Dear John,

In this edition of Temp Check, we’re excited to share two new episodes from our podcast, Stories from Home: Moving the Just Transition.

In our most recent episode we zoom in on “energy democracy,” a term describing a wide range of climate solutions that move away from a fossil fuel economy into renewable  energies that also ensures energy is community-owned. 

We look at the work of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth as they devise community energy plans, UPROSE’s solar park and clean energy development in Brooklyn, New York, and the Oregon Just Transition Alliance’s Clean Energy campaign and Fund that flips extractive economics on its head. 

If you missed our last episode on just how to decipher a truly just climate solution from a false one, listen here.       

For the season to date, check out all episodes here. Enjoy the newsletter!

Recently, we held a briefing with a handful of CJA members to discuss important work happening to build and sustain regenerative economies that bring wealth and control back into the hands of communities. It was inspiring to get grounded in the framework for this work with Sachie Hayakawa (New Economy Coalition); hear about real-life examples of these solutions happening now from Summer Sandoval (UPROSE), Rosalinda Guillen (C2C), and Pambana Uishi (KHEPRW Institute); learn about a bold, $100 million campaign being launched later this year to reclaim money from private foundations; and to have it all rounded out by one of our co-executive directors, Marion Gee. Watch the recording here (English and Spanish).

Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) and a host of allies have emerged victorious following a year-long battle to halt a deal between Amazon and the Port Authority of NY & NJ that would increase toxic pollutants in their already overburdened communities. The deal would have seen two buildings at Newark Liberty International Airport turn into dedicated freight hubs for Amazon over the next 20 years. The Port Authority of NY & NJ preliminarily approved the deal in August 2021, with no chance for public comment and no traffic or environmental impact study. ICC and allies lambasted the deal for its secrecy and the agency’s willingness to bend for Amazon. Amazon’s well-documented history of poor labor standards also carries with it increased environmental harm to any community where they set up shop. The surrounding neighborhoods of Newark, Elizabeth, and Irvington are environmental justice communities that bear the brunt of the devastation brought on by polluting industries. One prior study found nearly “15,000 trucks drive through cities like Irvington, Newark, and Elizabeth on any given day, and Newark residents are three times as likely to have asthma.” Had this deal been completed it could have worsened pollution in already over-polluted Black and Latino communities plagued by smog from highways, factories, and the airport. Local organizing efforts included delivering petitions to the agency, signed by residents, and local actions calling attention to the threat this deal poses for community health and fair labor standards.

As CJA continues its work to move resources to the grassroots we are excited to share a new field guide released by Candid —  Centering Equity and Justice in Climate Philanthropy. CJA and a number of our allies contributed to the development of this field guide, which was designed as a tool for those in philanthropy looking to change the way they do grantmaking in their endeavors to fund BIPOC grassroots organizations. Within the guide, funders will find common barriers to supporting climate justice strategies, as well as examples of how to integrate climate justice into their portfolio.

Our own Marion Gee (CJA Co-Executive Director) shared her insights on the new field guide: “The new Candid field guide is a comprehensive resource that will help funders respond to the urgency of the climate crisis by moving more money to frontline communities in the Global North and South, at an accelerated rate with a systems change approach that centers equity.” Her full reflections can be found in a blog post here.