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Join Us This Evening: A Community Conversation on Beauty Justice in the Bronx
Join Consumer Reports ([link removed]) , WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Clean + Healthy ([link removed]) , and local community partners for a powerful community conversation about the Beauty Justice Act ([link removed]) , a groundbreaking bill that would ban the most harmful chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products sold in New York State. This in-person event will be held this evening Friday, May 23rd at 5:00 PM at the Community Board (4101 White Plains Road, the Bronx, NY 10466). RSVP ([link removed])
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Support Affordable Housing with the Community Land Act

Join WE ACT, the NYC Community Land Initiative, and more than 150 community, housing, and environmental justice groups to provide testimony and rally for the Community Land Act on Tuesday, June 3rd. The New York City Council is holding a hearing on the Community Land Act, a set of bills to expand truly affordable housing as well as community and commercial spaces, at 10:00 AM that morning and we’ll have a rally beforehand, starting at 9:00 AM at City Hall. If you are interested in testifying at this hearing, join us on Wednesday May 28th at 5:30 PM for a virtual training on Zoom to learn how to testify at a City Council hearing. We will help people sign up, answer questions, and work on their testimonies. RSVP ([link removed])
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Teach-In: Learn How We Can Help Achieve New York’s Climate Goals

How can we ensure that New York State achieves the emissions reduction goals set forth in the Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act we fought so hard to pass? Join us for a virtual teach-in to learn about the State’s Cap & Invest program, the Clean Air Initiative, and how your participation in upcoming hearings for the proposed Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule can make sure polluters disclose what they are pumping into our air. Eric Walker will join NYLCV & NYLCVEF President Julie Tighe for this discussion, with New Yorkers for Clean Power & Association for Energy Affordability President Betta Broad moderating this virtual teach-in via Zoom at 12:00 PM on Thursday, May 29th. RSVP ([link removed])
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Our Parks, Our Backyard:
Northern Manhattan Parks Day

Are you interested in improving the parks in Northern Manhattan? Then join us along with the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund ([link removed]) for our Northern Manhattan Parks Day on Saturday, May 31st from 12:00-4:00 PM at Marcus Garvey Park, Jackie Robinson Park, Thomas Jefferson Park, Riverside Park, Fort Tryon Park, and Inwood Hill Park. As part of our Our Parks, Our Backyards campaign to engage Northern Manhattan residents on parks issues and the importance of parks funding, we will celebrate by bringing together the community to enjoy the parks in Northern Manhattan. No set agenda. Just come, enjoy the park, and tag us on social media! The rain date for this will be June 7th. RSVP ([link removed])
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Take Action: Lobby for Lower Energy Bills

It's been a cool week, but the sizzling summer is around the corner - along with skyrocketing energy bills as we try to keep our families cool. If you want to lower energy bills in New York State, join us in Albany on Thursday, June 5th to lobby for the NY HEAT Act ([link removed]) , which will cap energy bills at 6 percent of your household income. RSVP ([link removed])
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Take Action: Ask Governor Hochul to Sign Our Bill Banning PFAS & Other Toxic Chemicals in Menstrual Products

Our bill to ban PFAS ([link removed]) and other toxic chemicals from menstrual products sold in New York State has passed both houses – unanimously! This is a big win for our JustGreen Partnership ([link removed]) , which has a long track record of passing legislation to reduce toxic exposure in our communities. But now we need your help to make sure New York State Governor Kathy Hochul signs this bill into law. Click here ([link removed]) to send the Governor a letter, asking her to sign the bill ([link removed]) . And while you are at it, we hope you will also click here ([link removed]) to send her a note urging her to pass the Beauty Justice Act ([link removed]) , which will ban these toxic chemicals from all personal care products sold in New York State.
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Do You Know the Air Quality in Northern Manhattan Today?

We now have two networks of air quality monitors installed across Northern Manhattan! We recently installed 18 high-end QuantAQ air quality monitors on schools throughout the community. These monitors collect more data than the PurpleAir monitors we used as part of our Community Air Monitoring Project (CAMP), which involved installing basic air quality monitors outside the homes of community members to see what impact congestion pricing might have on the air quality in Northern Manhattan (see below). We will be formally announcing the installation of these new QuantAQ monitors with the New York City Department of Education shortly, but you can click here ([link removed]) (and zoom in on Northern Manhattan) to see what these monitors are saying about our current air quality. Learn more about our air quality monitoring work here ([link removed]) .
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Impact of Congestion Pricing on Northern Manhattan Air Quality
Capstone students from the Columbia Climate School analyzed data from our Community Air Monitoring Project (CAMP) network of PurpleAir monitors and presented their findings, along with the preliminary impact of congestion pricing on air quality in Northern Manhattan, at our May Membership meeting. Click here ([link removed]) to download (PDF) their presentation. The students are pictured above - Catalina F. Ferreira-Dias (far left), Mugdha Kinjawadekar (second from left), and Maddie C. McGuinness (far right) - with our Valentina Rojas. All four will be presenting their findings along with a CAMP poster on Tuesday, June 17th as part of the Columbia Climate School's MR2025: Mobility, Adaptation, and Wellbeing in a Changing Climate conference ([link removed]) .

Take New York’s Air Quality Survey and Help Us Draw Attention to Air Quality in Northern Manhattan
Also, as part of our ongoing air quality monitoring work, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is developing a Communities Report on air pollution priorities and mitigation strategies. The more of you who provide input via this survey, the more likely Northern Manhattan will receive the attention it deserves. So, please take a moment to click here ([link removed]) and complete this brief survey.
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Caleb Smith to Talk Extreme Heat on Urban Climate Webinar

Caleb Smith will be speaking on the America the Beautiful for All coalition's webinar, Cooling the Heat & Weathering the Storm: Climate Resilience in Our Cities, at 11:00 AM on Friday, May 30th. RSVP ([link removed])
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Peggy Shepard on Environmental Justice Panel for the Federal Bar Council

At 6:00 PM on Thursday, May 29th, Peggy Shepard will join a panel to help educate members of the Federal Bar Council ([link removed]) about environmental justice. The Federal Bar Council is an organization of lawyers who practice in federal courts within the Second Circuit.
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Members are Mapping Beauty Justice in Northern Manhattan

WE ACT members and staff have been visiting stores throughout Northern Manhattan as part of our citizen science project collecting data on the toxic ingredients found in personal care products being sold in our communities. Member Skyller Walkes (above left) and Valentina Rojas (above right) are among the volunteers who have been using the Clearya Survey app to collect the data. If you want to learn more, RSVP ([link removed]) to join our next Healthy Homes Working Group ([link removed]) virtual meeting via Zoom at 6:00 PM on Thursday, June 19th.
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5K Sponsors Inspire Staff Step Challenge

It's been a month since our amazing 5K, and we would like to thank our Gold Sponsor Champlain Hudson Power Express along with our Silver Sponsor Kinetic Communities Consulting; our Bronze Sponsors USL Technology, Ørsted, & Apex Building Group; and Supporter Sponsor Holland & Knight - plus our top fundraising team, For Sunny 2025. Not only is their support helping advance the work we do, but it has inspired our staff to do a Spring Step Challenge for wellbeing!
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Yosef Robele was featured in a press release ([link removed]) issued by Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) condemning congressional attacks on efforts to address the climate crisis. In addition to appearing in the photo with the Senate leaders, he was quoted: “Today Congress has decided to fundamentally deny states their rights to reduce pollution and protect public health. In environmental justice communities, people of color and lower income face the greatest rates of asthma and cancer. This action enables a continued unjust assault on overburdened communities choking on diesel fumes. A clean transportation sector benefits us all and we will continue to fight for one that’s healthier, cheaper, and accessible to everyone.”

Eric Walker was quoted in an RTO Insider ([link removed]) article on the New York State Public Service Commission’s allocation of $5 billion for energy efficiency and building electrification. Eric and other advocates raised concern that only 30 percent of this funding is dedicated to low- to moderate-income households, which is far short of the 50 percent we had been asking for. If you can’t get past the paywall, you can read the press release here ([link removed]) .

Harlem World ([link removed]) shared our call to participate in New York City’s Urban Forest Plan ([link removed]) survey to provide suggestions on how to increase the number of trees in the city.
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Get Ready to Vote

New York's Primary Election will be on June 24th, with early voting running from June 14th through 22nd. This election will use Ranked Choice Voting, which you can learn about by watching this informative video ([link removed]) . June 14th is also the last day to register to vote ([link removed]) and apply for an absentee ballot ([link removed]) . Visit this link ([link removed]) to register to vote and visit this link ([link removed]) to learn about and apply for an absentee ballot. You can find this and more information on WE ACT's Voter Information page at weact.org/vote ([link removed]) !
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Sign-up ([link removed]) to get ready to testify for the Community Land Act.

Click here ([link removed]) to ask Governor Hochul to sign this bill ([link removed]) banning PFAS and other toxic chemicals from menstrual products sold in New York State.

Click here ([link removed]) to urge Governor Hochul to pass the Beauty Justice Act ([link removed]) , which will ban these toxic chemicals from all personal care products sold in New York State.

Join us for an Albany Advocacy Day ([link removed]) on Thursday, June 5th to help pass the NY HEAT Act ([link removed]) .

Share your suggestions ([link removed]) to improve New York’s tree canopy as part of New York City’s Urban Forest Plan ([link removed]) by June 30th.

Take New York’s air quality survey ([link removed]) to draw attention to Northern Manhattan’s air quality.

Make sure you are registered to vote ([link removed]) in the June Primary Election.

Donate ([link removed]) to support out work!
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EarthShare

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