From her professional working experience with governmental environmental organisations as well as her familial upbringing in contributing to citizen science initiatives, Marina Atlas is ideally suited to become a member of the Belmont Board of Health. This is because, with such background under her belt, she well knows that it is not possible to have healthy people on a sick planet. What this means from the local perspective is that Ms. Atlas is well aware that Belmont is connected to its jurisdictional neighbors through their shared watershed, and that an issue of pressing concern now, as it was when I myself was a resident in the watershed, is the uncontrolled release of contaminants in the combined sewer overflows or CSOs, fancy-speak for what they really are: fecal fountains. Attention to this ongoing, and embarrassing, problem is a priority and one I am confident that Ms. Atlas recognizes as being worthy of addressing. – Dr. Robert France, formerly of the Harvard Design School and now Dalhousie University, project originator of the Alewife Master Plan, and author of several books about the watershed, including Belmont.

From Belmont Citizen Herald via Wicked Local:

“Support Atlas for Board of Health

I’m writing in strong support of Marina Atlas, who is running for election to the Board of Health. Here’s why: through her work at the EPA, Marina has years of experience in working with local municipalities on issues of environmental health and safety. Our Belmont community can’t be healthy if our environment is full of toxins that threatens our health. Marina will be a strong voice on the Board for ensuring we protect the health of Belmont citizens by addressing issues of environmental hazards, waste, and noise. These issues matter when it comes to daily living.

I urge voters to please support Marina Atlas in April.

—Debora Hoffman, Goden Street“

“Breathe Fresh Air into the Board of Health with Marina Atlas!

Marina Atlas has self-lessly devoted her life to protect public health. Her professional experience is entirely, unabashedly service in the interest of the public good and sound science. She follows “the science.” Marina is committed, collaborative, and compassionate. Her lens into public health includes environmental studies, social policy and social justice. Marina works to reduce human and animal exposure to harmful chemicals and disease. Marina’s service as EPA Specialist successfully working with over 70 municipalities shows an understanding and sensitivity to the complexities of public work. Her unique team leader experience, including extensive boots-on-the-ground, with the federally funded Schools Integrated Chemical Management (ICM) Program would benefit our schools immensely as practices and regulations change. Marina’s experience with strategic science translation – a method of explaining complex science to a general audience – would be incredibly valuable in a time of high demand for communication and transparency. As we live with the impacts of climate change, we need leadership that is dedicated to public policy, practices, and legislation that will concertedly protect human health. In the words of Maya Angelou, when you know better, do better. I will be voting for Marina Atlas for Belmont Board of Health.

Catherine Bowen, Bartlett Avenue, Precinct 4 Town Meeting Member, School Committee Member

These views are my own and do not necessarily represent those of the whole School Committee”

Marina is proud to be endorsed by Save the Alewife Brook, a grassroots community organization with members in Belmont and across our watershed. Public health has an important role to play in protecting clean and safe drinking water and groundwater. Similarly to when John Snow, a father of Public Health first addressed cholera by doing a community health study to stem an outbreak, we can address our 20 million a year stormwater and sewage problem and other often invisible public health challenges together. From finding cost-effective solutions to managing our waste to reducing costs and sinking stormwater into the ground with rain gardens and native plants (low to no cost), we can protect community health, ecosystems, and our watershed. For more please see: https://savethealewifebrook.org/2022/03/25/late-breaking-news-1907-board-of-health-decries-sewage-unsanitary-in-alewife-brook/