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Our 35th Anniversary Gala: Thank You for Your Support

We held our 35th anniversary Gala on Wednesday night and the turnout and support was massive. We thank all who attended, and all who graciously supported our live auction. We honored three champions of environmental justice: 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). Former Vice President Al Gore gave an impassioned speech about the importance of environmental justice and the work that we do here at WE ACT. And we wrapped up the celebration by honoring our founding board members - and Peggy Shepard, our Co-Founder & Executive Director. Stay tuned for more photos next week. In case you missed our 35th anniversary, you can still make a donation ([link removed]) to help support our work!
Support Our Work ([link removed])

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Get Ready for Early Voting

Get ready to vote in the General Election on Tuesday, November 7! The deadline to register to vote is October 28. Early voting runs from October 28 - November 5. In this election, depending on your county and district, you may be voting for City Council, District Attorney, and Judicial candidates as well as two ballot proposals. You can learn what you need to know by visiting our Voter Information page. ([link removed])

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Come to Our Year-End Meeting to Learn About Our 2024 Policy Agenda

Last month, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York State Senator Cordell Cleare joined us for our membership meeting. You will definitely want to join us in-person for our November "Year-End" Membership Meeting on Saturday, November 4 from 10 am - 1 pm at the New Heights Academy Charter School, located at 1818 Amsterdam Avenue (look for the signs between 150th and 151st Streets). Note the date, November 4, as we have had to move the meeting up a week from our usual second Saturday of the month.

This will be our final membership meeting of the year, and we will be unveiling our 2024 Policy Agenda, so come and learn about what legislation we will be working to advance next year - and how you can help. Also, we will have a special presentation on sanitation from our Membership Planning Committee. And you will have an opportunity to learn more about - and get a guided tour of - our new online resource ([link removed]) for helping Manhattan residents, organizations, and small businesses learn about low and no-cost renewable energy upgrades, which improve indoor air quality and reduce utility costs, as well as how to find clean energy jobs.

RSVP ([link removed])

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Testify to Improve NYCHA

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, and the future of NYCHA on Tuesday, October 24 at 1 pm. Please use this helpful toolkit ([link removed]) that provides everything you need to prepare to testify.

Prepare to Testify ([link removed])
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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 - 9 pm 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 ([link removed]) , and how we can support each other in the fight for community-owned land.
RSVP ([link removed])
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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) ([link removed]) . 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.
Register Here ([link removed])
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Lunch and Learn: Lead Poisoning Prevention in New York City

This Halloween, NYLCVEF, WE ACT, and our partners at the New York City Coalition to End Lead Poisoning are hosting an educational webinar on October 31 from 12:30 - 1:30 pm on the dangers of lead poisoning and the advocacy efforts and work we are doing to prevent it.
RSVP ([link removed])

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WE ACT at Sustainability & Energy Networking Lunch

Pamela Stewart-Martinez and Eliza Klein will be table leaders at a BE-Ex’s Women in Sustainability & Energy ([link removed]) networking lunch at 12 pm on Thursday, November 2. There is a cost associated with it, but it's a good way to network with others in the sustainability and energy sectors!

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Get Involved: Join a WE ACT Working Group!

NYCHA Working Group ([link removed])
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 ([link removed])
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 ([link removed])
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.

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* New Ban on Certain Hair-Straighteners: Some good news out of Washington! The Food & Drug Administration has proposed a ban on hair-straighteners that contain or emit formaldehyde, something we have been advocating for as part of our Beauty Inside Out campaign. The New York Times provides the details ([link removed]) .
* National Building Pollution Report: The Columbia Spectator featured a story ([link removed]) on our National Building Pollution Report ([link removed]) , with quotes from Annika Larson.
* Team Up to Clean Up: The Columbia Spectator also wrote ([link removed]) about our Team Up 2 Clean Up event.

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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.

I'm Interested! ([link removed])

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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 ([link removed]) and our team will reach out to you!

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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 ([link removed]) if you qualify and how this program can save you money on your energy bills.
Learn More ([link removed])
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Uptown Chats: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

This month on Uptown Chats ([link removed]) , 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 ([link removed]) and Apple Podcasts, or stream directly from Castos ([link removed]) .

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Sign Up for the UWSR Eco Letter

Looking for more environmental news and events around the neighborhood? Upper West Side Recycling's Eco Letter email newsletter ([link removed]) is a great resource for information on recycling, waste prevention, renewable energy, energy conservation, climate change, urban greening, water pollution, and waste reduction.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month Uptown

In the last week of Hispanic Heritage Month, our organizing team was out celebrating at several events in Upper Manhattan including a celebration at the MET Cloisters. Many thanks to everyone who celebrated with us!

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