Join Us at the March to End Fossil Fuels

March with WE ACT this Sunday at the March To End Fossil Fuels that kicks-off Climate Week NYC! We'll be meeting at our office at 1854 Amsterdam Avenue, 2nd Floor, at 152nd Street at 11 am and then heading down to the march together which will kick off at 1pm on Broadway, between 54th and 57th Streets, and head east across 52nd Street and end with a massive rally at 1st Avenue and 49th Street, just north of the UN Headquarters. We will be marching to demand climate justice. Specifically, calling on the United States, the world’s largest producer of oil and gas, to completely and justly transition to renewable sources of energy: No delays, half-measures, or false solutions!

Climate Week NYC Events

In addition to Sunday’s march, you can see all the events we are involved in throughout the week. Some of the highlights include:

Tuesday, September 19

• Making It Real: Successfully Implementing New York’s Climate Act through Entrepreneurship and Workforce Development, 9:30 am - 1:30 pm: Charles Callaway will participate in a panel on workforce development as part of this event co-hosted by the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, New Yorkers for Clean Power, NRDC, and E2 at the Center for Fiction (15 Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn). RSVP to attend virtually or RSVP to attend in-person.
• New York City Council Climate Week Celebration, 5:30 - 7 pm: Lonnie Portis will join Speaker Adrienne Adams along with City Council Members such as Sandy Nurse, Carmen De La Rosa, Amanda Farias, James Gennaro, and Alexa Aviles at City Hall to celebrate Climate Week. RSVP
• Climate Rising: Imagining the End of Fossil Fuels, 6:30 - 9:30 pm: Sonal Jessel will be among the speakers at this rally to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable ahead of the UN Climate Ambition Summit. It will be held in-person at the Great Hall in the Cooper Union Foundation Building at 7 East 7th Street. RSVP

Thursday, September 21

• Environmental Justice: Following the Money, 12 - 1 pm: Morgan Fritz will join Sameer Ranade, Climate Justice Advisor at NYSERDA’s Energy Climate Equity Team for a discussion moderated by Ronald Zorrilla of Newburgh CAC & Outdoor Promise on the EPA Region 2 TCTAC and how it can help small Hudson Valley cities and towns advance environmental justice, access clean energy, develop more resilient neighborhoods, and secure local ownership of assets. This is a virtual event hosted by Sustainable Hudson Valley and part of the Hudson Valley Climate Solutions Week. RSVP
• Engendering Climate Equity and Justice: Women Leaders on Impact and Solutions, 1:45 - 2:30 pm: Climate impacts are distributed in a starkly uneven way across nations and communities, and even within households. Explore our progress and the meaning of these dynamics towards a just and equitable future with women leaders whose experiences span public policy, government service, international relations, corporate responsibility, engineering and technology, and cultural activism. Peggy Shepard will join the panel discussion with Hafsat Abiola, Co-Founder of Connected Women Leaders, Co-Lead of Project Dandelion, & President of Women in Africa; Favianna Rodriguez, Co-Founder & President of the Center for Cultural Power; and moderator Miranda Massie, Director of the Climate Museum. RSVP

Let's Talk About Asthma

In case you missed our last membership meeting, we started a dialogue about asthma and its impact on our community. We are developing a Unified Asthma Policy Agenda that addresses housing, transportation, workers, land use, healthcare, climate, education, and more with asthma in mind - and we would like your help! Do you or someone you know have asthma? Do you have any thoughts about where we can take our work? We would love to interview you about your experience, your challenges, and your ideas to learn how we can better advocate for policies that impact your health. Click here and our team will reach out to you!

New Report From Yale Shows Nationwide Support for Climate Justice

Several members of our Federal Policy Office - including Manuel Salgado, Annika Larson, Astrid DuBois, and Dana Johnson - contributed to a new report from Yale's Program on Climate Change Communication about Americans’ views about climate justice. Some of the takeaways include: 

• Many Americans from both political parties see unequal harms of global warming, especially based on wealth. 49% of Americans think that global warming harms some groups more than others, and 48% think that global warming harms lower-income people more than it harms wealthier people.
• Only about one in three Americans have heard the term “climate justice,” but after reading about it, 53% support its goals.
• 44% of registered voters say they are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports climate justice, including 71% of Democrats.
• The high level of support for climate justice, especially among Democrats, is a direct reflection of the decades of work that organizers in this area have put into raising awareness and building public approval.

You Might Be Eligible to Save Money on Your Utility Bills

The New York State Energy Affordability Program / Low-Income Bill Discount Program provides income-eligible consumers with a discount on their monthly electric and/or gas bills, as well as other benefits, depending on your particular utility’s program. Find out if you qualify and how this program can save you money on your energy bills.

Volunteer to Tackle Trash in Harlem with Team Up to Clean Up

WE ACT for Environmental Justice is joining forces with community leaders, local businesses, community-based organizations, and block associations to tackle trash in West Harlem and beyond. Volunteer with us at Team Up to Clean Up to pick up trash on Saturday, October 7 from 10 am - 1 pm. We’ll be meeting at the WE ACT Office at 1854 Amsterdam Avenue (on the corner of 152nd Street). Supplies will be provided!

Leveraging Science to Take Action for Social Justice

Micaela Martinez will join the Science and Society Dialogues hosted by Advancing Earth and Space Science. She will be part of a conversation entitled Leveraging Science to Take Action for Social Justice: Conversations from the Field on Monday, September 18 from 1 - 2:30 pm about the impact of science-based research and community advocacy. 

Dr. Martinez to Present on Indoor Air Chemistry at the National Academy of Sciences

Micaela Martinez will speak at the workshop Why Indoor Chemistry Matters hosted by National Academies about the intersections of environmental justice, indoor toxins, and policy and research as part of a two day workshop from September 19 - 20 with options to attend online or in-person in Washington, D.C. 

Environmental Justice Leadership Forum Convening Again

Every year, WE ACT brings together environmental justice organizations from across the country for the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum. This is a great opportunity for us to convene together as a movement to celebrate our wins, strategize together, and lobby policymakers. The forum will meet again at the end of September in Washington, D.C. Stay tuned for more information to come!

WE ACT’s 2023 Annual Gala: Celebrating Our 35th Anniversary

Join us for our 35th Anniversary Gala on Wednesday, October 18 from 6 - 9 pm at Columbia University’s Alfred Lerner Hall at 2920 Broadway (between 114th & 115th Streets) in Harlem. We are excited to announce Former Vice President Al Gore as our 35th Anniversary Gala Special Guest Speaker! We are also excited to announce this year’s honorees: Richard Moore, Co-Founder & Co-Coordinator, Los Jardines Institute (Albuquerque, NM); Joshua Klainberg, Senior Vice President, New York League of Conservation Voters (New York, NY); and Donele Wilkins, President & CEO, Green Door Initiative (Detroit, MI). Don’t miss out - reserve your seat today!

• Closing Rikers: The Columbia Spectator did a story about the City’s lack of progress on closing Rikers Island, noting both our dissatisfaction and plan to convert the island into a solar farm.
• Extreme Heat: The community convening on extreme heat organized by our New York State Extreme Heat Coalition was featured in an article about extreme heat that appeared in a number of New York State-based USA Today Network newspapers, including the Democrat Chronicle, Press & Sun-Bulletin, and LoHud. It discussed the three actions we recommended and quoted Caleb Smith.
• Climate Week: Harlem World featured our calendar of Climate Week events.
• Intro 1065: Urban Forest Plan: Harlem World also featured our call for action, urging New Yorkers to reach out to their City Council Member and demand passage of Intro 1065 for the development of an Urban Forest Master Plan to assure proper growth, maintenance, and preservation of trees now and for generations to come.
• EPA Ozone Standards: The Associated Press story quoting Peggy Shepard on the Environmental Protection Agency’s delaying of new ozone pollution standards until after the 2024 election continued to generate coverage, most recently in Japan Today.

Sign the Petitions: New York Needs More Trees

Urban Forest Plan
We were at City Hall on Thursday calling on the New York City Council to pass several bills to expand our city's tree cover. Black New Yorkers are twice as likely as other New Yorkers to die from extreme heat. Urban trees are needed to cool our city and are not just an environmental issue but a public health issue and a racial justice issue too.

Following the rally, New York City Council passed Intro 1066 to put urban trees in the city's long-term planning - an important step. We are continuing to call on the Council to pass Intro 1065 to create an urban forest plan and commit to drastically expanding our city's tree cover. Help us push this bill over the finish line by signing our petition!

1% For Parks
The 1% For Parks Campaign, that WE ACT is a part of, is working to increase the amount for parks to 1% of the city budget to bring millions more in funding to New York City green spaces. The campaign is trying to reach 20,000 signatures in October to strengthen our case to the mayor for increased funding. Please take a moment to add your name to the petition and let Mayor Adams know how important parks are to New Yorkers.

Webinar: What Has Cap-and-Trade Done for Us Lately?

Vernice Miller-Travis, one of WE ACT's co-founders, will join an important discussion with other experts on the benefits and drawbacks of market-based mechanisms to address climate change such as “cap-and-trade” and the potential of "cap-and-invest" as an alternative model. The webinar will be on Wednesday, September 20 at 1:30 pm.

Help Clean Up Broadway During the Great Broadway Sweep

The Great Broadway Sweep is calling on volunteers to join a large scale community effort to clean up large sections of Broadway throughout Manhattan. Join a clean up crew and help out at these Uptown locations:

• Inwood: Monday, September 18 at 10 am
• Washington Heights:  Tuesday, September 19 at 10 am
• Morningside Heights: Wednesday, September 20 at 10 am

Learn About the Harlem African Burial Ground Initiative 

Did you know that there’s an African burial ground in Harlem? Join the Harlem African Burial Ground Initiative and NYCEDC for a community town hall about this historic site. Learn about the burial ground’s history, past archaeological work, and next steps for commemorating the New Yorkers of African descent who were buried there. Monday, September 18, 6 - 8 pm at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, Room 115, 2180 3rd Avenue.

Uptown Chats: Air Pollution and Asthma

Listen to the new episode of Uptown Chats podcast! This month, Lonnie and Jaron talk with Leslie Vazquez from South Bronx Unite and WE ACT's Tyisha Smalls about air quality in New York City and how asthma and air pollution affect our communities.