View this email in your browser ([link removed])
[link removed]
[link removed]
Early Voting Begins June 18 in New York
Early voting for New York's June 28 Primary Election begins on Saturday, June 18. Watch the video replay of our June Membership Meeting ([link removed]) or visit our Voter Information ([link removed]) page to learn what you need to know. And get out and vote!
[link removed]
Uptown Chats: Welcome to WE ACT
Here’s your chance to learn more about WE ACT, the work we do, and the people who are doing it. Join us at 6:00 PM on Thursday, June 23. Come learn about our programs and policy agenda, and how you can get involved in the upcoming months. Speakers will include Peggy Shepard, our Co-Founder and Executive Director; Sonal Jessel, our Director of Policy; and Bailey, our Manager of Membership and Organizing. RSVP here ([link removed]) .
[link removed]
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 ([link removed]) and sign up here ([link removed]) . Cleaning supplies will be provided. And we thank West Harlem Development Corporation ([link removed]) for funding this event!
[link removed]
[link removed]
PowerUp NYC Community Town Hall
Help Shape the City’s Energy Future
PowerUp NYC is a year-long energy study seeking your input to help shape New York City’s Long-Term Energy Plan for achieving a just energy transition by 2050. We are hosting the Manhattan Community Town Hall on behalf of the New York City Mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental Justice. Join us online at 6:00 PM on Monday, June 27 and share your thoughts. RSVP here ([link removed]) , and make your voice heard!
[link removed]
Member BBQ: Mark Your Calendar
Mark your calendar for our Member BBQ. We’ll be gathering at 155 West 142nd Street for our annual barbecue from 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM on Saturday, July 16. RSVP here ([link removed]) .
[link removed]
Annie Carforo to Moderate AIA Panel on the Electrification of Affordable Housing
At 6:00 PM on Wednesday, June 22, Annie Carforo will moderate the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter’s Equity in Electrification: Electrification of Affordable Housing, a panel discussion about New York City’s Local Law 154 ([link removed]) (Gas Free NYC) and the equitable electrification of buildings. RSVP here ([link removed]) .
[link removed]
Sonal Jessel Panels on Policies & Practices to Address Extreme Heat
Sonal Jessel will participate in the Environmental and Energy Study Institute’s Living with Climate Change series panel on Extreme Heat: Policies to Anticipate Threats and Build Preparedness at 12:00 PM on Friday, June 24. RSVP here ([link removed]) .
[link removed]
VIDEO REPLAY: Watch Our June Membership Meeting
In case you missed it, our June Membership Meeting discussed New York State’s June 28 Primary Election as well as New York City’s Fair Fares ([link removed]) program. Watch the video replay here ([link removed]) .
[link removed]
VIDEO REPLAY: Watch Our Cumulative Impacts Webinar
In case you missed the webinar we hosted with Clean and Healthy New York, the JustGreen Partnership, and South Bronx Unite celebrating the passage of New York’s Cumulative Impacts bill (S.8830/A.2103C) ([link removed]) and its potential significance for the environmental justice movement, you can watch the video replay here ([link removed]) . It features a panel of national environmental justice leaders including Peggy Shepard; Mychal Johnson, Co-Founder of South Bronx Unite; Dr. Robert Bullard, Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy and Director of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice; and Dr. Nicky Sheats, Director of the Center for the Urban Environment at the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean University and founding member of the New Jersey
Environmental Justice Alliance.
[link removed]
Watch the Top Mini-Doc from the WHEELS Environmental Justice Expo
The Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School’s (WHEELS) Environmental Justice Mini-Documentary Film Expo was a smashing success! WHEELS high school seniors showcased their mini-docs and a panel of expert judges selected the prize winners. Peggy Shepard, one of the esteemed judges, is pictured above with the Palme d'Or team, who captured the top honors for their documentary on toxics in personal care products. Watch their film here ([link removed]) .
[link removed]
Harlem World Magazine featured our response to the end of the 2022 New York State legislative session ([link removed]) as well as the news that the legislature passed our bill banning mercury in skin lightening creams ([link removed]) .
As City Limits ([link removed]) reported, Lonnie Portis was among those testifying before the New York City Council on the need to expedite the phaseout of #4 heating oil.
Sonal Jessel was quoted in Crain’s New York Business ([link removed]) and Habitat Magazine ([link removed]) calling out the New York State legislature for failing to pass bold climate initiatives this year, despite the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change saying that is exactly what is needed.
And a 2021 CNN story on extreme heat ([link removed]) that featured Sonal Jessel was shared again this week ([link removed]) in response to the heatwave that gripped much of the nation. She described extreme heat as a “risk-multiplier" for low-income communities or communities of color that bear the brunt of multiple hardships.
[link removed]
New York Providing Utility Debt Relief for Low-Income Households
As you may recall, we have been advocating for utility debt relief ([link removed]) because more than 1 million New Yorkers are struggling to pay their utility bills. This crisis has hit low-income communities and communities of color the hardest, as they must spend a disproportionate amount of their household income on utility bills. And with the COVID-19 pandemic hitting these same communities the hardest, it’s not surprising that many have found themselves behind on their utility bills.
We have some good news to report! Thanks to the New York State Public Service Commission, Governor Kathy Hochul, and the State Legislature, $250 million will be distributed to those in need, helping pay down household utility debt ([link removed]) . Current utility customers participating in the Energy Affordability Program (EAP) will receive a one-time bill credit that eliminates arrears accrued through May 1, 2022.
But if you are in a low-income household that is not already enrolled in your utility’s EAP program, you can still enroll to receive this credit. If you are a low-income household interested in enrolling, contact our Climate Justice Team at
[email protected] (mailto:
[email protected]) and they can help guide you through the process.
[link removed]
Bus Changes Along 125th Street
Our resident New York City transit expert, Bailey, wanted to share some changes that will take effect on Sunday, June 26. The MTA has redesigned the Bronx bus network, which will also impact many of our Northern Manhattan community members. These changes include the new M125 route across 125th Street: MTA M125 bus timetable ([link removed]) (PDF). This replaces the BX15 along the 125th Street corridor, MTA BX15 bus timetable ([link removed]) (PDF). The same is true of the M100 route, MTA M100 bus timetable ([link removed]) (PDF), which will now terminate at 125th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue. The full list of changes can be found here: MTA Bronx Bus Schedules ([link removed]) .
[link removed]
Sunday is Juneteenth
Sunday is Juneteenth, and Derrick Bryson Taylor’s article in the New York Times ([link removed]) provides an in-depth look at the history and significance of this holiday. Our offices will be closed on Monday, June 20 to commemorate Juneteenth.
[link removed]
[link removed]
============================================================
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
** Website ([link removed])
Copyright © 2020, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, All rights reserved.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
