Plus Webinars, Books, Podcasts, & More!

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JANUARY MEETING: Meet Your City Council Member on January 13

Be sure to join us for our first membership meeting of 2024! We have invited all of Northern Manhattan’s New York City Council Members to come and discuss environmental justice concerns with us on Saturday, January 13th at 10 AM at 454 West 155th Street, the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge. District 7’s Shaun Abreu, District 10’s Carmen De La Rosa, and District 9’s Dr. Yusef Salaam have already RSVPed. And you can RSVP here ([link removed]) !

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ALBANY ADVOCACY DAY: Help Us Lower Energy Bills & Emissions

Do you want to help reduce energy bills and emissions? Then join us ([link removed]) on Tuesday, January 23 for our first Albany Advocacy Day of the year, which will focus on passing the New York Home Energy Affordable Transition (NY HEAT) Act. We will be taking a bus up to Albany for a rally in the State Capitol Building followed by meetings with key state legislators to make sure we get this bill over the finish line.

What is the NY HEAT Act?
Low- and middle-income households are the most impacted by volatile gas prices and high energy bills, paying three times more of their income ([link removed]) on energy bills than non-low income households. The NY HEAT Act ([link removed]) would cap energy bills at 6 percent of household income for these families, saving them up to $75 per month. On top of these savings, the NY HEAT Act gets rid of the 100-foot rule, which
forces New Yorkers like you to pay for subsidized gas hookups for new customers to the tune of $200 million ([link removed]) every year.

No lobbying experience necessary. Lunch and transport are complimentary. Spend the day with us in Albany and make a difference! RSVP here ([link removed]) and reach out to Annie Carforo (mailto:[email protected]) with questions.

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FEDERAL POLICY: Hitting the Ground Running in 2024

Anastasia Gordon & Manuel Salgado Weigh in on the Biden Administration’s Proposed Hydrogen Tax Credits
Anastasia Gordon and Manuel Salgado offered analysis of the Biden administration’s proposed rule for the 45V Hydrogen Production Tax Credit, which incorporated the “Three Pillars” - time matching, additionality, and regionality - as responsible guiding principles for the production of electrolytic (green) hydrogen in a way that does not drain resources or lead to disastrous increases in fossil fuel emissions. Read our statement ([link removed]) to better understand how these pillars could impact low-income communities and communities of color and why caution is advised against pursuing blue hydrogen as a fuel source.

Calling on the EPA to Improve Pollution Standards & Shift to Clean, Renewable Energy
As we embark on the New Year, the Clean Air for the Long Haul Cohort, a coalition of environmental justice organizations which we are a part of, has called on the Environmental Protection Agency to make crucial resolutions for 2024. These resolutions include strengthening air quality standards, finalizing regulations for mercury and toxic pollutants, and promoting a shift to clean, renewable energy in order to safeguard the health of overburdened communities. Read the Cohort’s letter to President Biden and EPA Commissioner Michael Regan here ([link removed]) .

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TAKE ACTION: Tell New York City Mayor Eric Adams to Fund Composting & Parks and Enact Renewable Rikers

Sign Petition to Fund the City’s Compost Program
Mayor Adams cut funding for GrowNYC’s Compost Program, though a private donor stepped in to keep the program going for the next few months. But composting is a key part of the strategy to keep the streets clean and reduce the rat population (listed to our podcast episode on composting here). If you have not already done so, click here to sign the petition ([link removed]) and let the Mayor know that composting is a priority.

Ask the Mayor to Keep His Campaign Promise & Fund Our Parks
The Mayor also slashed the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation’s budget, which has been grossly underfunded for more than 40 years. When he was running for office, he said he would commit one percent of the City’s budget to parks, but he has never made good on that promise – opting to cut funding instead. If you have not already done so, sign this petition ([link removed]) to demand the Mayor keep his word and fund our parks.

Tell the Mayor to Follow the Law & Enforce the Renewable Rikers Act
The Adams' administration has missed three important deadlines to enforce Local Law 16 of 2021, the Renewable Rikers Act ([link removed]) , a law we helped pass to shut down Rikers and convert the island into a renewable energy hub. If you have not already done so, send him a message here ([link removed]) .

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: Webinar for New York State Municipal Officials on Grants for Emission Reduction Projects

Peggy Shepard will be a panelist on the New York State Bar Association’s webinar to help New York State municipalities better understand how they can optimize their efforts to access the Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program funding for greenhouse gas reduction projects. You can register here ([link removed]) for the webinar, which will take place 11 AM on January 23. You can also visit our EPA Region 2 TCTAC Funding Opportunities page ([link removed]) for more information on this grant program.
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PERSONAL HYGIENE HAZARD: Formaldehyde in Personal Care Products

Harlem World ([link removed]) shared some disturbing news from a study ([link removed]) by Washington State’s Department of Ecology that found formaldehyde – a chemical commonly used to embalm dead bodies – in many of the cosmetics and personal care products marketed to people of color. You can learn more, and see some of the products that contain formaldehyde, by visiting Toxic Free Future here ([link removed]) , an ally we have been working closely with on these beauty justice issues. You can also watch the webinar discussion of our survey results here ([link removed]) . Stay tuned, as we will be doing a lot more work on this in the coming
months!
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WATCH: Dr. Martinez Talks Environmental Justice on NBC News Special

In case you missed it, Dr. Micaela Martinez was one of the experts featured on NBC News annual special on the climate crisis, Our Planet’s Future: The Heat is On ([link removed]) . You can find her segment at the 17:03 mark, where she explains the disparate impacts of air pollution and the climate crisis on low-income communities and communities of color. Watch the video replay here ([link removed]) .
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WATCH: Dr. Martinez Moderates Panel on New Jersey's Environmental Justice Law

In case you missed this as well, Dr. Micaela Martinez also moderated a panel discussion on New Jersey’s Environmental Justice Law and whether it is sufficient to reverse the damage done to environmental justice communities. This law was the precursor to New York State’s Cumulative Impacts law, which we helped pass in 2023. You can watch the video replay here ([link removed]) .
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HOT TOPIC: Paper on Beauty Justice & Beauty Product Use in Our Community Among the Most-Read of 2023

Remember the paper we published in Environmental Justice last November following our survey on beauty product use in Northern Manhattan and the South Bronx? It turned out to be one of the journal’s most downloaded articles of the year! If you have not already done so, we encourage you to read Beauty Inside Out: Examining Beauty Product Use Among Diverse Women and Femme-Identifying Individuals in Northern Manhattan and South Bronx Through an Environmental Justice Framework ([link removed]) . Congratulations to authors Lariah Edwards, Lubna Ahmed, Leslie Martinez, Sophia Huda, Bhavna Shamasunder, Jasmine A. McDonald, Robert Dubrow, Beaumont Morton, and Ami R. Zota. And stay tuned for additional beauty justice actions in the coming months!

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LISTEN: The WE ACT Story Holiday Special

In case you missed the special holiday episode ([link removed]) of our podcast, Uptown Chats, you can listen to it here ([link removed]) , featuring interviews that are as informative as they are entertaining with WE ACT Board Members Vernice Miller-Travis and Eric Goldstein. Vernice is an Executive Vice President at the Metropolitan Group, and she was one of WE ACT's three Co-Founders. Eric is NRDC’s Senior Attorney and Director, New York City Environment, People & Communities Program, and he has been involved since our first and formative campaign: the North River Sewage Treatment Plant.

You can catch up on all of last year’s episodes here ([link removed]) . And Jaron and Lonnie are about to roll out another episode on Monday, January 8, so be sure to give that a listen as well. They will be talking about rats!

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THE URBANIST: Dan Doctoroff and the Rise of New York

Daniel L. Doctoroff served as New York City’s Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding from 2002 to 2007. Told through the eyes of the individuals who worked with Doctoroff on a number of the key projects he oversaw, The Urbanist: Dan Doctoroff and the Rise of New York tells the astonishing story of the role that one man played in creating an array of iconic projects, from the rebuilt World Trade Center to Brooklyn Bridge Park to the High Line and more. More you ask? We worked with him on PlayNYC ([link removed]) , to improve air quality, as well as on the West Harlem Piers Park, so Peggy Shepard is one of the essayists who contributed to the stories in this book. Learn more here ([link removed]) .

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