New York City Commits to Environmental & Climate Justice!
New York City Mayor Eric Adams pledged his support for environmental and climate justice this week, and appointed a team of environmental and climate justice experts to support that commitment: Rohit T. Aggarwala as Chief Climate Officer and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner, Vincent Sapienza as Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Environmental Protection, and Kizzy Charles-Guzman as Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice.
Heading the newly minted Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, Kizzy Charles-Guzman began her career as an Environmental Policy Coordinator here at WE ACT for Environmental Justice!
You can watch CBS’ video of the announcement, in which Peggy Shepard introduces the Mayor, here. You can read our response to the announcement here. And you can listen to Sonal Jessel talk to WBAI Radio about the news here (the segment starts at 14:30, and she joins at 16:30).
Start a Green Career with Our Free Solar Training Program!
Come learn how to become a certified solar installer and earn your 30-hour OSHA and 10-hour Site Safety Training certifications as well. If you are a New Yorker interested in this free training program, register for our orientation meeting on Zoom at 1:00 PM EST on Thursday, February 10. Sign up here.
Go Electric: Say No to Fossil Fuels & Yes to Health!
Mark your calendar for our February Membership Meeting at 10:00 AM EST on Saturday, February 12. We’ll begin with nominations for our Member Planning Committee and then talk about our efforts to transition away from fossil fuels – including why this is critical for environmental health and justice, and how you can get involved. Plus, it’s Whacky Hat Day, so be sure to show up wearing your best lid! RSVP here.
Attend Our New York State Environmental Health Advocacy Day
Join us for our JustGreen Partnership virtual advocacy day from 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM EST on Wednesday, February 16. We’ll be asking New York State policymakers to advance environmental health and justice legislation, such as eliminating toxic chemicals in personal care products and reducing the cumulative impacts of toxics and other pollution in our communities. RSVP here.
Free Advocacy Training Not familiar with participating in advocacy days, virtual or otherwise? No worries, RSVP and we will provide you with training beforehand.
Learn About Cumulative Impacts Not familiar with cumulative impacts and how they may be affecting your health? Join us for our online Cumulative Impacts Teach-In at 6:00 PM EST on Tuesday, February 15. RSVP here.
Why We Support the "People's Budget"
New York State’s Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus released its Fiscal Year 2023 “People’s Budget,” detailing what these legislators view as the state’s budgetary needs for its people, with a particular emphasis on the unique needs of low-income communities and communities of color. It includes a number of initiatives we have been advocating for, as well as other initiatives which we support, and therefore is more in-line with the needs and concerns of New York’s environmental justice communities than Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2022-2023 Executive Budget. Learn more here.
The Road to 2035: A Lesson Plan for Electric School Buses
We are part of the NYC Clean School Bus Coalition, which helped pass Intro 455A, mandating all-electric school buses for the city by 2035. This week we released our agenda, a roadmap to implement the legislation. Read the coalition's agenda here.
Video Replay: Understanding Your Political Party
In case you missed it, earlier this week Pamela Stewart-Martinez lead a team of New York City political experts in a discussion about the inner workings of political parties, including the roles and responsibilities of their leaders. Watch the video here.
