Join us for the first of our two New York City Mayoral Candidates Forums at 7:00 PM EDT on Monday, May 24. In partnership with our 501(c)(4), WE ACT 4 Change, we will be hosting two mayoral candidates, Shaun Donovan and Maya Wiley, each of whom will be given 40 minutes to tell us why they are the best candidate and how they will tackle environmental racism in our community. Attendees will also have an opportunity to ask them questions. RSVP
More Candidate Forums:
Join us at 1:00 PM EDT on Thursday, June 3 for a special candidates forum with children and parents from the Harlem Village Academy as we get to know the candidates running for New York City Public Advocate. RSVP
Our second Mayoral Candidates Forum will be at 10:00 AM EDT on Saturday, June 5. We will be spending 40 minutes with Dianne Morales and hope to announce other candidates soon. RSVP
Our June Membership Meeting at 10:00 AM ET on Saturday, June 12 will feature a candidates forum for Manhattan District Attorney. RSVP
The Truth About Flame Retardants: They're Poisoning us
Why are flame retardants bad for you? Why is this an environmental justice issue? And why are we supporting the Family and Fire Fighter Protection Act?
Environmental Policy and Advocacy Coordinator LJ Portis (at the podium in the photo above) made the case at a rally organized by one of the bill’s sponsors, New York State Senator Todd Kaminsky (also pictured above, to LJ’s right), at a fire house in Queens this week.
In case you missed the rally, we encourage you to read Sonal Jessel’s blog post explaining our support for this legislation, which will save lives by protecting New York’s families and fire fighters from the dangerous toxic chemicals used in flame retardants. Read
TAKE ACTION
Do you want to help us pass the Family and Fire Fighter Protection Act? Join our virtual Albany Advocacy Day on Tuesday, May 25. Details below!
Online Albany Advocacy Day: Help Us Pass Key State Legislation
We’re getting down to the wire with the New York State legislature, and there are a handful of bills we still need to advance. You can help us by joining our Just Green Partnership online Advocacy Day from 9:30-3:30 on Tuesday, May 25. We’ll be talking to legislators via Zoom about the need to pass the Family & Fire Fighter Protection Act and the Safe Cosmetics & Personal Care Act as well as legislation on Lead in School Drinking Water and PFAS in Apparel. RSVP
Get on the Bus: Sign the Petition for
Electric School Buses
Did you know that riding in a diesel school bus exposes you to more pollution than driving behind the bus and its tailpipe? Please take a moment to sign our clean school bus coalition’s petition to urge New York State lawmakers to prioritize policies that will provide funding, cut red tape, and minimize costs for electric school bus purchases throughout the state. This is a real issue for our community – and not just because of our children are on the bus, but also because these buses tend to be based in communities of color. Sign Today
Have you read the recommendations of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, which Peggy Shepard co-chairs? The recently released report has received a lot of coverage, including this story in the Hill. Read the Full Report
As the temperature starts to rise here in New York City, Sonal Jessel voiced concern in City and State NY about the impact of extreme heat on environmental justice communities, noting that “many low-income residents are not in the financial position to foot energy bills that can go up 20 to 30% from running air conditioning appliances.” Read
In the wake of the Rocky Mountain Institute blog post that detailed the amount of air pollution produced by buildings in New York City, Sonal Jessel talked to Treehugger about the environmental justice implications of building emissions in New York City and offered recommendations on how to equitably address them. Read
Become an Environmental Advocate with Our Online Training
Our award-winningEnvironmental Health and Justice Leadership Training (EHJLT) program helps develop leaders who can advocate on behalf of their community. But the pandemic has made in-person training a challenge. So, thanks to the generosity of TAZO, the tea company committed to climate justice, we are now able to offer this training online. This spring and summer we’ll be offering four programs running from 6-7:30 PM EDT: Intro to Environmental Justice & Climate Justice, Climate Justice & Resiliency, Environmental Justice 101, & Introduction to Community Organizing. Learn More & Sign Up
SUNS Turns One!
Happy Birthday to SUNS! Our solar workers cooperative, Solar Uptown Now Services, celebrated its first official anniversary yesterday. We say “official” because they did a lot of work before filing their paperwork last year. If you’d like to learn more about their journey, then read this great blog post. Read
