TOMORROW: Membership Meeting to Focus on Children's Environmental Health

It's back-to-school season, so we will focus on issues impacting children's environmental health at our September Membership Meeting tomorrow, Saturday, September 14 from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM. And we now have a location: Twenty-first Century Academy for Community Leadership, which is located at 501 West 152nd Street (on the northwest corner of 152nd Street & Amsterdam Avenue, across the street from our headquarters). Come join our discussion of asthma, green and healthy schools, electric school buses, and more. RSVP

Climate Week: Your Must Attend Events!

Mark your calendar for these key Climate Week NYC events, and be sure to visit our Climate Week NYC 2024 page for a complete list of all the events we are participating in.
 
Tuesday, Sept. 24, 1:00-6:30 PM – Second Annual New York Climate Justice Forum: Building the Green Energy Future with Frontline Communities is a series of keynote speakers – including Peggy Shepard – and panel discussions exploring how industry should work with labor, climate justice groups, and local governments to ensure a just transition and achieve a sustainable future; join us, and stick around for the cocktail reception, at MOMA PS1 (22-25 Jackson Avenue in Queens). RSVP
 
Tuesday, Sept. 24, 5:30-8:00 PM – Come learn how people of color are disproportionately exposed to toxic chemicals in beauty products and what we – and you – can do about it at our Toxic Beauty Film Screening & Panel discussion at the NAC Ballroom in the North Academic Center building on the City College of New York’s Harlem campus (160 Convent Avenue). RSVP
 
Wednesday, Sept. 25, 12:00-1:30 PM – Centering Equity in the Clean Energy Transition: A Focus on Renewable Energy Transmission is a webinar with experts exploring the question of how project developers can ensure that communities are meaningfully benefitting from clean energy investments, making Justice40 – and the environmental justice goals of the New York Climate law – a reality. RSVP
 
Friday, Sept. 27, 3:30-7:00 PM – Power Uptown: Tackling Energy Insecurity Together is a community-focused event at The Forum at Columbia University (601 West 125th Street); designed to help community members reduce their energy bills, it will feature (1) Energy Opportunity Expo with experiential pavilions related to energy insecurity, including practical demonstrations of the day–to-day possibilities of clean cooking and clean energy transition; (2) Energy Opportunity Teach-in where experts will share practical tips, resources, and success stories, empowering residents to make informed choices about energy consumption and conservation and where to seek help; and (3) a Panel discussion with elected and appointed officials. RSVP
 
Saturday, Sept. 28, 10:00 AM-1:00 PM – The Mother Clara Hale Bus Depot 10th Anniversary Celebration at the A. Philip Randolph Senior Center (108 West 146th Street) is an opportunity to see firsthand how community members can drive green infrastructure interventions that benefit all. RSVP via the MTA
 
Again, be sure to check our online calendar of Climate Week NYC events as we will be updating it regularly with additional events and new information!

TAKE ACTION: Sign the Petition to Support the Right to Cooling Bill Package

Do you believe New Yorkers have a right to be cool? We do! Extreme heat is the deadliest impact of climate change, and Blacks are twice as likely to die from heat-related illnesses as their white counterparts in New York City. That’s why we are asking you to sign this petition urging the New York City Council and Speaker Adrienne Adams to co-sponsor and pass the Right to Cooling Bill Package, which includes:
 

• Intro 0994/Tenant’s Right to Cooling – Requires landlords to provide and maintain cooling devices to keep homes no hotter than 78°F in the summer;
• Intro 0998/Codify Cooling Centers – Establishes a permanent cooling center program for vulnerable populations; and
• Intro 0928/Cool Pavement Pilot – Launches a pilot project for cool pavement to reduce urban heat.

The temperature may have cooled off, but don’t let your activism cool off! Take action today and sign this petition to protect New Yorkers from extreme heat! Sign the Petition

Get the Black Beauty Breakdown with Dr. Micaela Martinez

Dr. Micaela Martinez will be presenting at the Black Beauty Breakdown: A Black woman’s guide to uncovering the connection between personal care products & breast cancer. This is a three-day virtual symposium hosted by the Bench to Community Initiative and focuses on what Black women should know about harmful chemicals in personal care products and there connection to increased breast cancer risks. Her presentation will be part of Navigating Prevention Through Policy, beginning at 12:30 PM on Tuesday, Sept. 17. RSVP

Peggy Shepard to be Honored by the NAACP

Peggy Shepard will be one of the honorees at the NAACP Mid-Manhattan Branch’s 20th Annual Freedom Fund Luncheon at Marina del Rey, a restaurant located at One Marina Drive in the Bronx. She is being honored alongside Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO & Executive Director of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies; Cordell Cleare, New York State Senator for the 30th District; Pat Stevenson, Publisher of the Harlem Community Newspapers; and Peter Westbrook of the Peter Westbrook Foundation – all of whom will speak. The luncheon is on Saturday, Sept. 21 from 11:00 AM-4:00 PM and there will also be plenty of music and dancing as well as an open bar. Get Tickets

WATCH: Peggy Shepard on Women in Environmental Justice Panel

Earlier this week, Peggy Shepard was part of the My Sister’s Keeper: Celebration of Women Leaders in the Environmental Justice Movement panel at the 10th Annual Environmental Justice Symposium hosted by the Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health Center (CEEJH) at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health. Fellow panelists included White House Council on Environmental Quality’s Federal Chief Environmental Justice Officer Jalonne White-Newsome, Green Door Initiative CEO Donele Wilkins, Blacks in Green Founder & CEO Naomi Davis, and CEEJH’s Climate Change Specialist Arielle Wharton, who moderated. They celebrated women of color in the environmental justice space while discussing lessons learned and guidance for the next generation. Watch the Replay

Listen: US Energy Policy Wrong Direction Mini-Series - Biogas

We hope you have been enjoying our Uptown Chat's Wrong Direction mini-series, exploring how elements of the U.S. energy policy are heading in the Wrong Direction. In our latest episode of this series, Jaron and Lonnie interview Willis Elkins, Executive Director of the Newtown Creek Alliance, a community-based organization located across the street from the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. He explains what biogas is, and why it’s a false solution. Listen Today

Health Impacts of Hair Treatments: Take the Survey to Become Part of Columbia's Study

Do you regularly get your hair relaxed? Are you willing to stretch your relaxer? If so, you might be a good fit for the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health study on the health impacts of these products, which will involve getting hair treatments (two relaxers and one silk press), collecting urine samples, answering short survey questions, and participating in a short interview at the end of 13 weeks. If you choose to participate in this intervention study, the researchers will cover the cost of your hair treatments, as well as compensate you for participating. If you are interested, please complete this survey. Questions? Email Lariah here. Or come to our Membership Meeting tomorrow, as they will be present this opportunity. Take the Survey

Celebrate Children's Environmental Health Day on Oct. 10th

Get ready to celebrate Children’s Environmental Health Day on October 10th! It’s timely to share this, given that we will also be focusing on children’s environmental health issues at tomorrow’s Membership Meeting. Children’s Environmental Health Day will include virtual educational panels, online film screenings, letter-writing campaigns, and even organized hikes. Learn more, find an event near you, or browse resources to host your own event at cehday.org.