TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Support the Safer Beauty Bill Package 

We all deserve personal care and beauty products free from harmful chemicals that cause cancer and other adverse health impacts, but people of color are exposed to disproportionate amounts of these toxic chemicals. That's why we are asking you to send a letter to your congressional representatives urging them to support the Safer Beauty bill package. It will ban the worst toxic chemicals, protect the most exposed populations, and improve labeling of ingredients as well as supply chain transparency.

Follow this link to send a pre-written letter (which you can edit as you see fit) that will automatically be sent to your congressional representatives asking them to support the Safer Beauty bill package!

Read Our Letter to President Biden on the Debt Ceiling Negotiations

We were joined by more than 60 other environmental justice organizations and other allied groups in a letter sent to President Biden yesterday urging him to reject any debt ceiling deal that undermines our environmental protections. We encourage you to read the letter and support us by sending a letter to your congressional representatives asking the same.

TAKE ACTION: Demand a Clean Debt
Ceiling Deal

If you have not done so already, please follow this link to tell Congress that we cannot accept a debt ceiling deal that harms environmental justice communities. The oil & gas industry has been working hard to get a dirty deal on permitting and other polluting provisions in the debt ceiling agreement. Send a pre-written letter (which you can edit as you see fit) that will automatically be sent to your congressional representatives letting them know that they need to protect our communities and keep fossil fuel handouts off the table in the debt ceiling negotiations!

TAKE ACTION: Lower Energy Bills with the NY HEAT ACT

In case you missed yesterday's Action Alert, we're asking New Yorkers to take a moment to call your State Assembly member and Speaker Carl Heastie to ask them to pass the NY HEAT Act. It already passed in the State Senate, but the Assembly has yet to even bring it to a vote – with only a few days left to pass it!

The NY HEAT Act will cap energy bills at 6 percent of household income for low- and middle-income families, saving them up to $75 per month. It will also get rid of the 100-foot rule that lets utility companies force you to pay for unnecessary gas hookups, for which they collect around $200 million from ratepayers each year.

If you have not already done so, please follow this link for simple instructions on how to contact your State Assembly member and ask them to pass the NY HEAT Act today!

Come Learn About Composting

Have you seen these orange bins popping up around Northern Manhattan? In the first of our monthly Communicating Environmental Science series, we’ll be talking about composting, the new composting programs that the city is rolling out, and what this means for environmental justice! This will be a virtual meeting via Zoom on May 30 from 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Please join us!

Healthy Homes Working Group: The Problem with Pesticides!

Nobody likes pests – especially in their homes. But how do we get rid of them without exposing ourselves to harmful chemicals? Come to the next Healthy Homes Working Group Meeting on June 6 at 6 pm for a discussion on how to get rid of pests in your home while protecting yourself from hazardous chemicals. Make sure to register and invite a friend! The meeting will be hybrid with options to attend online or in-person at our office at 1854 Amsterdam Avenue, 2nd Floor, at the corner of 152nd Street.

Rally for the Zero Waste Act

Join us on Thursday, June 8 at 10 am in City Hall Park to rally for the Zero Waste Act, which the City Council will (finally!) be voting on. The Zero Waste Act – which includes Intros 244, 275, 274, 280, and 281 – will task New York with meeting a citywide waste diversion goal by 2030 including:

• Tracking they city's progress toward sending zero waste to landfills by 2030 
• Establishing at least one community recycling center and at least three organics drop-off sites in each district.
• Creating a citywide curbside organics/composting collection program for residential buildings.

Come Learn About Emergency Preparedness & the June Primary Election

Join us on Saturday, June 10 for our June Membership Meeting. Annie Carforo will kick things off with a look at our new but already award-winning Climate Ready Uptown Plan (CRUP), a comprehensive community-driven emergency preparedness plan for Northern Manhattan that focuses on climate-related disasters. Then, Pamela Stewart-Martinez will provide an overview of the upcoming primary election and the role of the Campaign Finance Board. This meeting will be in-person, back at the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge (454 West 155th Street, between St. Nicholas & Amsterdam Avenues) from 10 am to 12 pm.

Upcoming Free Green Institute Trainings

WE ACT's new Green Institute will be conducting several free trainings in June for OSHA/SST and Flagger/Scaffolding certification to prepare community members for work in the construction and green industry. All applicants are required to attend an online orientation session on June 7 at 3 pm before starting the trainings. The courses are open to everyone aged 18-years and older, regardless of background. All applicants will undergo interviews, evaluations, and a screening/selection process.

Equitably Expanding the Electric Grid

The U.S. urgently needs to expand its electric transmission system, but how can we build out the grid in an equitable way? On May 31, Jasmine Jennings will join an Americans for Clean Energy Grid panel: Transmission Time: Environmental Justice and Electric Transmission Development. The panelists will discuss environmental justice and clean energy transition, including permitting and transmission. 

Charles Callaway on a Solar Panel

On June 20, Charles Callaway will be on a panel at the New York Solar Energy Industries Association’s 2023 New York City Solar & Storage Summit discussing how to ensure equitable access to solar energy, jobs, and cost savings.

• No Dirty Debt Ceiling Deal: Dana Johnson was quoted in an E&E News article on President Biden's environmental record, noting that we are holding the administration accountable for the environmental justice commitments it has made.
• Justice40rward Tours: A fellow from the Union of Concerned Scientists wrote a post about our Justice40rward campaign and Justice40 tour in Kansas City. Be sure to check out Manny Salgado's informative, in-depth post about our Justice40 tour of Detroit and the environmental justice issues facing the city.
• NYC Carbon Neutrality: NYLCV wrote a post about its panel discussion on New York City's City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality, which featured Annie Carforo.
• Black Americans Concerned for Extreme Heat: An article in The Root on the disparate impacts of extreme heat cited a poll we did with the EDF in 2020 which found that Black people were almost twice as concerned about heatwaves as their white counterparts.

VIDEO REPLAY: Watch Our Candidates Forum for City Council District 9

In case you missed it, check out the Candidates Forum for New York City Council District 9 that we hosted at our May Membership Meeting ahead of the primary election on June 27. We invited all the candidates to participate, and New York State Assembly Member Inez Dickens (D70), New York City Council Member Kristin Richardson Jordan (D9), New York State Assembly Member Al Taylor (D71), and Yusef Salaam joined us.

Uptown Chats Podcast on Environmental Justice: New Episode on Monday!

Looking for that new hot, informative, and interesting podcast to add to your docket? Look no further than Uptown Chats, WE ACT's new podcast! Join Lonnie and Jaron and their expert guests for an enlivening conversation on all things environmental justice. Tune in Monday for a new episode on Workforce Development! 

Join the WE ACT Team

Our staff continues to expand! We have a number of new positions that are now open for application:

• Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center Director:
  • Based in our New York City office.
  • The job description can be downloaded here (PDF).
• Individual Giving Manager
  • Based in our New York City office.
  • The job description can be downloaded here (PDF).
• Legislative Coordinator
  • Based in our Washington, DC office.
  • The job description can be downloaded here (PDF).