Alternatives for Community and Environment
Alternatives for Community and Environment is a Roxbury-based environmental justice organization that combines community organizing, youth leadership, transportation advocacy, environmental health work, and legal support.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Alternatives for Community and Environment, commonly known as ACE, is a community-based environmental justice organization founded in 1994 and located in Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts. Its work has historically centered on Roxbury and other lower-income communities and communities of color that experience disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards. The organization seeks to challenge environmental racism and classism by helping affected residents participate in decisions about land use, transportation, energy, public health, and economic development. Rather than operating as a conventional environmental service provider or consumer-facing product brand, ACE functions as an advocacy, organizing, legal-support, and community-empowerment institution. Its activities have included resident organizing, youth programs, transportation campaigns, air-quality monitoring, environmental-health education, coalition building, and legal services. The organization has also worked across neighborhood and jurisdictional boundaries, increasingly extending its focus beyond Roxbury to environmental justice communities across New England. ACE's programs and affiliated initiatives have addressed several recurring issues. Transportation and air pollution have been central concerns, particularly because diesel traffic and other emissions contribute to asthma and other health risks in urban communities. Through the T Riders Union and youth-oriented work, ACE has advocated for more equitable and accessible public transportation. Its Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Project has supported youth participation in environmental research and organizing, while the Dudley Square Organizing Project has connected neighborhood priorities with broader policy campaigns. Environmental Justice Legal Services has provided legal assistance in disputes involving potentially harmful infrastructure and industrial development. The organization has participated in cross-boundary coalitions on energy efficiency, diesel emissions, public transportation, public health, and the siting of hazardous or high-impact facilities. Examples include AirBeat, a real-time air-pollution monitoring initiative developed with government and community partners; advocacy that helped place environmental justice considerations in Massachusetts' 2009 energy-efficiency plan; efforts to prevent a diesel-fueled power plant from being built near an elementary school in Chelsea; and opposition to a proposed high-containment Boston University biolab in Roxbury in 2013. ACE's later work has included collaboration with the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance on Boston's Diesel Emission Reduction Ordinance, adopted in 2015, and on energy-facility siting reform in 2023. These efforts reflect ACE's broader approach: pairing community participation with regulatory and legislative change so that environmental impacts are considered before projects are approved and so that historically overburdened neighborhoods receive stronger protection. Its present identity is therefore rooted in environmental justice, community power, youth leadership, transportation equity, legal advocacy, and public-health protection.
History
Alternatives for Community and Environment was established in 1994 in Roxbury, Boston, as a community-oriented response to the unequal distribution of environmental hazards and public-health risks. Its core premise is that environmental problems cannot be separated from race, class, housing, transportation, and political representation. ACE therefore developed a model that combines grassroots organizing with technical assistance, legal advocacy, youth participation, and coalition work. Roxbury became the organization's principal base and an important setting for its environmental justice campaigns. Residents in and around the neighborhood faced concerns associated with air pollution, diesel traffic, asthma, urban heat, lead exposure, and the placement of facilities with potential health or environmental impacts. ACE's work has sought to give affected communities a stronger role in decisions that shape their neighborhoods, rather than leaving those decisions solely to developers, agencies, or other institutions. Transportation and air quality became prominent parts of ACE's early history. In 1999, the organization worked with government agencies and community participants to develop AirBeat, a real-time air-pollution monitoring system in Roxbury. Youth participants investigated possible relationships between asthma and pollution from diesel vehicles. The resulting data helped support advocacy for cleaner air and alternative fuels for buses, illustrating ACE's practice of combining resident experience with publicly useful environmental information. ACE also built programs to develop leadership among young people and public-transit users. The Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Project engaged youth in environmental inquiry and organizing. The T Riders Union provided a platform for transportation riders to advocate for more equitable transit policies. In September 2009, youth members associated with the Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Project and the T Riders Union, working with the Youth Way on the MBTA, reached an agreement with Massachusetts Transportation Secretary James Aloisi to extend the hours during which student passes could be used and to examine the feasibility of an unrestricted youth pass. The organization's legal and organizing work has addressed proposed infrastructure and facilities. Environmental Justice Legal Services represented Chelsea residents in a 2007 case concerning a proposed diesel-fueled power plant near an elementary school. The project was prevented from moving forward at the proposed site. In 2013, ACE's Safety Net initiative joined Roxbury residents in opposition to a Boston University-sponsored Level 4 biolab. That campaign focused on the risks and community implications of locating a high-containment laboratory involving pathogens such as Ebola and smallpox in the area. ACE has also participated in broader policy coalitions. With the Green Justice Coalition, ACE and the Dudley Square Organizing Project helped ensure that environmental justice concerns were included in Massachusetts' landmark 2009 energy-efficiency plan. This work connected neighborhood-level organizing to statewide energy policy and sought to direct efficiency benefits toward communities that had historically experienced greater pollution burdens. In 2015, ACE partnered with the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance to facilitate implementation of Boston's Diesel Emission Reduction Ordinance. The ordinance addressed emissions associated with transportation and buildings, with particular relevance for neighborhoods that had suffered disproportionate exposure to air pollution. In 2023, the same partnership helped support an energy-facility siting reform bill designed to require more careful consideration of pollution impacts on environmental justice communities. Across these stages, ACE expanded from a primarily Roxbury-focused organization into a participant in regional environmental justice networks across New England. Its continuing approach is based on community power: residents and young people identify problems, collect or interpret information, organize across institutional boundaries, and use legal or policy mechanisms to seek change. Publicly available reference material does not establish a complete list of senior executives, financial figures, or corporate ownership, and ACE is best understood as a nonprofit advocacy organization rather than a commercial brand.
- 2023
Energy-facility siting reform supported
[1]ACE's partnership with the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance supported reform intended to improve consideration of environmental justice impacts in energy-facility siting.
- 2015
Diesel Emission Reduction Ordinance implementation supported
[1]ACE and the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance helped facilitate implementation of Boston's Diesel Emission Reduction Ordinance.
- 2013
Campaign against proposed Level 4 biolab
[1]The Safety Net worked with Roxbury residents to oppose a Boston University-sponsored high-containment biolab proposal.
- 2009
Youth transit agreement reached
[1]Youth participants linked to ACE reached an agreement with Massachusetts transportation officials concerning extended student-pass hours and study of an unrestricted youth pass.
- 2009
Environmental justice included in Massachusetts energy-efficiency planning
[1]Through the Green Justice Coalition, ACE and the Dudley Square Organizing Project helped bring environmental justice considerations into Massachusetts' energy-efficiency plan.
- 2007
Diesel power plant proposal near school blocked
[1]Environmental Justice Legal Services represented Chelsea residents in a case that prevented construction of a proposed diesel-fueled power plant adjacent to an elementary school.
- 1999
AirBeat monitoring initiative developed
[1]ACE collaborated with government agencies and community participants on AirBeat, a real-time air-pollution monitoring system created in response to asthma and diesel-traffic concerns in Roxbury.
- 1994
Organization founded in Roxbury
[1]Alternatives for Community and Environment was founded in Roxbury, Boston, to pursue environmental justice through community empowerment, organizing, and legal support.
Products and positioning
A community-led environmental justice organization focused on building political power among lower-income communities and communities of color, particularly those facing disproportionate pollution, climate, transportation, and public-health burdens.
Community organizing
Dudley Square Organizing Project
A neighborhood organizing initiative associated with ACE that connects residents' priorities in and around Dudley Square with broader environmental justice, energy, and public-policy campaigns. Its work has included participation in coalition advocacy to incorporate environmental justice into Massachusetts energy-efficiency planning.
Youth environmental program
Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Project
A youth-focused program that supports environmental education, investigation, and leadership. Participants have examined local pollution and public-health issues and contributed to advocacy around air quality, transportation, and environmental conditions in Roxbury.
Transportation advocacy
T Riders Union
A public-transit rider organizing initiative associated with ACE that advocates for equitable and accessible Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority services. Its activities have included youth transit-pass advocacy and collaboration with other transit-focused youth organizations.
Community health and safety organizing
The Safety Net
An ACE initiative that has organized around projects and facilities with potential public-health or environmental consequences. In 2013, it worked with Roxbury residents to oppose a proposed Boston University Level 4 biolab involving highly dangerous pathogens.
Legal advocacy
Environmental Justice Legal Services
ACE's legal-support program provides representation and advocacy for communities confronting environmentally harmful development or infrastructure proposals. Its documented work includes representing Chelsea residents in opposition to a proposed diesel power plant near an elementary school.
Air-quality monitoring · 1999
AirBeat
A real-time air-pollution monitoring initiative developed with government and community partners in Roxbury. Youth participants helped investigate connections between diesel-vehicle pollution and asthma, and the resulting information supported advocacy for cleaner transportation fuels and improved air quality.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023Energy Facilities Siting Reform
Massachusetts
ACE and the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance supported legislation intended to improve how pollution and environmental justice impacts are assessed when energy facilities are sited.
Outcome. The partnership facilitated implementation of the reform bill according to the available reference material.
- 2015Boston Diesel Emission Reduction Ordinance
Boston, Massachusetts
ACE partnered with the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance to facilitate implementation of a Boston ordinance addressing diesel emissions from transportation and buildings.
Outcome. The ordinance was implemented as a policy response to disproportionate air-pollution burdens in affected communities.
- 2013Roxbury biolab opposition
Roxbury · Boston, Massachusetts
The Safety Net joined Roxbury residents in opposing a Boston University-sponsored Level 4 biolab proposal involving research with highly dangerous pathogens.
- 2009Youth transit-pass campaign
Massachusetts
Youth members of the Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Project and T Riders Union collaborated with Youth Way on the MBTA to seek more flexible student transit-pass rules.
Outcome. The campaign produced an agreement to extend student-pass hours and examine the feasibility of an unrestricted youth pass.
- 2009Green Justice Coalition energy-efficiency advocacy
Massachusetts
ACE and the Dudley Square Organizing Project worked through the Green Justice Coalition to bring environmental justice priorities into statewide energy-efficiency planning.
Outcome. Environmental justice considerations were included in Massachusetts' 2009 energy-efficiency plan.
- 2007Chelsea diesel power plant opposition
Chelsea, Massachusetts
Environmental Justice Legal Services represented Chelsea residents challenging a proposed diesel-fueled power plant planned next to an elementary school.
Outcome. The proposed plant was prevented from being constructed at the proposed location.
- 1999AirBeat
Roxbury · Boston, Massachusetts
ACE worked with public agencies and community participants to establish real-time monitoring of air pollution. The initiative connected youth-led investigation of diesel emissions and asthma with advocacy for cleaner bus fuels and stronger air-quality protections.
Outcome. AirBeat generated information used in clean-air advocacy, including arguments for alternative fuels for buses.
Brand decisions
2013
Oppose proposed Level 4 biolab in RoxburyOtherBackground
Boston University proposed a high-containment biolab involving pathogens such as Ebola and smallpox, prompting concern among Roxbury residents about public-health and community impacts.
Action taken
ACE's Safety Net organized with residents against the proposed facility.
2007
Challenge diesel power plant siting near an elementary schoolOtherBackground
A diesel-fueled power plant was proposed adjacent to an elementary school in Chelsea, raising concerns about emissions and community health.
Action taken
Environmental Justice Legal Services represented Chelsea residents in opposition to the proposal.
Aftermath
The proposed construction was prevented at that location.
1999
Use community-generated air data in clean-air advocacyStrategyBackground
Roxbury residents and youth faced concerns about diesel pollution and asthma, while conventional environmental decision-making did not adequately reflect neighborhood experience.
Action taken
ACE collaborated with public agencies and community participants to develop AirBeat, a real-time air-pollution monitoring project.
Aftermath
The data supported advocacy for cleaner air measures, including alternative fuels for buses.
Recent events
- 2023
ACE partnership supported Massachusetts energy-facility siting reform[1]
Regulation
ACE's partnership with the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance supported an energy-facility siting reform bill intended to ensure that pollution impacts on environmental justice communities are properly considered.
- 2015
ACE supported implementation of Boston's Diesel Emission Reduction Ordinance[1]
Regulation
Working with the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance, ACE helped facilitate implementation of Boston's Diesel Emission Reduction Ordinance, which targeted emissions from transportation and buildings in communities disproportionately affected by air pollution.
- 2013
The Safety Net opposed a proposed Boston University high-containment biolab[1]
Regulation
ACE's Safety Net initiative worked with Roxbury residents to oppose development of a Boston University-sponsored Level 4 biolab involving highly dangerous pathogens, including Ebola and smallpox.
- 2007
ACE legal services helped block a proposed diesel power plant near a Chelsea elementary school[1]
Other
Environmental Justice Legal Services represented Chelsea residents in opposition to a proposed diesel-fueled power plant that would have been located near an elementary school. The case prevented the project from proceeding at the proposed location.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/alternatives-for-community-and-environment · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled