Plus Action on Air Pollution & Extreme Heat

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** Climate Week: RSVP Today!
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Below are the events we are hosting for Climate Week NYC next week. Be sure to RSVP today because they are filling up fast. And visit our Climate Week NYC 2024 ([link removed]) 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 ([link removed]) is a series of keynote speakers – including Peggy Shepard, Former Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Basil Seggos, and Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory – 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 ([link removed])

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 ([link removed]) discussion at the NAC Ballroom in the North Academic Center building on the City College of New York’s Harlem campus (160 Convent Avenue). Doors open at 5:00 PM, and popcorn will be served! RSVP ([link removed])

Wednesday, Sept. 25, 12:00-1:30 PM – Centering Equity in the Clean Energy Transition: A Focus on Renewable Energy Transmission ([link removed]) 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 ([link removed])

Friday, Sept. 27, 3:30-7:00 PM – Power Uptown: Tackling Energy Insecurity Together ([link removed]) is a community-focused event designed to help community members reduce their energy bills. It will start with an Energy Opportunity Expo (3:30-5:00 PM) with experiential pavilions related to energy insecurity, including practical demonstrations of the day–to-day possibilities of clean cooking and clean energy transition. We will then have an Energy Opportunity Teach-in (5:00-6:00 PM) 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 we will wrap it up with a Panel discussion (6:00-7:00) with elected and appointed officials. Join us at The Forum at Columbia University (601 West 125th Street) and get hands-on assistance that can help reduce your energy use - and bills! RSVP
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** Peggy Shepard to be Honored by the NAACP
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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 ([link removed])
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** Working to Reduce Asthma: Read Our 2024 Asthma Policy Agenda
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We have a long history of working to address asthma and the disproportionate rates of asthma that environmental justice communities must endure, from publishing our Unequal Air and Care: Federal Impact on Pediatric Asthma Disparities in 4 U.S. Cities ([link removed]) report to getting the Asthma-Free Homes Act ([link removed]) passed by the City Council ([link removed]) . Bringing it all together, we just released our unified Asthma Policy Agenda ([link removed]) that addresses housing, transportation, workers, land use, healthcare, climate, education, and more with asthma in mind. Learn about asthma and the work we are doing to reduce it by downloading our 2024 Asthma Policy Agenda ([link removed]) (PDF).
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** Weighing In on the Battle for Cleaner Air
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Members of Clean Air for the Long Haul, a national environmental justice cohort we are a part of, filed an amicus brief supporting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) strengthened air quality standard for fine particulate matter, or soot. An amicus brief is an opinion expressed by an expert witness that is not part of the litigation but of sufficient authority that it would be admissible as evidence in the case. After months of organizing and expert input from organizations like ours, the EPA updated the standard in February, but it’s now being challenged in court by several states and polluting industries. Soot pollution is deadly, causing asthma, lung disease, heart disease, and premature death, with communities of color and low-income communities facing the highest risks. Our brief argues that the Clean Air Act requires the EPA to consider the heightened vulnerability of environmental justice communities when setting pollution standards. Learn more here
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** TAKE ACTION: Sign the Petition to Support the Right to Cooling Bill Package
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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 Caleb Smith was at the White House Extreme Heat Summit (photo above), and why we are asking you to sign this petition ([link removed]) 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 ([link removed]) – Requires landlords to provide and maintain cooling devices to keep homes no hotter than 78°F in the summer;
* Intro 0998/Codify Cooling Centers ([link removed]) – Establishes a permanent cooling center program for vulnerable populations; and
* Intro 0928/Cool Pavement Pilot ([link removed]) – 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 ([link removed]) to protect New Yorkers from extreme heat! Sign the Petition ([link removed])
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** WATCH: Briefing Capitol Hill on Permitting Reform Concerns
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What is Senator Joe Manchin and Senator John Barrasso’s Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024? And why are environmental justice advocates so concerned about it? Earlier this week we teamed up with Earthjustice, League of Conservation Voters, University of California's Hastings College of Law, Western Environmental Law Center, and the Wilderness Society to conduct a webinar briefing detailing the environmental and environmental justice concerns surrounding this proposed legislation. In addition to our Leslie Fields, participants included: Moneen Nasmith, Senior Attorney, Earthjustice; Justin Meuse, Government Relations Director, The Wilderness Society; John Leshy, Professor Emeritus at University of California, Hastings College of Law; Dinah Bear, Former CEQ General Counsel; Matthew Davis, Vice President of Federal Policy, League of Conservation Voters; and moderator Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, Executive Director, Western Environmental Law Center. Watch the Replay ([link removed])
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We joined New York State Senator Cordell Cleare (left) for her Back-to-School event on Sept. 6th. Sasha St. Juste (center) and Marileidy Pimentel Paniagua (right) were on hand to help give out backpacks and other school supplies.
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We were also at New York State Assembly Member Manny De Los Santos' Register-to-Vote event on Sept. 17th. Pictured left to right: Mariclaire Joseph, Marileidy Pimentel Paniagua, Manny De Los Santos, Sasha St. Juste, and Tyisha Smalls.
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** Are You Registered to Vote? The Election is Only 45 Days Away!
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You can find out if you are registered by clicking here ([link removed]) or calling 866-868-3692. Check now. Don’t wait until October 26, which is the deadline, because this is too important! If you are not registered, click here ([link removed]) to learn about all the ways you can fix that, whether you register online, in-person, or by mail. Again, please don’t put this off. Learn what you need to know about this election ([link removed]) !
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EarthShare

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