Introducing Parts Per Million, 350Brooklyn’s New E-Magazine!
We’re excited to announce the first issue of 350Brooklyn’s new e-magazine Parts Per Million, highlighting the work of our thoughtful and creative 350BK community. Hear from your fellow activists and see how they draw inspiration from diverse, yet connected sources. What brings 350Brooklynites to the climate action long game? What keeps them energized? Parts Per Million celebrates the individual experiences, stories, and voices of activists in this collectively and personally-owned climate movement. Do you have a story, comment, or work of art related to climate change, and/or climate action? We would love to hear it! Please get in touch with original submissions in any format, or inquiries, at [email protected]
Composting in NYC: Current Options and Future Possibilities
Tuesday, June 14th, 7:30 pm EDT
Mandatory residential composting would create a citywide curbside organics collection program for residential buildings. So what's the state of compositing in New York City? It’s the topic of our monthly meeting in June! Join us and learn about recently proposed city legislation to do this very thing. Find out how you can participate in getting it passed, and what current composting actions you can take right now. Register here.
How Climate Friendly Is Your Home? A Free Energy Auditing Program
Wednesday, May 25th, 2022
7:00 pm – 8:15 pm on Zoom
Measuring your home's energy efficiency is a great first step toward lowering energy consumption, but energy audits can be costly, and it’s not easy to find a qualified auditor. New York State is teaming up with Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) to offer a free remote energy auditing service to homeowners via a mobile app. The app collects data from your home and shows you how much energy you could save from different upgrades. At this event, NEEP experts will explain how this tool works and get you started on your own audit. Please register at least one hour before the event using this link to receive your connection via Zoom in advance. You can also stream the event live on YouTube. This Climate Wednesdays event is in collaboration with Brooklyn Public Library and New Yorkers for Clean Power.
Join The Power Hour Team, Phone Bank for Climate Justice!
Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
Each week on Power Hour we convene on Zoom to call, tweet, and email our legislators and fossil fuel enablers to push for specific climate bills and actions.
On Monday, May 23rd, we began a new campaign pushing for a moratorium on cryptocurrency mining operations that use proof-of-work: Bill S6486D. Did you know that if Bitcoin were a country, it would rank in the top thirty countries of energy users worldwide — between Norway and Argentina? Does this sound like a good thing? If it doesn’t, join us to ask our representatives to pass the bill linked above. We’ll also make some brief calls for the All-Electric Building Act, Build Public Renewables Act, and Extended Producer Responsibility.
Join our SPECIAL EDITION Power Hour tomorrow- Wednesday May 25th at 12:00 pm EDT. We'll review briefings, share the “state of play,” and reach out to numerous elected officials using our own customized scripts. The agenda includes the All-Electric Building Act, and, time permitting, Green Transit / Green Jobs. Have a look at the TOOLKIT.
Register for all these events using this link. Can't make it to Power Hour? Sign the Grow NYC Petition and help 350Brooklyn generate 200 signatures!
This image depicts New York City’s daily carbon emissions as one ton spheres
Got Five Minutes to Make Building Electrification The Law?
Buildings are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in New York. There is no pathway to meeting our legally mandated greenhouse gas emissions reductions without dramatically decarbonizing our buildings. There ought to be another law! Or three! Join us to help pass that very number of important legislation to support building electrification in New York:
Energy and policy experts worldwide agree that beneficial electrification is the best and most cost-effective pathway for decarbonization of the building sector. Heating and appliances with energy efficient technologies reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while also providing building occupants with improved health, safety, and comfort. Send an email to your legislators and Governor Hochul asking them to support the Renewable Heat Now package of bills during this year's legislative session.
More Opportunities to Comment–We Persist, and Resist!
New Yorkers have a critical opportunity to shape our climate future by commenting on the Climate Action Council's Draft Scoping Plan. 350Brooklyn’s webpage has plenty of resources to help you do just that! We have links to meaty comments prepared by New York Renews that need just a couple of clicks to send. You can also craft your own using suggestions for commenting on waste and on agriculture! The comment period closes June 10th, so you've got time to submit as many as you like.
Stop the Money Pipeline May Actions
In the first weeks of May, Stop the Money Pipeline Brooklyn supported the national Stop the Money Pipeline campaign by engaging in multiple actions during this "shareholder season." Multiple resolutions were introduced in shareholder meetings in the finance industry to align the companies' policies with the Paris Agreement. Bank of America, Citibank, JP Morgan Chase and Chubb insurance among others voted on these proposals. Partnering with 350Brooklyn's own Power Hour, we texted, emailed and called executives from these financial institutions to push them to support these climate resolutions, many of which got over 10% support from their shareholders! If you want to help push the finance industry to divest from fossil fuels, email us at [email protected].
Thank You From 350Brooklyn For Making Our 5K Fun-Raiser a Big Success
With over seventy people registered to run, and a dozen volunteer staffers, 350Brooklyn's first 5K was lots of fun and raised over $1,000 for our work. Our band the Eco-Tones, led by Marc Schmied, played great music to everyone’s enjoyment! We’d like to thank Trader Joe's for their donation of snacks and drinks. We are grateful to La Nature: A Zero-Waste Store, Nitehawk Cinema, and Film Noir Cinema for giving us gift certificates for our raffle. Last, but not least, a big round of applause for 350BK member Carolyn Egervery, who brought the idea of a 5K to us and took charge in spectacular fashion!
FROM OUR FRIENDS AND ALLIES:
Friends of Fort Greene Park's "Celebration of Trees"
Saturday June 11th 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT
On June 11th, Friends of Fort Greene Park will raise awareness of the city's plan to remove 83 mature trees for a cement plaza. Come for some great music, family-friendly activities, and a free barbeque! Help them urge our elected officials to take a stand on protecting the trees of Fort Greene Park! Sign their petition to save the trees here.
Get involved in one of our workgroups!
350Brooklyn is volunteer-powered. At the heart of these efforts are our campaigns and committees. Follow the links below for more information on how to join.
City Action Committee’s mission is to make Brooklyn and New York City leaders not only in climate policy but also in the long-term actions and engagement needed to make those policies effective. Current campaigns include The Renewable Rikers Act, Fighting Peaker Plants, Electric School Buses, and the Department of Sustainability and Climate Change. Use this google form to connect with City Action.
The Climate Idea Exchange works to deepen public understanding of the climate crisis, breaking it down into manageable topics and showing how to take action locally. We work both independently and in collaboration with Brooklyn Public Library, and we're developing a podcast series. email [email protected].
350BK Families organizes activities that bring children, youth, and their adults together for the climate. Current projects include pushing for the creation of 529 college savings plans that are free of fossil fuel investments. email [email protected].
Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice is a diverse coalition focused on equity, inclusion, justice, and economic and environmental sustainability. 350Brooklyn is part of this coalition, which is working to ensure that the rezoning of the Gowanus area honors the needs of all community members. email [email protected].
Legislation focuses on federal and New York State climate legislation. Current campaigns are NY Renews (to pass the Climate Community Investment Act), the Green New Deal, and stopping the repowering of the Gowanus power plant (with 350BK's City Action). email [email protected].
The Media Committee is 350Brooklyn's all-around in-house media team. This group writes press releases and promotional copy, creates graphics, keeps tabs on 350BK's social media presence, and runs the new 350BK blog. email [email protected].
Stop the Money Pipeline plans and participates in direct actions that pressure financial institutions to stop funding deforestation and fossil fuel industries. We are part of a national movement targeting New York-based corporations, including Chase Bank and BlackRock Investment Management. email [email protected].
Plastic Free works to eliminate plastic pollution and reduce reliance on single-use plastic products. We meet via Zoom to work on a variety of projects including legislative lobbying efforts, campaigns promoting going plastic free, and neighborhood efforts to reduce waste. email [email protected].
No time but able to donate? While we are an affiliate of 350.org, we are programmatically independent and our financial support comes solely from our members. Can you offer financial support, at any level? Donate here.
