Announcing the First-Ever Climate Justice Pavilion at United Nations COP27!
We are thrilled to announce the debut of the first-ever Climate Justice Pavilion at COP27, the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, November 6 - 18. We have partnered with the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice and the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice to host the pavilion and ensure that climate justice has a voice at this important convening of world leaders.
Much of our programming will be livestreamed, and you will be able to access that programming at cjpavilion.org when it goes live in the coming days. In the meantime, you can read this article from Harlem World to learn why we are hosting the Climate Justice Pavilion.
More Electric School Buses Are Coming to NYC
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the recipients of its new Clean School Bus Program rebates, and WE ACT's press statement on the announcement was cited in the White House's press release today.
We are thrilled that New York State is set to receive almost $70 million for electric school buses. The Clean School Bus Program, created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, will invest $5 billion over 5 years in clean school buses across the country including New York City.
For many years, WE ACT has been advocating for clean air and transportation for communities overburdened by pollution, and we were very engaged in the development of this program. This funding provides a tremendous opportunity to reduce emissions and spur the transition to electric, zero-emission school buses in Northern Manhattan.
Vote Early or on Election Day and Vote "YES" for the Bond Act
The midterm election is coming and early voting is starting soon! You can vote early in New York from October 29th until November 6th. Vote early at an early voting center or request a ballot by mail. You can also vote on election day, November 8th at your local polling place.
When you go to vote in this election, be sure to flip your ballot over and vote "YES" for the Clean Water, Clean Air, Green Jobs Bond Act on the back of your ballot! The bond will raise $4.2 billion to create cleaner air and water, reduce extreme heat, and upgrade infrastructure, creating nearly 100,000 local jobs with family-sustaining wages. The bond act will also direct at least 35% of funds to environmental justice communities like ours.
If you or anyone you know is dealing with utility debt, join WE ACT and the Public Utility Law Project at our Harlem office on November 3rd from 6pm to 8 pm. Advocates will help you enroll in a state program that can eliminate your utility debt owed through May 1st, 2022 if you qualify by receiving certain assistance programs. There will be activities for kids, snacks provided, free filing assistance, free postage to send in your application, and free printing available.
What to bring:
Your utility bill (in order to apply, you must be the name on the utility account)
Your Medicaid card if you have one
Some form of ID
A copy of your benefits award letter
What benefit programs qualify you for utility debt relief? Click below to find out!
Join WE ACT and the Energy Democracy Alliance on November 10th, 6 - 7 pm to learn about statewide campaigns that are building a future where energy is affordable, clean and community owned. Meet Energy Democracy Alliance coalition members from across the state and gain a better understanding of how we plan to revolutionize our energy grid, bring down utility bills and transition to renewable energy.
Petition for HUD Changes: Yuwa Vosper was featured in a Bronx Times article about the petition we signed demanding that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) take action to address shortfalls in the nation’s public housing infrastructure. Yuwa suggested ways HUD could improve indoor air quality, including replacing dangerous gas appliances such as stoves with electric induction ones as well as the urgently needed remediation of mold and asbestos.
Debt Relief and Energy Justice: Briana Carbajal was featured in a story about utility debt and the need for energy justice in the RentWire NYC newsletter. She shared some stories from our work helping people apply for debt relief and heating-assistance funding. If you would like to learn more about this issue, including getting relief from your own utility debt, then register for our Utility Debt Relief Enrollment workshop on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 6 PM.
NYC Coastal Resiliency Program: Lonnie Portis was quoted in New York City Mayor Eric Adams' announcement of a coastal resiliency program designed to protect communities from storm surge. We are pleased to report that East Harlem, much of which sits in a coastal flood plain, is one of the communities that will be included in the program.
Local Law 97: WE ACT released a press statement in response to proposed rules by the city for Local Law 97, which requires NYC buildings to meet new pollution reduction targets.
DOE Fracked Gas Export Policy: We joined the Sierra Club and other groups in signing a letter urging the Department of Energy to finally act on a nearly 10 year old petition calling for review of our harmful fracked gas export policy.
E-mobility and Climate Change: Anastasia Gordon spoke on a panel at the 2022 National E-Mobility Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Conference. She contributed insight into community-based responses to climate change and how e-mobility can improve and complement these efforts.
TAKE ACTION: Bring the Zero Waste Bill Package to a vote!
The New York City Council’s Zero Waste Bill Package is a critical bill package for environmental justice in our city that WE ACT has been advocating for! This bill package will expand access to composting and recycling options for all households in Northern Manhattan, and will set the city on course to achieve zero waste by 2030. Contact Speaker Adams to demand that she brings this bill package to a vote.
Run, bike, or walk with United Nations Association of New York (UNA-NYC) to celebrate the UN’s anniversary and recognize its tireless efforts to create a world in which everyone thrives in peace, dignity, and equality on a healthy planet.
The event is virtual, which means you may complete it at any time between October 16th and October 29th, anywhere in the world. You can choose between two distances: 5K and 10K. We are excited to announce that a portion of the proceeds for this year's race will go to WE ACT!
Join Save Harlem Now! for their Preservation Conference 2022: Saving This Place! A Call to Action for Preserving Harlem. In collaboration with the Ford Foundation, this day-long, in-person conference will be held at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice on Thursday, November 3. The conference will bring together preservationists, architects, developers, scholars, community leaders, and elected officials to raise awareness, advocate, collaborate, and educate our community and other stakeholders in an effort to unite around the goal to preserve Harlem's rich cultural and historical legacy.
Interested in shining a light on the toxicity of beauty products that are marketed to people of color and that perpetuate a racially biased standard of beauty? Join the Beauty Inside Out working group to help our campaign strategy and to help community make better and informed choices about their beauty products.
Please contact [email protected] to learn more! Meetings are held bi-monthly via Zoom!
Join the WE ACT Team!
As you may have noticed, the WE ACT team 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
Chief of Staff
Energy Justice Policy Specialist
Bilingual Community Organizer
In our Washington, DC office
National Coalition Director
National Coalition Manager Federal Regulatory Affairs Manager (Attorney)
Policy Director, Clean Air & Water (Attorney)
Senior Communications Manager
Visit weact.org/careers to download the job descriptions and apply for any of these positions. Join our team!
