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WE ACT Membership Meeting

Join us at 10:00 AM on Saturday, September 10 for our September Membership meeting. While we had hoped to have the meeting in person, unfortunately we will not be able to do so and this month's meeting will again be virtual.

We will be talking about New York State’s critical new Environmental Bond Act, up for vote this November. This ballot initiative is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to advance environmental justice in New York. We’ll walk you through the Environmental Bond Act so you will have a better understanding of what it is designed to accomplish.

RSVP Here ([link removed])

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In DC? Let's Protest Manchin's Dirty Pipeline Deal

On the heels of Inflation Reduction Act passing in Congress, a dirty pipeline bill proposed by Senator Joe Manchin threatens to severely weaken the governmental safeguards in place to prevent community and environmental harm from many types of projects, and threatens to take harmful measures to complete the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a proposed 303-mile-long fracked gas pipeline that is steamrolling its way through Virginia and West Virginia. If passed, this would gut bedrock environmental protections, threaten tribal authority, endanger public health, and fast-track fossil fuel projects.

Join frontline leaders in a rally on September 8th at 5pm at the Taft Memorial Carillon at 101 New Jersey Ave NW in Washington, D.C. to demand that U.S. Senators and Representatives stop Manchin’s dirty deal. Let's show them how all sacrifice zones are connected so all of our voices and stories can be heard. Bring signs and join us in DC!

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Have You Seen This Ad Around the City?

Climate Week is just around the corner and new ads are popping up around the city featuring Peggy! If you spot one of our ads, let us know! Email us at [email protected].
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* Justice40 Picking Up Speed: Peggy Shepard and other leaders talk about the critical and time sensitive opportunity ([link removed]) to make meaningful climate investments in vulnerable communities through the White House's Justice40 initiative.
* Was the Climate Law a Win for Environmental Justice?: Dana Johnson weighs in ([link removed]) on the dangers of investing in false solutions that could harm our communities in this Bloomberg article on the complications of the Inflation Reduction Act.
* Chile to Decide on New Progressive Constitution: Peggy Shepard and Briana Carbajal went to Mexico City for a Global South conference on environmental justice to prepare for COP27. The conference members sent a video ([link removed]) in support of activists pushing for Chile's new progressive constitution proposal set to be voted on in a September 4th referendum ([link removed]) . If passed, gender rights, environmental protections, indigenous rights, and public water rights would be enshrined in the country's constitution, making it one of the most progressive in the world.
* WE ACT blog: A Park Built Upon Environmental Justice: One of our inaugural Cecil Corbin-Mark Fellows, Liz Reyes, talks ([link removed]) about growing up around Riverbank State Park, environmental racism, and the legacy of the environmental justice movement.

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Trendy or Toxic?

What are the impacts of toxins in fashion and beauty products? Join us for a webinar at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, Sept. 13 during which industry and academic experts will expand our understanding of toxic exposure in fashion and beauty. Speakers include fashion designer Kevin Black; Hilary Jochmans, President of Jochmans Consulting and Founder of PoliticallyInFashion; Dr. Andrew Burgie, Assistant Research Scientist & Assistant Adjunct Professor at New York University; Dr. Jasmine McDonald, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
Register Here ([link removed])
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WE ACT's 2022 Gala In-Person!

Yes, folks, our 2022 Gala will be in-person! Join us from 6:00-9:00 PM at International House on Thursday, October 27 to celebrate all of this year’s achievements! After two years of zoom Galas, this will be a special one that you don't want to miss. We’ll be honoring Dr. Beverly L. Wright, Founder and Executive Director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice; Jessica Ottney Mahar, New York Director of Policy & Strategy at The Nature Conservancy; and Mychal Johnson, Co-Founder of South Bronx Unite.
RSVP Here ([link removed])
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Help Shape Our Beauty Inside Out Campaign

As a part of our Beauty Inside Out campaign ([link removed]) , we are surveying girls and femme-identifying people of color between 13-17 years of age that live in Northern Manhattan (West Harlem, Central Harlem, East Harlem, Inwood, and Washington Heights). The survey will help us better understand how girls and femme-identifying people of color use and feel about certain types of cosmetic products and how this might affect their health.

The survey takes 15-20 minutes, and respondents that complete the survey will receive a $6 Subway Restaurant gift card. If you are between the ages of 13-17, parental permission is required. And since the pandemic interrupted our survey, we should note that anyone who already took the survey is not eligible.

If you are interested in participating, please complete this Google form ([link removed]) . Once the form is completed, a parent/legal guardian will be contacted, and you will be informed of the next steps.

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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.

Get Debt Relief
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.

WE ACT Will Help
If you are interested in enrolling, sign up here ([link removed]) for help in navigating this process. You can also contact Briana Carbajal at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Help%20with%20Utility%20Debt%20Relief) .

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Now Hiring: Help Us Fight for Environmental Justice!

As you may have noticed, the WE ACT team ([link removed]) has been growing and we need your help to continue this growth! We are looking to hire the following positions:

In our New York City office:
Director of Environmental Health
Energy Justice Policy Specialist
Bilingual Community Organizer

In our Washington, DC office
National Coalition Manager
Federal Regulatory Affairs Manager (Attorney)
Clean Air & Water Policy Manager (Attorney)
Senior Communications Manager
Environmental Justice Research Analyst

Visit weact.org/careers ([link removed]) to download the job descriptions and apply for any of these positions. Join our team!
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