Rally to Get New York's Cumulative Impacts Bill Signed Into Law
Communities of color are burdened by a disproportionate amount of pollution, and this holds true from nearly every source imaginable. How do we keep our communities from being dumping grounds for pollution? We’re following New Jersey’s lead and fighting to pass a New York State Cumulative Impacts bill (S.8830/A.2103C), which will ensure that the cumulative impacts from all sources of pollution affecting a community are taken into consideration in the State’s Environmental Quality Review process when potentially polluting facilities seek permits.
As you may recall, we successfully got this through the New York State legislature, and now we are working on getting Governor Kathy Hochul to sign it into law. We recruited more than 100 organizations and advocates to send her a letter making the case for signing the bill (download a PDF here) and will be hosting an online rally with the JustGreen partnership at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, June 8 to discuss the importance of this legislation. RSVP here.
As some of you may know, the 2022 New York State legislative session has just ended, though some bills may still be under discussion. We will give you an official rundown once the dust has settled. In the meantime, we thank everyone who made calls to our legislative leaders this week. It’s looking like you may have helped get two of those bills passed!
Read the Green, Healthy Schools Report
Given the aforementioned disparities in air pollution that our communities face, and the higher rates of COVID-19 we endured, we need to build better schools to safeguard the health of our children. As part of the Climate Works for All Coalition, we wanted to share the new Green, Healthy Schools report (download the PDF here). It is designed to serve as a blueprint for New York City Mayor Eric Adams to ensure our schools are healthier for the students and better for the environment – and create good jobs in the process.
TODAY: Help Get Harlem Ready for Climate Change
Tune in today, Saturday, June 4, at 10:00 AM for a webinar on how to prepare for this summer’s extreme weather events fueled by the climate crisis, including heatwaves and flooding. Learn more here. And watch this short new video to get a preview of what’s in store. It’s like a teaser for a summer blockbuster!
Concerned About Toxics in Cosmetics? Join Our Beauty Inside Out Working Group
Our new Beauty Inside Out Working Group consists of members interested in working together to raise awareness of toxic substances in personal care and beauty products while promoting policies that remove these substances and products from the market. The industry is largely unregulated, and many products you may apply daily contain toxic chemicals known to cause cancer, infertility, poor infant and maternal health outcomes, obesity, asthma, and many other serious health issues. Join us at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, June 8 for the next monthly meeting. Contact Sophia Huda at [email protected] for more details.
June Membership Meeting Get Ready to Vote & Learn About Fair Fares
Join us at 10:00 AM on Saturday, June 11 for our June Membership meeting. We’ll be talking about voter engagement, first with our Membership Planning Committee elections (learn more here) and then with early voting for New York State’s June 28 Primary Election (learn more here). We will also be talking about the city’s Fair Fares program for affordable public transportation. RSVP here.
Vote for WE ACT's Membership Planning Committee
At our May Membership Meeting, you all had a chance to meet the candidates for our Membership Planning Committee (watch the video replay here). And you can learn more about the candidates here. Once you have had a chance to get to know these candidates, we encourage you to cast your vote here. Our Membership Planning Committee serves a leadership role in our membership and does a lot of the work planning and preparing for our Membership Meetings and other events. The committee also works toward more effective communication between the membership body and staff and helps set goals for membership participation. You will have until our June 11 Membership Meeting to cast your vote!
WHEELS Students Environmental Justice Mini-Documentary Film Expo
How healthy is my community? What role does the environment play? And how can I take action to advance issues I believe in? Explore these questions and more at the Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School’s (WHEELS) free Environmental Justice Mini-Documentary Film Expo at 5:30 PM on Monday, June 13. WHEELS high school seniors will educate community stakeholders about the environmental justice issues affecting their community and advocate for potential solutions. RSVP here to attend.
Yuwa Vosper to Discuss Advocacy in Removing Toxics from Personal Care Products
On Wednesday, June 15, Yuwa Vosper will be on a 15 panel discussing how advocacy can help address toxic chemicals in personal care products as part of the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative’s research convening: Advancing Worker Health and Safety in the Nail and Hair Salon Communities. RSVP here.
Help End New York's Lead Crisis Come to Our Lead Poisoning Workshop
New York State leads the nation in homes with lead-based paint and childhood lead-poisoning cases. Here in New York City, an average of 2,233 children test positive for elevated blood lead levels each year. And studies show that Black children living below the poverty line are twice as likely to suffer from lead poisoning as poor white or Latino children. That is why WE ACT has a long history of fighting to pass and enforce legislation to end this entirely preventable crisis. We have had some victories at both the city and the state level, but the fight is far from over. That is why we encourage you to join us on Thursday, June 16 at 6:30 PM for a workshop on childhood lead poisoning. You will learn about the sources of lead exposure, including how to identify and prevent them, as well as the health impacts of lead poisoning and how you can get involved in the work we are doing to put an end to this crisis at the city, state, and federal levels. RSVP here.
Team Up to Help Clean Up Harlem
Join us for Team Up to Clean Up on Saturday, June 25 at 10:00 AM as we come together to tackle trash in our community. Read about it in Harlem World Magazine and sign up here. Cleaning supplies will be provided. And we thank West Harlem Development Corporation for funding this event!
Watch Too Hot to Handle: Our Webinar on Extreme Heat in NYC
In case you missed our extreme heat webinar, you can watch a video replay here. In addition to our staff experts, guest speakers included: Dr. Lauren Smalls-Mantey, Environmental Systems Analyst at the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene; Kathryn Lane, Senior Environmental Epidemiologist at the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene; Daphne Lundi, Deputy Director for Social Resiliency at the New York City Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice; Siobhan Watson, Deputy Director, Sustainability Programs at the New York City Housing Authority; Louise Yeung, Chief Climate Officer at the Office of the New York City Comptroller; and Dr. Liv Yoon, Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the Columbia Climate School. And scroll down to the end of this newsletter for an opportunity to earn a $50 gift certificate as part of research project Dr. Yoon is doing on extreme heat!
We also presented the findings from our 2021 Cooling Center Report (download a PDF here) as well as our 2022 Extreme Heat Policy Agenda (download a PDF here).
Watch Our Workshop to Prevent Truck Idling
In case you missed our workshop on truck idling, and how you can earn money making sure trucks comply with New York City’s idling laws, you can watch the video replay here. Guest speakers included: Charles Sturcken, Director of Economic Development at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection; Alyssa Preston of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Environmental Compliance; and Gerry Kelpin, Director, Air & Noise Policies & Enforcement at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.
In an article in Nature Magazine, Peggy Shepard weighed in on the challenges of identifying and protecting environmental justice communities from cumulative impacts, including the Biden administration’s proposed Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool for Justice40. Read it here.
Architectural Record featured quotes from Dana Johnson and Annie Carforo in an article on the need for equitable climate policy, ranging from Justice40 to building decarbonization and electrification. Read it here.
Peggy Shepard was among the voices in E&E News calling for the inclusion of race as factor in the Biden administration’s Justice40 screening tool to identify “disadvantaged” communities, giving examples of communities that might not otherwise be identified. Read it here.
As mentioned earlier, we’re working hard to get New York State Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the Cumulative Impacts bill into law. Sonal Jessel spoke with the Hudson Mohawk Magazine podcast about how this legislation will address decades of environmental racism and its adverse health impacts on environmental justice communities. Listen to it here.
Sonal Jessel also spoke to The City about how rising utility rates and extreme heat can be a dangerous mix for frontline communities this summer. Read it here.
Remember that PDF we shared of the profile on Bailey in Walden University’s alumni magazine? From that cocoon, a butterfly has emerged. Here’s the full article, in all its glory – with photos from all around town, including the Mother Clara Hale Bus Depot. Read it here.
TODAY: Arts & Jazzfest NYC
Today is the first day of Arts & Jazzfest NYC! Head to Governor’s Island on Saturdays June 4, July 23, and August 13 from 1:00-6:00 PM. Artist, educator, and Arts & Jazzfest NYC Founder (and WE ACT member) Gwen Black is the force behind this annual festival, celebrating its 19th year. And on Friday, June 10, she is hosting the 6th annual Visual Arts Jazz Day, which is an intergenerational celebration of music and art. That will be at the Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park at 145th Street from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Learn more here.
Lived Experience with Extreme Heat? Dr. Yoon Wants to Hear from You!
Dr. Liv Yoon, who spoke at our Extreme Heat webinar, is looking for residents of Northern Manhattan, the South Bronx, Newark, Elizabeth, and Jersey City who have lived experience with extreme heat. Share your story for an interactive heat story map and you will have a chance to win a $50 gift certificate. Learn more here.
