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TOMORROW: Manhattan Borough President Candidate Forum

Do you know what the Borough President does? And do you know all the candidates running for the Manhattan Borough President in the June 24th Primary Election ([link removed]) ? Join us on Saturday, May 3rd from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM at the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge at 454 West 155th Street to meet the candidates running for Manhattan Borough President. We have invited all of the candidates running for this office to come and tell us why they are the best candidate for it and how they will help tackle environmental racism in our community. WE ACT members will also have an opportunity to ask them questions. Please submit any questions you may have via this form ([link removed]) . RSVP ([link removed])
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Join Us for the Launch of Our National Campaign for Healthy Indoor Environments

Everyone deserves a safe, healthy home, but too many communities are left behind. People of color and low-income, especially those living in affordable housing, face the worst indoor health hazards, higher energy burdens, and greater impacts from extreme weather - all while struggling to access clean, affordable energy. With the future of energy efficiency incentives uncertain, critical federal agency staff cuts affecting millions, the real-time impacts of the climate crisis growing, and environmental protections at risk, prioritizing healthy homes first is more urgent than ever.

Join us ([link removed]) at 2:30 PM on Wednesday, May 7th for our webinar to kick off our Healthy Homes First ([link removed]) campaign. Amplifying lived experiences of community members like you, this national campaign will drive policy reforms and whole-of-home changes to remedy indoor health hazards and advance clean, affordable energy upgrades. The webinar will feature insights from WE ACT experts and strategic partners as well as findings from recent polling on public attitudes and awareness surrounding energy upgrades, home health hazard remediation, and more. WE ACT’s Federal Policy Manager Yuwa Vosper will moderate. RSVP ([link removed])
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Help Shape Our Educational Tool to Reduce Lead Poisoning

As part of the New York City Coalition to End Lead Poisoning ([link removed]) coalition, we're working with the Center for Urban Pedagogy ([link removed]) to develop a new tool to help protect families from exposure to lead, a dangerous neurotoxin. To ensure that this tool is effective, we need your help! Join us on Tuesday, May 7th from 6:30-8:00 PM to help us develop this resource to help our community better understand lead hazards and their rights when it comes to prevention and protection. All are welcome, but we are ideally looking for families who have been directly impacted by lead exposure who are willing to share their experiences and insight. Participants will receive a $50 gift card as a thank you for their time and contribution. If you or someone you know would like to participate, please reach out to me at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Lead%20Poisoning%20Tool) or call her at 646-983-7098.
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Help Us Identify Toxic Personal Care Products in Northern Manhattan

Are you passionate about clean beauty and helping eliminate toxic chemicals from personal care products? We have teamed up with Clearya ([link removed]) to use its Clearya Survey app for a citizen science project collecting data on the toxic ingredients found in personal care products being sold in Northern Manhattan. Click here ([link removed]) to register for our virtual training meeting at 6:00 PM on Thursday, May 15th (if you cannot make it, you must watch the recording before participating). And then join us for our first round of data collection in local beauty supply stores at 1:00 PM on Saturday, May 17th – right after our May Membership Meeting ([link removed]) . This will be the first of several data collection events in May and June during which you can use the Clearya Survey app to scan personal care products in these stores and collect data for our
survey. Contact [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Mapping%20Beauty%20Justice) with questions. RSVP ([link removed])
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Learn About NYC's Urban Forest Plan

The Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice ([link removed]) - in collaboration with NYC Parks ([link removed]) , City Parks Foundation ([link removed]) , Natural Areas Conservancy ([link removed]) , and The Nature Conservancy ([link removed]) - is hosting an in-person event to launch its Urban Forest Plan. This is the first step in engaging with our community about the plan (a website and questionnaire for feedback are in the works). The Manhattan kickoff event will be on Thursday, May 15th from 6:00 - 8:00 PM at the Thomas Jefferson Recreation Center (located at 2180 First Avenue, between 112th & 113th Streets). There other events in other boroughs, along with a virtual event on June 4th. RSVP ([link removed])
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May Membership Meeting: Parks & Air Quality in Northern Manhattan

Mark your calendar for our May Membership Meeting on Saturday, May 17th from 10:00 AM-1:00 PM. Note that it is a week later than our usual meetings (due to Mother’s Day). We will be meeting at the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge, located at 454 West 155th Street, and we will be joined by our friends from NYLCV ([link removed]) to talk about parks and other green spaces. In addition, our Environmental Health team and Capstone students will talk about our air quality monitoring in Northern Manhattan - including some preliminary findings on the impact of congestion pricing. RSVP ([link removed])
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Celebrating Frederica Perera & the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health

Peggy Shepard joined the celebration of Frederica “Ricky” Perera ([link removed]) , a visionary in environmental health research and founding director of the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health ([link removed]) . The event highlighted Perera’s groundbreaking contributions to understanding how environmental toxins harm children. WE ACT has been working with the center for nearly three decades, helping support community-participatory research and then using that research to drive policy change. Learn More ([link removed])
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WE ACT Seeking an Educational Consultant for New Center

WE ACT has issued a Request for Proposals for an Educational Consultant for our WE ACT Environmental Justice Center ([link removed]) , which is currently under construction in Harlem. Click here ([link removed]) to download the RFP. We will be accepting applications through May 8, 2025.
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Eric Walker wrote an Op-Ed in the Albany Times-Union ([link removed]) explaining why the New York State Public Service Commission needs to “allocate at least half of the programs' $5 billion in funding towards New York’s low- and moderate-income households. We know that energy efficiency programs are the most cost-effective way to immediately reduce costs for families that spend too much of their income on energy bills. In the process, they can also spur the creation of good-paying jobs, boosting New York’s economy.”


The Columbia Spectator ([link removed]) wrote about the Earth Day environmental justice panel hosted by the Columbia Climate School and the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce on April 21st. As you can imagine, WE ACT and our work were mentioned throughout the discussion.
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Uptown Chats Podcast: Solar Energy

In the second episode of our mini-series focusing on what the Right Direction should be for the U.S. energy policy, Lonnie and Jaron learn from Vote Solar Deputy Program Director for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic (and former WE ACT staffer) Stephan Roundtree, Jr. about the current state of solar energy and how New York State is using it to help meet its climate goals. Listen ([link removed])
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New Digital Presence

WE ACT has launched its new website ([link removed]) . While it's still a work in progress, we hope it will help you better understand the work we do ([link removed]) and the impact we’re having ([link removed]) at the city ([link removed]) , state ([link removed]) , and federal ([link removed]) levels. Please email any broken links or other oddities to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=About%20the%20WE%20ACT%20Website) .

The Environmental Justice Leadership Forum ([link removed]) , which WE ACT hosts, has launched a new website ([link removed]) as well. The forum consists of 40 organizations in 23 states working to advance environmental and climate justice. Again, please email any broken links or other oddities to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=About%20the%20EJLF%20Website) .

On the social media front, WE ACT has joined BlueSky ([link removed]) . This is an open-source alternative to X, which we will no longer be using given its sharp decline since the platform's rebranding from Twitter. We remain active on Instagram ([link removed]) , LinkedIn ([link removed]) , and to a lesser degree on Facebook ([link removed]) . You can also find all sorts of cool stuff on our YouTube channel ([link removed]) !
Earth Month Showcase
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We travelled up to Albany for Earth Day Advocacy Day to lobby for the Beauty Justice Act ([link removed]) . Clockwise from left: Member Barella Roberson spoke at the rally; members, staff, and fellow advocates met with Assemblywoman Maritza Davila and her staff; and Briana Carbajal participated in a panel discussion.
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We completed the installation of our network of air quality monitors, situated on the roofs of schools across Northern Manhattan. Valentina Rojas, who leads the project, will begin collecting and analyzing the data.
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Left to right: Valentina Rojas, Marciely Alvarado, and Belen Gonzalez were at Community Board 11’s Earth Day celebration at El Museo Del Barrio.
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Marileidy Pimentel Paniagua and fellow staff were recruiting members in multiple locations during the New York City Department of Transportation’s Car-Free Earth Day.
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Submit comments ([link removed]) during the rulemaking phase ([link removed]) of the Environmental Justice Siting Law before May 7th.

Sign up ([link removed]) to help us collect data on toxic ingredients in personal care products in Northern Manhattan.

Contact [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Lead%20Poisoning%20Tool) to help us develop an educational tool to reduce lead poisoning in New York City.

Donate ([link removed]) to support out work!
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Member Discount at Lincoln Center Film Screening: The Tree of Authenticity

Our friends at Film at Lincoln Center and the African Film Festival have offered a $5 discount for the 6:00 PM on Monday, May 12th screening of The Tree of Authenticity ([link removed]) at the 32nd edition of the New York African Film Festival. The film takes place in the heart of the Congo rainforest, detailing the remains of a research center dedicated to tropical agriculture and revealing the burden of the colonial past and its inextricable links to climate change. The screening will take place at the Francesca Beale Theater in the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center ([link removed]) , which is located at 144 West 65th Street (between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues). Tickets are $17 ($14 for students) and WE ACT Members & Staff can receive a $5 discount by using the code HORIZONS in the promo code box at checkout (note: you must enter the code prior to adding tickets to the
cart or your discount will not be applied). Learn more and get tickets here ([link removed]) .
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Sign-Up for Emergency Alert Notices

With summer around the corner, and the heatwaves and storms it brings, we invite you to download New York City’s automated alert system for your cellphone. It will keep you informed in real time. You can find the details here ([link removed]) .
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EarthShare

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