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Peggy Shepard Talks Climate Justice on WNYC's National Conversation About Biden's Climate Plan
Last night, Peggy Shepard was a guest on WNYC Radio's special national call-in conversation about the climate crisis and President Biden's climate plan. She and journalist Mark Hertsgaard spoke with WNYC's Brian Lehrer and fielded calls from listeners around the country. Listen Here ([link removed])
Peggy Shepard Spoke with Politico About the Rising Voice of the Environmental Justice Movement
Peggy was also part of a great article in Politico on the reckoning environmental justice advocates have given mainstream environmentalists, and how President Biden's embracing of environmental justice and nomination of Michael Regan to head the EPA could provide a fruitful path forward. Read the Article ([link removed])
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Reducing Lead in School Drinking Water: "5 is the New 15" Report
WE ACT has been working with the New York League of Conservation Voters and the American Academy of Pediatrics, Healthy Schools Network, and Natural Resources Defense Council to advocate for more stringent lead laws in New York State. In support of legislation sponsored by New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, we issued a joint report on Thursday calling for the strengthening of the 2016 Safe School Drinking Water Act to protect more students and staff from lead exposure in school drinking water.
The report is called “5 is the New 15” because it makes the case for the State to reduce the lead action level for public school drinking water from 15 parts per billion to 5. It also calls for improvements in testing and the closing of existing loopholes. Lead is an environmental justice issue because studies show that Black children in the U.S. are nearly three times more likely to have highly elevated blood-lead levels. Download the Report ([link removed]) (PDF)
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February Membership Meeting:
Out of Gas, In with Justice
Saturday, February 13
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET
via Zoom
Our next Membership Meeting is on February 13, the day before Valentine’s Day. We’ll be introducing you to decarbonization and electrification, two terms that figure into a lot of work we are doing – now and for the foreseeable future. Come and learn about our pilot program and statewide campaign to transition homes away from the use of natural gas and other fossil fuels (decarbonization) towards the use of renewable energy, which requires appliances that use electricity (electrification). For example, as part of our pilot program, we’ll be replacing gas stoves with induction stoves as well as installing air-source heat pumps in affordable housing. We’ll walk you through it all and answer any questions you may have. Plus, we are bringing in an expert to discuss COVID-19 vaccines in Northern Manhattan as well as electing new members to our Membership Planning Committee (see below). RSVP Today ([link removed])
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Meet the Candidates for WE ACT's Membership Planning Committee
The Planning Committee serves as the steering committee for WE ACT's 800-plus members. They help plan events like our monthly membership meetings, review our policy agenda, and help train and develop their fellow members.
We have four new candidates this year (pictured above, from left to right): Nohemy Aguirre, Nichole Byron, Libby Jackson-Diagne, Vivia Morgan, and Russell Taylor. We will be voting on these candidates at next Saturday's membership meeting, so please take a moment to review their bios here ([link removed]) .
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Listen to Our Thought Leaders
Sonal Jessel will talk about our Heat, Health, & Equity work at an environmental justice webinar being held by the Church of St. Francis Xavier on Sunday, February 7 at 3 PM ET. RSVP ([link removed])
Nicole Pavez will participate in a panel on careers in climate action and sustainability being hosted by GreenHomeNYC on Tuesday, February 9 at 6:30 PM ET. RSVP ([link removed])
Kerene Tayloe will participate in a panel on legal avenues for Black communities to achieve environmental justice under the Biden administration hosted by the BlackOak Collective and Howard University’s Environmental and Energy Law Society on Wednesday, February 10 at 6 PM ET. RSVP ([link removed])
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Uptown Chats: Welcome to WE ACT
Watch the Video!
Did you miss our Uptown Chats on Tuesday? We did a special "Welcome to WE ACT" presentation so that new donors and other supporters could learn a little more about who we are, the work we do, and its impact on our community. We recorded the presentation, so you can watch it online and learn about on our Heat, Health, & Equity initiative to advance climate justice; our Beauty Inside Out campaign to remove toxic chemicals from personal care products targeted to women of color; and the amazing work being done by our Federal Policy Office in Washington, DC. Watch the Video ([link removed])
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