predominately white communities in the west and depriving predominantly Black communities to the east. 

Two maps in the report showing where low-income people and people of color live bear striking similarities, with heavy concentrations huddling in the center of the city and around I-40 and Highway 52. Additionally, the highest percentage of people with disabilities is downtown; other high concentration areas are in the East and Northeast wards of the city.

Tree canopy shows another area of injustice. Winston-Salem’s overall tree equity score is 92 out of 100, meaning that it has approximately 43 percent tree canopy. However, near Liberty Street and 12^th Street, it’s as low as 59, giving it just 20 percent tree canopy. According to the city’s report, that represents an additional 12.9 degrees that the neighborhood experiences compared to the rest of the city.

Mayor Pro Tempore DD Adams reminisced on years gone by, when there were once abundant trees in the area.

But when Highway 52 came blazing through, it didn’t just tear down housing, Adams said. 

“It tore down all the environmental infrastructure that went with it.”

Health risks

The city has been through a lot of changes, and as businesses set up shop in the city and create their products, their emissions can affect the environment.

The Environmental Protection Agency tracks toxins that are released into the environment, and North Carolina’s toxic release rates give it a ranking of 17 out of 56 states and territories, per 2022 data from the EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory program.

Forsyth County has 24 TRI sites according to the EPA’s 2022 data. Responsibility for monitoring air pollution and enforcing air quality rules falls to Forsyth County. High concentrations of toxin release, some in the 100,000-1 million pound range, lie along Highway 52, particularly where I-40 intersects with it. A few other sites are located on the edges of the city. In the East Ward, Structural Steel of Carolina is a site with two times the EPA’s acceptable risk of incremental lifetime cancer risk due to emissions from nearby facilities, according to ProPublica.

When it comes to the issue of particulate matter, the city has achieved lower levels in recent years. Particulate matter is a combination of solid and liquid particles in the air that can increase the risk of health problems such as heart disease, asthma and low birth weight. Some common sources are vehicle exhaust and burning wood. The EPA’s current standard as of May 2024 is 9 micrograms per cubic meter; between 2012 and May 2024 it was 12 micrograms and from 1999-2012 it was 15 micrograms. Between 1999 and 2001, the city exceeded the old standard at around 16 micrograms. In 2023, the city’s output was 8.8 micrograms per cubic meter. 

During the Winston Weaver plant fire in 2022, the PM 2.5 levels rose to 1,750 micrograms per cubic meter — more than five times the amount that the EPA considers hazardous.

Diesel particulate matter is most heavily concentrated to the north of the city near the airport.

The city also experienced between 60-80 days above 90 degrees, which creates extreme heat risk.

Taking a look at how much residents’ income is spent on energy and transportation — considered a burden when greater than six percent of household income — census tract 3.02 in the North Ward takes the biggest hit at 6.18 percent. Also, more than 20 food deserts have been identified in the city.

The positives

In December 2023, the city installed its first solar rooftop on a city building. They’ve also participated in the Steering Committee of the Solarize the Triad community solar project. 

The city has applied for several grants to address environmental justice issues, receiving nearly $4.7 million this fiscal year. 

Roots Day, the city’s tree planting program, has focused on increasing tree canopy in low canopy areas. Also, the city’s new plan, Forward 2045, will incorporate several environmental justice items and speak specifically about reparative planning.

The future

The report outlines some recommended steps for the city to take, including:

• Emergency management planning and information to inform citizens of their risks based on residential location.
• Low-income energy efficiency and rooftop solar installations.
• Increasing electric vehicles (EV) and EV infrastructure to reduce particulate matter in city air.
• Increasing public transportation to meet city needs to reduce overall personal vehicles on the road.
• Planting trees in low-canopy areas to decrease heat island effect and increase air quality.
• Increasing fresh food access points for food desert areas.
• Increasing transportation access for food deserts to reach specific food access points.
• Ensuring environmental representation within reason and new development projects to proactively provide comments and/or environmental mitigation tactics for communities in close proximity to environmental concerns.

Read the full report here.

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