November Membership Meeting: Wrap Up 2025 & Get Ready for 2026 Tomorrow

Join us tomorrow for our November Membership Meeting, where we will celebrate all that we achieved this year and preview what we have planned for next year – including a preview of our 2026 Policy Agenda. Join us on Saturday, Nov. 15th from 10:00 AM-1:00 PM at the Most Worshipful Prince Hall, located at 454 West 155th Street. RSVP

Policy and Activism: Reimagining Power for Climate Justice

Peggy Shepard will be on the Policy and Activism: Reimagining Power for Climate Justice panel as part of Women and Sustainability’s Uplift Summit 2025 on Saturday, Nov. 15th. The day-long event leverages Columbia University's academic leadership to unite industry leaders, academics, policymakers, and students to accelerate climate solutions, gender equity, and sustainable innovation through series of panels and networking sessions featuring inspiring women leaders. Examining how women are shaping climate policy and justice from grassroots activism to global negotiations, this panel will run from 2:45-3:45 PM in the Low Library Faculty Room at Columbia University. In addition to Shepard, the other panelists include Julianne McCallum, Project Manager, New Nuclear at the Nuclear Energy Institute; Madison Moore, Counsel, Clean Energy Policy & Community Engagement at the Edison Electric Institute; and Qing Xu, Policy Specialist, Sustainable Finance at UN Women. Aghnia Dima, MPA Candidate, Global Energy Fellow, Columbia SIPA, will moderate. RSVP

CRUP Emergency Preparedness Workshop in Spanish

Marileidy Pimentel Paniagua will be conducting a Spanish-language Climate Ready Uptown Plan (CRUP) workshop from 10:00-11:00 AM on Monday, Nov. 17th in the Family Room at the Salome Ureña Campus of Children’s Aid, which is located at 4600 Broadway. CRUP is a community-driven emergency preparedness plan for Northern Manhattan. Children’s Aid is co-hosting this event, which is open to the public. RSVP

EJNYC Plan: Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Panel Discussions

As part of the effort to gather community input for the EJNYC Plan, a citywide plan to address the environmental justice issues identified the EJNYC Report, the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice (MOCEJ) is hosting panel discussions across every borough to introduce environmental justice communities, advocates, and policymakers to the work being done around the city. These include:

Riding Out the (Heat) Wave: Adapting to and Mitigating Extreme Heat in NYC from 6:30-8:00 PM on Tuesday, Nov. 18th at the Esperanza Preparatory Magnet School – M372, located at 240 East 109th Street in East Harlem (see below). RSVP

Closing the Green Space Access Gap in NYC from 6:30-8:00 PM on Wednesday, Nov. 19th at the Brooklyn Technical High School, located at 29 Fort Greene Plaza in Brooklyn. RSVP

Building Resiliency in Environmental Justice Communities: Adapting to Flooding and Extreme Rainfallfrom 6:30-8:00 PM on Thursday, Nov. 20th at the Nancy DeBenedittis School – PS 16Q, located at 41-15 104th Street in Corona, Queens. RSVP

Equitable Approaches to Address Climate Change, Food Insecurity, and Poverty from 6:30-8:00 PM on Tuesday, Dec. 2nd at Port Richmond High School, located at 85 St. Joseph’s Avenue on Staten Island. RSVP

In addition, WE ACT will be hosting a community charette in Harlem on Saturday, Dec. 6th (see below) to gather input for the EJNYC Plan. RSVP

Riding Out the (Heat) Wave: Adapting to and Mitigating Extreme Heat in NYC

Caleb Smith will be on the Riding Out the (Heat) Wave: Adapting to and Mitigating Extreme Heat in NYC panel discussion from 6:30-8:00 PM on Tuesday, Nov. 18th. Hosted by the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice (MOCEJ) as part of a series of panels being held in all five boroughs in preparation for the EJNYC Plan, this free event will be held at the Esperanza Preparatory Magnet School – M372, located at 240 East 109th Street in East Harlem. The focus of the discussion will be what the City and community organizations are doing to help adapt to extreme heat, the deadliest impact of climate change. In addition to Smith, the other panelists include Dr. Laura Bozzi, Executive Director of Environmental Health Policy at NYC Health; Jen Leone, Assistant Commissioner and Chief Sustainability Officer at HPD; Emily Maxwell, Senior Advisor at the City Parks Foundation; and Navé Strauss, Director of Tree Planting at NYC Parks. Paul Onyx Lozito, Deputy Executive Director of MOCEJ, will moderate. RSVP

Period Justice: Confronting Toxic Chemicals in Feminine Care

Liz Reyes will be on the Period Justice: Confronting Toxic Chemicals in Feminine Care panel discussion on Thursday, Nov. 20th from 6:30-8:30 PM at the Alianza Dominicana Cultural Center, located at 530 West 166th Street. Hosted by the National Dominican Women Caucus, this bilingual community conversation will focus on menstrual equity, health justice, and access to safe, affordable, toxic-free feminine care products. In addition to Reyes, the other panelists include Dr. Rosanna De La Cruz, a Holistic Endocrinologist & Acupuncturist, and someone from Brujas of Brooklyn, Educators, Healers & Advocates for Womb Wellness and Ancestral Healing. Claudia Mendoza from the Mami Chula Social Club will moderate. RSVP

EJNYC Community Charrette: Getting Input on Environmental Justice Issues in Harlem

WE ACT has joined forces with New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice (MOCEJ) to work together on a citywide outreach effort to engage communities and get their input on the EJNYC Plan, a plan to address the environmental justice issues identified in the EJNYC Report. Engaging with the residents of New York’s environmental justice communities, those who are most impacted by these issues, will be critical in developing effective, equitable solutions. Our first charrette will be here in Harlem on Saturday, Dec. 6th at 10:00 AM at the Manhattanville Community Center. Come join us and help ensure that the voices of our community are included in this plan. RSVP

Video Replay: Principles for Community-based Participatory Research

In case you missed Leading with Justice: Principles for Community-based Participatory Research, the panel discussion co-hosted by WE ACT and the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum on how to plan for community-based research projects, you can watch the replay here. Moderated by Denise Patel, speakers included Jordana Vanderselt; Dr. Chris Heaney, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Carlos Sanchez, Youth Outreach Specialist, South Baltimore Community Land Trust; and Darren Riley, CEO/Cofounder of JustAir. Watch

Discussing Climate Solutions at COP30 Hybrid Event

While we did not to attend COP30 in person, Peggy Shepard was featured as a keynote speaker at a hybrid COP30 event, A Mandate for All: The Legal and Civic Imperative to Confront the Climate Emergency. Lonnie Portis also moderated a panel discussion in which Eric Walker was among the panelists. The two-day event was orchestrated by FGV Direito Rio and the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, with participants in Belém, Rio de Janeiro, and New York City. It brought together global leaders, renowned jurists, leading scientists, representatives of indigenous peoples, young activists, and public administrators to discuss the challenges and legal solutions to the climate crisis. You can watch Peggy’s keynote beginning at the 29:45 mark here.

Briana Carbajal co-authored an Op-Ed with New York State Senator Nathalia Fernandez in LoHud.com – the website of the Journal News, which covers the Lower Hudson Valley – urging New York State Governor Kathy Hochul to sign our bill, passed unanimously by the state legislature, banning PFAS and other dangerous chemicals from menstrual products. Click here if you would also like to ask the Governor to sign the bill into law.

Denise Patel was featured in the American Public Health Association’s Public Health Newswire service, which recapped the Meeting the Moment in Environmental Health session in which she presented on How Federal Environmental Health Policy Changes Impact Environmental Justice Communities at the organization’s annual meeting.

Karla Cordero was named one of New York’s “Unsung Heroes” by City & State New York. The publication’s inaugural Unsung Heroes list “recognizes New Yorkers who are highly effective but operate largely under the radar,” which certainly applies to our Chief of Staff.

Peggy Shepard was featured in Harlem World Magazine’s recap of its 2025 Arts, Climate Change, and Education Summit, at which she spoke about climate issues facing Harlem as part of a panel discussion.

Uptown Chats Podcast: Talking Trash in New York

Jaron and Lonnie learn about some emerging policies in New York State to reduce the impact of plastic and other waste materials on the environment and our health with help from a member of WE ACT’s Membership Planning Committee, Danielle Dookie, who also serves on the Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board. Listen

New Book on How to Get Involved Climate Action

Ryan Hagen’s new book, “Your Guide to Climate Action: How to Move Beyond Your Footprint and Make a BIG Impact,” has hit the store shelves and already earned best-seller status. If you are concerned about the climate crisis and wondering what you can do about it, this book is a great resource to help you find a meaningful way to make a difference. The author interviewed Peggy Shepard as part of his research, and WE ACT gets a shoutout as a “top climate nonprofit to support!” Learn More