Join District Attorney Alvin Bragg at Our October Membership Meeting
Have you met New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg? He will be joining us for our October Membership Meeting, talking about the work his office is doing on environmental issues. Be sure to join us in-person on Saturday, October 14 from 10 am - 1 pm at the New Heights Academy Charter School. We will also have staff from New York City Comptroller Brad Lander’s office giving us a presentation on the City’s Climate Dashboard, which tracks the progress toward meeting its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. With key metrics on the City’s energy transition, emissions, and resiliency infrastructure, the new maps on this dashboard track the City’s air, water, and land quality levels for more in-depth analysis of environmental justice impacts by neighborhood.
We are excited to see everyone next week at our 35th Anniversary Gala! Unfortunately, this is a sold-out event so tickets are no longer available. But you can stillsupport our work, and help us celebrate our 35th anniversary, by making a donation today!
However, if you do have tickets, we will see you on Wednesday, October 18 from 6 - 9 pm at Columbia University’s Alfred Lerner Hall at 2920 Broadway (between 114th & 115th Streets) in Harlem to celebrate 35 years of WE ACT's fight for environmental justice. We'll hear from Former Vice President Al Gore, our 35th Anniversary Gala Special Guest Speaker and 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).
Are you a NYCHA resident? The City needs to hear from you! NYCHA has over $78 billion in physical needs. And only plans to address $32 billion of these needs through, what many feel, are privatization schemes like RAD/PACT and The Trust. Leaving over $45 billion in needs with no designated funding source. Let the City Council and NYCHA know that public housing residents and NYCHA communities deserve better. We can voice our concerns and demand justice for NYCHA by testifying in an upcoming oversight hearing on RAD/PACT, The Trust, & the future of NYCHA on Tuesday, October 24 at 1 pm. Please use this helpful toolkit that provides everything you need to prepare to testify.
Environmental Justice Leadership Forum Convenes Again
On September 26 - 29, the Environmental Justice and Leadership Forum (EJLF) members gathered from across the nation in Washington, D.C. for our annual convening, hosted by WE ACT. For those of you unfamiliar with the EJLF, it is a national coalition of environmental justice organizations working together to advance climate justice and impact policy to ensure the protection and promotion of communities of color and low-income communities throughout the U.S.. The event kicked off with Empower DC speaking on local environmental issues, such as the fight against a non-compliant chemical plant in Ivy City, and a review of environmental justice in the current congressional session. Other topics included the challenges to democracy, storytelling strategies, and a deep dive into the Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes report, that WE ACT co-authored with Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
Attendees participated in sessions about building champions in Congress and received lobby day training. The following day was a lobby day on Capitol Hill where members advocated for environmental justice with Congressional offices and representatives including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer! The final day continued with more agenda-building sessions, followed by a trip to the Smithsonian Anacostia Museum for an exhibit on Women in Environmental Justice featuring photos of WE ACT founders Peggy Shepard and Vernice Miller-Travis. Thank you to all those who joined us!
Short-Term Energy Solutions are Long-Term Problems for Frontline Communities
President Biden is poised to unveil the potential beneficiaries of up to $7 billion in federal funding aimed at establishing hydrogen hubs. Our concern is that fulfillment of this Congressional mandate will signify a continued reliance on problematic and short-term energy solutions, such as hydrogen, liquified natural gas (LNG), and carbon capture sequestration (CCS). Rather than serve as sustainable answers, these technologies may prolong the lifespan of existing fossil fuel infrastructure or promote its buildout.
During Climate Week NYC, we launched a timely video series - Wrong Direction - that focuses on uplifting the felt and real-world impacts of President Biden’s energy agenda on people living in environmental justice communities. This week, we've asked Zulene Mayfield of Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living to share the impact of a potential LNG export terminal on her Chester, Pennsylvania community and the incongruence between the administration's promises to center environmental justice in Federal decision-making and the lived experiences of frontline communities. Please watch and share (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube) this video widely!
Join Us For a Townhall: Community Land in Community Hands
Uptown communities deserve to be decision-makers over how our neighborhood is built, but we can’t do that until we take ownership of our land. Join us on Wednesday October 25, from 6 - 9pm at Prince Hall Grand Lodge at 454 West 155th Street for a community townhall with groups from across Northern Manhattan who are leading a powerful movement for environmental, housing, and land justice. Join us to learn about impactful campaigns, including the Community Land Act, and how we can support each other in the fight for community-owned land.
Introducing a New Resource For Environmental Justice Funding
Do you want to learn how to access and pursue environmental justice funding opportunities, ranging from federal environmental health grants to state workforce development programs and private foundation grants? We can help! Join WE ACT and our partners via Zoom on Monday, October 30 at 5:30 pm as we launch the New Jersey-New York Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (TCTAC). The New Jersey-New York TCTAC is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy to provide training and other assistance to build capacity for navigating federal grant application systems, writing strong grant proposals, and effectively managing grant funding.
NYCHA Working Group Tuesday, October 24, 6 - 7:30 pm
Join the NYCHA Working Group virtually to talk about an important upcoming hearing on NYCHA, the NYCHA Healthy Communities Platform of demands, and what the working group should focus on in 2024.
Workforce Development Working Group Tuesday, November 7, 6 - 7:45 pm
Our workforce development working group is starting again! Join them in-person at the WE ACT office to strategize and develop professional and networking opportunities with WE ACT’s Workforce Development program throughout New York City.
Healthy Homes Working Group
Tuesday, November 14, 6pm
Join the next Healthy Homes Working Group Meeting to provide your input on how to protect community members from lead exposure in their homes. They will be joined by a representative from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
More Equitable Solar Energy: Charles Callaway was quoted in a Los Angeles Times article about an agreement reached between the solar industry and environmental organizations, including WE ACT. One of the key components of the agreement, which focuses on large-scale solar developments, is a commitment to the equitable distribution of renewable energy project benefits. Charles, who was part of the negotiations, said the agreement was a good start, adding that we want to see solar developers do more to hire locally, pay their workers livable wages, and sign long-term “community benefits agreements” that ensure guaranteed support for the lifetime of the solar farm.
EPA Air Quality Standards Delayed: Another article on the EPA's plan to delay its new air quality standards - this time in the Milwaukee Independent - references Peggy Shepard, in her role as Co-Chair of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, raising concern about the disproportionate impact of pollution on communities of color, which is “compounded by the inadequate monitoring and enforcement in many of our communities.”
Mapping Lead Lines: Our work as part of a coalition to quantify and map lead service lines was featured in fellow coalition member NRDC's blog, calling attention to the work being done in Buffalo.
Racial Justice and Climate Justice: Peggy Shepard got a shoutout in an NPR interview that Heather McTeer Toney did for her book, Before the Streetlights Come On, the intersections of racial justice and climate justice, and the power and presence of Black women in the movement.
EPA Cumulative Risk Assessment: And WE ACT got a shoutout from the Center for New York City Affairs at The New School in a blog post announcing the New School’s Urban Systems Lab's intent to develop and test an open-source climate risk assessment tool available to cities worldwide.
Help Us Monitor Air Quality in Manhattan
Are you a Manhattan resident interested in helping us measure air quality in our neighborhoods? Consider becoming an air monitor volunteer with WE ACT's new Community Air Monitoring Program (CAMP). This program is meant to increase access to air quality monitoring and data for community members, especially those living in Northern Manhattan. By participating in CAMP, you will receive:
Access to hyperlocal air quality data
Free training about air quality monitoring and data analysis
Participants who complete the program will have the opportunity to work with up to two air sensors and assist with analysis for data collected from these sensors for a minimum one year commitment. All Manhattan residents are welcome to apply, but we are especially looking for volunteers to monitor air quality in Washington Heights, Inwood, and West Harlem.
The data collected from this program will help us assess the impact of congestion pricing on air quality Uptown as well as measure the relationship between outdoor and indoor air quality.
Several of our team members will be speaking at important events and lending the environmental justice perspective of Northern Manhattan to national and international conversations.
Annie Carforo will be speaking at a roundtable discussion on environmental justice on October 18 hosted by Physicians for Social Responsibility where she will talk about WE ACT's work and present our findings on the Out of Gas, In with Justice study.
Dr. Micaela Martinez will be in France and Switzerland next week for several events. She will participate in a discussion on infectious disease seasonality and environmental health at the Institut Jacques Monod. Her research on this was featured in Science magazine, one of the most prestigious scientific journals. She will also attend the Minamata Convention on Mercury, a global United Nations convening working for international treaties and action to regulate and limit the use of mercury.
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!
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.
Do you love trees that cool our streets and neighborhoods? So do we! Help nurture and protect our city trees at the annual City of Forest Day on Saturday, October 14. City of Forest Day is an annual day of activities across the city to raise awareness of the importance of the New York City urban forest and the essential role New Yorkers play every day in caring for the “lungs” of our city. From tree planting, to composting, to raising public awareness, there is a plethora of activities happening in every borough including several in Northern Manhattan!
This month on Uptown Chats, Lonnie and Jaron are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and discussing environmental justice in the Hispanic community with special guests City Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa, Marileidy Pimentel, WE ACT's Bilingual Community Organizer, and Manny Salgado, WE ACT's Environmental Justice Research Analyst. Follow Uptown Chats on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, or stream directly from Castos.
A big thanks to everyone who joined us for last weekend's Team Up 2 Clean Up in West Harlem!
