Plastic pollution driving you crazy?
Join our Microplastic Madness online screening on Thursday August 13 at 6 pm
Instead of our usual August break from monthly meetings, we’ll watch a film about fifth graders from Red Hook — young citizen scientists who gather data, marshal their statistics in public testimony, and take action against single-use plastics in the school cafeteria. Microplastics Madness “is an instant inspiration,” says Beyond Plastics founder Judith Enck.
The film’s director, Debby Lee Cohen, will be with us to answer questions. We’ll share DIY alternatives, information about legislation and petitions, and updates on 350Brooklyn’s Plastic Free July Challenge. Together we can achieve plastic free sanity! Register here.
Climate Wednesdays continues online: August 26, 7 pm
“Natural Allies: Working With Nature to Combat Climate Change”
Brooklynites love urban nature. And not only do parks, waterways, and shady streets create healthier neighborhoods and a better quality of life—they can also help us confront the climate crisis. How can we enlist natural forces to promote a livable climate? And how can we share nature’s benefits equitably in our city?
Register here to join our “Climate Wednesdays” event in collaboration with Brooklyn Public Library. You’ll need to register at least one hour before the program begins.
For more information:
Activism in the age of Covid-19: Shoe Strike for the Climate
Saturday, August 29 from 10am-noon at Brooklyn Borough Hall
In a time of Covid-19 when it’s hard to gather in person, let your shoes do the talking. All over the world on the last Saturday in August, groups are laying out shoes to bring attention to the climate crisis. Got shoes? Contact [email protected]. (We will donate the shoes afterwards.)
Gowanus Repowering Campaign: More gas? No thanks!
A better idea? Distributed renewable-energy generation and storage! 350Brooklyn has joined Food & Water Watch and New York Communities for Change to oppose Astoria Generating Company’s (AGC) plan to replace 32 combustion turbines at its Gowanus fossil fuel “peaker” plant in Sunset Park with eight larger gas-powered units. AGC says the new units would burn cleaner than those used now. But why burn fossil fuels at all – especially in Sunset Park, a lower-income area already subject to excessive air pollution, where 75% of the residents identify as people of color? On July 29, 350Brooklynites and others rallied against the plan at the site of the Gowanus Generating Station in Sunset Park (above). You can help by sending a comment and signing petitions to Governor Cuomo and Public Service Commission. If you’d like to work with this coalition, email [email protected].
Gowanus Rezoning: Covid-19 and Racial Justice
350Brooklyn’s Lynn Neuman is one of several co-authors from the Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice (GNCJ) who penned an op-ed on the need for an Environmental Justice Special District in Gowanus. “The COVID-19 pandemic and movement for racial justice have laid bare systemic racism and its disproportionate impacts and highlight how accurate GNCJ has been in describing the weaknesses that need to be addressed in our neighborhood,” the op-ed says. To see all of the coalition’s demands, check out the full op-ed.
Composting is Back! (At Least a Little)
While regrettably NYC has cancelled curbside pickup of food scraps and the non-profit GrowNYC has stopped hosting sites where you could bring your own organics, there are still some places which will accept food scraps. Sustainability blogger Belinda Chiu (@healthyblueprint) has created a spread sheet providing information about these sites, which can be found on the Save Our Compost website. There are drop-off locations in Bed-Stuy, Bushwick, East Flatbush, East Williamsburg, Fort Greene, Prospect Lefferts Garden, Prospect Park South, and Williamsburg.
NY Renews Invites You to Come to the Table!
Wednesday, August 5, at 6 pm
The NY Renews coalition is about to launch a new campaign focused on Climate, Jobs, and a Just Recovery in New York State. Join a call on Wednesday, August 5, at 6 pm for a conversation about campaign strategy. Register here.
