Editing Grassroots (section)

=== Top-down vs. bottom-up processing ===
There is an ongoing debate as to whether a bottom-up or top-down approach is better suited to address the problems facing communities. Top-down processing involves large-scale programs or high-level frameworks, often driven by governmental or international action. Top-down processing is great for tracking large scale causal relationships in environmental systems and it has better funding. Top-down processing is typically designed by outsiders who can only perceive a community's need and so community needs are often only marginally addressed or not addressed at all. By contrast, bottom-up processing is defined as "observing or monitoring efforts defined and undertaken at the local scale and brought forward to higher-level bodies, often with a focus on supporting outcomes desired by a local community."<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Eicken |first1=Hajo |last2=Danielsen |first2=Finn |last3=Sam |first3=Josephine-Mary |last4=Fidel |first4=Maryann |last5=Johnson |first5=Noor |last6=Poulsen |first6=Michael K |last7=Lee |first7=Olivia A |last8=Spellman |first8=Katie V |last9=Iversen |first9=Lisbeth |last10=Pulsifer |first10=Peter |last11=Enghoff |first11=Martin |date=2021-04-28 |title=Connecting Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches in Environmental Observing |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biab018 |journal=BioScience |volume=71 |issue=5 |pages=467–483 |doi=10.1093/biosci/biab018 |issn=0006-3568 |pmc=8106998 |pmid=33986631}}</ref> Bottom-up processing has "local residents and [POC] co-facilitate the trainings and workshops"—this "empowers participants."<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rickenbacker |first1=Harold |last2=Brown |first2=Fred |last3=Bilec |first3=Melissa |date=2019-05-01 |title=Creating environmental consciousness in underserved communities: Implementation and outcomes of community-based environmental justice and air pollution research |journal=Sustainable Cities and Society |volume=47 |pages=101473 |doi=10.1016/j.scs.2019.101473 |issn=2210-6707|doi-access=free |bibcode=2019SusCS..4701473R }}</ref> Bottom-up approaches are often not impactful beyond local settings.<ref name=":0" /> Grassroots organizations take on a bottom-up approach as they often allow for direct community participation.