Learn About Our NYCHA Voter Engagement Work And Celebrate MLK Day by Voting in Tuesday's Special Election
Monday is MLK Day, and due to the Omicron variant, we won’t be holding our usual MLK Day of Service voter outreach event. But we would like to take this opportunity to share the success of last year’s voter engagement campaign targeting NYCHA residents in Northern Manhattan. Read the new blog post from WE ACT Advisory Committee Member Justine Lee here.
Special Election on Tuesday, January 18 Be sure to turn out for the special elections on January 18 and February 15. On Tuesday, January 18, voters in the New York State Assembly’s 68th District (which includes East Harlem and Randalls & Wards Islands) will be electing a replacement for Robert Rodriguez, who is now serving as New York’s Secretary of State. And on Tuesday, February 15, voters in the New York State Assembly’s 72nd District (which includes portions of Hamilton Heights, Harlem, Inwood, & Washington Heights) will be electing a replacement for Carmen de la Rosa, who is now the City Council Member representing District 10. Learn more here.
Watch the Video Replay of Our NYC Policy Membership Meeting
In case you missed it last Saturday, our January Membership Meeting focused on New York City policies. Members offered an amazing array of questions, and we had plenty of local elected officials on-hand to answer them, including New York City Council Members Shaun Abreu, Carmen De La Rosa, and Kristin Richardson Jordan along with New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. New York State Senator Robert Jackson and New York State Assembly Member Al Taylor also made guest appearances. We are in the process of compiling all the questions, suggestions, and concerns we didn’t get to during the meeting so that we can work with our elected officials to address them. Watch the video replay here.
Understanding How Blacks & Latinxs View the Climate Crisis
We partnered with GreenLatinos & Third Way on a poll to assess how Black and Latinx communities feel about climate change and the clean energy transition. The key findings include:
Black and Latinx communities feel the impact of climate change firsthand, but overall, say the economy and job growth demand more urgent attention when asked about their top issue priorities.
Policymakers, advocates, and communicators – defined as professionals like communications directors, consultants, and press secretaries – need to do a better job of engaging with Black and Latinx communities on how the clean energy transition can positively impact their communities. And they can best achieve this by localizing climate messaging to reflect various community priorities.
You can learn more here, and read the story in TIME Magazine here.
Learn About Environmental Justice & Public Policy with New Resource
We partnered with the New York University Law School’s State Energy & Environmental Impact Center to create an online resource for state Attorney Generals looking to establish or expand their work in support of environmental justice. In addition to providing an overview of environmental justice and the history of the movement, this online resource also provides a detailed look into mapping tools states are using to identify these communities and highlights relevant federal and state policies to consider. View the online resource here. And while it is intended for state Attorney Generals, it is also a great tool for anyone interested in learning more about environmental justice & public policy!
WE ACT Responds to Governor Hochul's State-of-the-State Address
In case you missed our earlier email, we responded to New York State Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2022 State-of-the-State Address last week. She included a number of initiatives we had advocated for, others we gladly support, and a few that need to be addressed. You can read the full response here. We are following up with the Governor’s staff and state lawmakers to address our concerns as we work to advance our own 2022 Policy Agenda.
Learn to Lobby for Safer Cosmetics
We have joined forces with Black Women for Wellness, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, and Women’s Voices for the Earth to conduct a special lobby training to help us advance the federal Safe Beauty package. We are looking to train fellow activists, community members, salon workers, health-impacted communities (including breast cancer survivors, people impacted by fragrance, etc.), and nurses and other health care professionals to lobby for this legislative package designed to make cosmetics and other beauty products safer to use. We encourage you to join us on Wednesday, January 19 at 1:00 PM EST. RSVP here.
Learn About Community Choice Aggregation: A New Tool to Achieve an Equitable Transition to Clean Energy
Jasmine Graham will be one of the speakers at a webinar on Community Choice Aggregation, a new and transformational tool for community energy empowerment and climate justice. Join us on Wednesday, January 19 at 7:00 PM EST for this online event co-sponsored by Citizens for Local Power, Energy Democracy Alliance, Mid-Hudson Energy Transition, and New Yorkers for Clean Power. RSVP here.
Join the Fight for Climate Justice
Are you interested in getting involved with our climate justice work? Then come join our Climate Justice Working Group. Our next monthly meeting is Tuesday, January 25 at 6:00 PM EST. RSVP here.
Help Prepare Our Community for Extreme Weather Events
Four major storms hit our area last year, causing widespread flooding and the loss of life. We are working with East Harlem COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disasters) and the Harlem Emergency Network (HEN) to plan and prepare for a variety of extreme weather disasters that could impact our community. Join us on Thursday, January 27 at 6:00 PM EST. RSVP here.
Anastasia Gordon wrote an Op-Ed in Solar Power World making the case for updating the solar Investment Tax Credit to make solar power more accessible for low- and moderate-income households and communities of color. Read the Op-Ed here.
Peggy Shepard and Dana Johnson voiced concerns – in E&E News and Politico, respectively – about the Biden administration’s commitment to environmental justice after two key CEQ departures, continued delays on the screening tool, and the deadline for publishing a scorecard only weeks away. Read the articles here and here.
In the wake of the horrific Bronx fire, Taylor Morton spoke with Gizmodo about the urgency of addressing the disparities in energy affordability and efficiency, saying “we must protect our low-income communities, and communities of color from outdated infrastructure by committing to affordable retrofitting and equitable energy policies that are aimed at preventing events like these from happening again.” Read the article here. And read the FDNY’s fire safety guidance here, as well as concerns about other items such as electric bikes here.
Sonal Jessel spoke with the Brooklyn Paper to help make the case for New York State’s All-Electric Building Act, which would mandate that new buildings be constructed to be powered only by electricity – similar to Local Law 54 in New York City. She was also quoted in stories appearing in Harlem World Magazine and WSHU Public Radio on the effort to get New York State Governor Kathy Hochul to include the mandate in her budget, which she did. Read the articles here, here, and here.
An article in Environmental Health News called out New York City and its landlords for failing to protect children from lead poisoning. As Sonal Jessel noted, the City has laws on the books but continually fails to enforce them. Read the article here.
Be the Change You Seek: Come Work for WE ACT!
What’s more active than WE ACT’s policy team? Our Careers page! Our success in advocating for environmental and climate justice has garnered national attention, and earned us the opportunity to do even more great work. That is why we are looking to staff-up, especially in our Federal Policy Office in Washington, DC. Explore our available positions here.
Work for Food Justice
Speaking of career opportunities, our good friends over at the Corbin Hill Food Project are also looking to fill some positions. If you are passionate about supplying fresh food to those who need it most – with a long-term goal of achieving food sovereignty, racial equity, and community ownership – then we encourage to explore their available positions here.
Climate Justice Fellowships & Workforce Development Opportunities
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is offering workforce development opportunities as well as climate justice fellowships. NYSERDA’s Workforce Development and Training programs focus on enhancing the talent pipeline for New York State businesses engaged in the clean energy industry. Through its Climate Justice Fellowship Program, the On-the-Job Training Program, and the Clean Energy Internship Program, NYSERDA facilitates the placement of new workers, students, recent graduates, and individuals from disadvantaged communities considering career opportunities in clean energy into paid fellowships, internships, and full-time jobs across the State. Learn more here.
