Press Event and Rally to Demand Action on Extreme Heat

With summer upon us, extreme heat is becoming a danger once again. However, our city is totally unprepared to protect its vulnerable residents. Heat is the deadliest impact of climate change, and it also disproportionately impacts Black New Yorkers. Join us for two events to demand that the City step up and take action:

Workshops to Prepare for Extreme Weather in Northern Manhattan

Are you prepared to deal with extreme weather events and climate change in your Uptown neighborhood? WE ACT has developed the Climate Readiness Uptown Plan (CRUP) to prepare residents for climate emergencies such as flooding and extreme heat. Join our upcoming workshops to learn more about CRUP and the steps you can take to get yourself and your community ready. 

• CRUP Workshop: Hamilton Grange
  • Saturday, July 8 at 11 am at Hamilton Grange Library at 503 W 145th Street
• CRUP Workshop: Brotherhood Sister Sol
  • Tuesday, July 11 at 2 pm at Brotherhood Sister Sol at 512 W 143rd Street
• CRUP Workshop: City College
  • Tuesday, July 25, at 6 pm at City College North Academic Center (NAC) Ballroom (1st Floor) at 160 Convent Avenue (enter at West 138th Street)

REPLAY: Huge Inflation Reduction Act Funding Opportunities

Read our press release and watch the webinar we hosted with Senator Schumer and the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus for New York State legislators on how the Inflation Reduction Act can benefit the state’s disadvantaged communities. Experts from the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, and Department of Transportation discussed the enormous federal funding opportunities that legislators can pursue for environmental justice initiatives in their district. 

New York Voted For a Green Amendment. Join Us to Learn More About It!

Have you heard about New York State’s new Green Amendment? New Yorkers voted to add environmental rights to the Bill of Rights in the State Constitution. What are these new rights, and what do they mean for New York? Join us on Thursday, July 13 from 6 to 7:30 pm for our virtual workshop to learn about this amendment and what it means for environmental justice.

New Episode of Uptown Chats: Extreme Heat 

Summer's heating up and this month Lonnie and Jaron are talking about extreme heat, the deadliest weather event caused by climate change, with special guests and WE ACT members Nan Faessler, Liz McMillan, Louis Kleinman, and Stuart Aaronson. Check out every episode at weact.org/podcast.

Save the Date for Our Annual Member BBQ!

Every summer we host an outdoor BBQ to celebrate our members, our community, and environmental justice. We are excited to announce that this year's BBQ will be Saturday, July 15 from 12 - 4 pm at PS/IS 149 Sojourner Truth School on 41 West 117th Street (between Lenox & 5th Avenue). Expect great food, great conversation, environmental justice games, music, prizes, and a spicy surprise event from Uptown Chats! As always, the BBQ is free and open to everyone!

• Lead: Briana Carbajal spoke to Spectrum News 1 about why we need the Lead Pipe Right to Know Act which we are urging Governor Hochul to sign into law to address the childhood lead crisis.
• Environmental Justice According to House Republicans: This E&E News article quoted Dana Johnson and Jasmine Jennings and detailed recent House hearings in which some Republicans tried to spin fossil fuels and discredit environmental justice.
• Expanding the Electric Grid Equitably: Jasmine Jennings was quoted in coverage from Common Dreams on the release of the roadmap we co-authored details how to expand our electric transmission infrastructure without sacrificing environmental justice.
• Opposing False Solutions: Our opposition to carbon capture and storage, which you can read about in detail here, was featured in a Yahoo News article.

Manhattan Community Air Monitoring

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will be hosting a quarterly public meeting for stakeholders and community residents of Manhattan on Monday, July 10 at 2 pm on the Community Air Monitoring Initiative. The quarterly meetings are intended to update the community on the progress of the air monitoring and to provide a forum for input from the community. Staff from DEC’s Division of Air Resources and the Office of Environmental Justice will be available to answer questions and respond to feedback.

In Memory of ibrahim abdul-matin

It is with great sadness that we share the news of ibrahim abdul-matin’s passing. He was an environmental activist, advocate, author, urban strategist, and New Yorkers for Clean Power’s Senior Clean Power Fellow. He also served on the boards of the International Living Future Institute, Sapelo Square, Green City Force, and the New York Advisory Board of the Trust for Public Land. He was also a Senior Fellow with Interfaith America and author of Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet. We send our condolences to his family and all those who had the pleasure of knowing and working with him. Read more about his life and work and how you can support his legacy.