Join us Saturday, May 9 at 11:00 AM for our first online Membership Meeting! We will discuss the role of environmental racism in contributing to the higher COVID-19 mortality rates in our community, along with ways we can protect, advocate on behalf of, and organize New York City’s most vulnerable. And we will be joined by a very special guest, New York City Council Member Carlina Rivera, who is the Chair of the Committee on Hospitals.
 
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Access information will be sent to everyone who registers before the event. So please RSVP in advance and join us! RSVP Here

Zoom Training for Members
If you are not familiar with Zoom, we'll be holding a special Zoom training for our members at 7:00 PM on Thursday, May 7. RSVP Here

If you have questions, contact Marquis Jenkins at [email protected] or 646-341-2588.

Join us Tuesday, May 12 at 6:00 PM for the first online installment of our annual Uptown Chats speaker series. Our panel of experts will speak and answer your questions about climate justice education in New York:
 
Meredith McDermott, Director of Sustainability, NYC Department of Education
Jared Fox, Environmental and Climate Science teacher, Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School (WHEELS)
Taylor Morton, Environmental Health and Education Manager, WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Students from the WHEELS Green Corridor Project
 
Access information will be sent to registered attendees before the event, so be sure to register in advance. And please consider making a donation of $15 or more to help make events like this one possible in the future. RSVP Here

Join our Healthy Homes Working Group online meeting on Tuesday, May 19 at 6:00 PM and learn how to organize with other NYCHA tenants around health and safety conditions. Help us protect our housing and improve living conditions for every NYCHA resident! RSVP Here

This summer’s heatwaves are on their way – longer, stronger, and more frequent. We invite all residents of Northern Manhattan to join us for this meeting and help decide what types of New York City policies and programs we want to push for to protect our communities from the health impacts of extreme heat. RSVP Here

We are working to expand the Home Energy Assistance Program and would like to follow people through the enrollment process to better understand how we can improve it. If you are eligible and interested in enrolling to help pay your energy bill this summer, we can help guide you through the process. Have questions? Not sure if you qualify? Reach out to Sonal Jessel at [email protected].

Supporting the Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act
Did you know that we use an average of 12 products a day as part of our personal care routines? As a result, some of us are exposed to 168 unique toxins that have been linked to infertility, miscarriage, and poor infant and maternal health outcomes. That is why we are supporting H.R. 4296: The Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act, which is sponsored by U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (IL-9th). Learn More
 
Resisting the EPA’s Rollbacks
Under the Trump administration, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said it would give polluters a free pass during the COVID-19 pandemic. Determined not to let them use this public health crisis as cover to encourage the dumping of toxins in our communities, we partnered with other environmental justice organizations, including members of the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum, and the Natural Resources Defense Council to file a lawsuit against the EPA. We also issued a statement opposing the EPA's plan to undermine the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards.

Peggy Shepard was interviewed by Popular Science about the evolution of Earth Day. She also spoke with American Prospect about the impact of COVID-19 on communities of color.
 
Lubna Ahmed was interviewed on COVID-19 by Newsy and the Freeman World Experiment podcast. And Kerene Tayloe spoke with Teen Vogue about the importance of appointing climate leaders in the next presidential administration.
 
Sonal Jessel talked to Truthout about the impacts of extreme heat on communities of color during COVID-19. She also spoke Gizmodo’s Earther about NYC’s Open Streets plan and helped draft the Climate Works For All Coalition’s platform for workers and a just transition from the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
New York City Patch and Harlem World reported the launch of our series of free online learning modules to teach children about environmental justice. Our second online lesson will be launched soon!

More New Blog Posts
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Peggy Shepard co-wrote a blog post about Earth Day with Abigail Dillen, President of Earthjustice, and Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Founder of Urban Ocean Lab and Ocean Collectiv. Also, Environmental Health intern Leslie Martinez wrote a blog post about her journey to clean beauty and the work she’s been doing on our Beauty Inside Out campaign to remove toxic chemicals from personal care products.