|
TOMORROW: Join Our New York City Mayoral Candidate Forum
Do you know all the candidates who are running for New York City Mayor in the June 24th Primary Election?
Join us on Saturday, April 5th from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM to meet the candidates running for New York City Mayor. We will host the candidate forum at the Police Athletic League at the Polo Grounds Towers, located at 3005 Frederick Douglass Boulevard. We have invited all of the candidates running for Mayor to come and tell us why they are the best candidate for it and how they will tackle environmental racism in our community. WE ACT members will also have an opportunity to ask them questions. Please submit any questions you may have via this form. RSVP
|
|
|
TAKE ACTION: Testify to Improve New York City’s Cooling Centers!
We wanted to remind you that on Tuesday, April 8th there will be a New York City Council hearing for Intro 998, a bill that would implement many of our member-driven Cooling Center recommendations. Your testimony – written, online, or in-person – would be helpful in getting this important legislation passed. Learn more about the bill and how you can testify here.
|
|
|
April Membership Meeting: New York City Comptroller Candidate Forum
Do you know what the New York City Comptroller does? And do you know all the candidates who will be running for that seat in the June 24th Primary Election?
Join us on Saturday, April 12th from 10:00 AM-1:00 PM at the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge, located at 454 West 155th Street, to meet the candidates running for the New York City Comptroller office. As part of our April Membership Meeting, we are co-hosting this with the NYLCVEF. We have invited all of the candidates running for Comptroller to come tell us why they are the best candidate for the job and to discuss the budget and legislative process as it relates to New York City’s parks. WE ACT members will also have an opportunity to ask them questions. Please submit any questions you may have via this form. RSVP
|
|
|
Protect Your Community from Pollution
Concerned about what sources of pollution end up in your neighborhood? Then join us - along with our colleagues at Environmental Advocates NY, EarthJustice, South Bronx Unite, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, and Clean+Healthy - for briefing on the Environmental Justice Siting Law (better known as Cumulative Impacts Law, which we helped pass in 2022) on Monday, April 14th at 2:00 PM via Zoom. This law protects environmental justice communities from experiencing additional burdens caused by the siting of new polluting facilities in and near their already overburdened communities. This briefing will cover the key provisions of Phase 1 of the rulemaking process for this law, regarding the State Environmental Quality Review, and provide insights about key areas we support as well as areas requiring additional feedback. If you join us, we will then provide key information and resources for you to engage in the rulemaking process. RSVP
|
|
|
Procedural Justice in Energy and Climate Decisions Webinar
As part of our TCTAC, we are hosting the fifth installment in the New York University Environmental Justice Law and Policy Series: Procedural Justice in Energy and Climate Decisions on Wednesday, April 16 at 5:00 PM via Zoom. This virtual training webinar will explore the complex activities and processes that public utility or public service commissions take in the name of climate and energy policy. It’s a great opportunity for community-based organizations to learn about public service commissions and how to best engage with them. RSVP
|
|
|
New TCTAC Website: Online Resource for Community-Based Organizations
WE ACT hosts the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (TCTAC) for Region 2 (New York and New Jersey). The EPA TCTAC program is designed to help environmental justice organizations and the municipalities they serve access the billions of dollars of federal funding made available by the Biden administration from the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for local environmental justice initiatives. Our EPA Region 2 TCTAC has been providing guidance and training to organizations in New York and New Jersey interested in developing the capacity to apply and manage federal funding. It now has a standalone website, which features a learning center that hosts all of our online training tools - ranging from how to write grants to how to manage a nonprofit organization. While the Trump administration has been targeting the TCTAC program, these trainings will continue to serve as valuable tools for organizations seeking environmental justice, which helps strengthen our movement. Click here to have a look at the new site.
|
|
|
Denise Patel on Climate Justice Under Trump 2.0 Panel
Denise Patel will be part of a panel discussing the impact of the Trump administration on climate equity, what litigation and the courts can do, and how states, cities, and NGOs are stepping up to fill the federal regulatory void. While the focus would be on legal avenues, the event will additionally incorporate local organizing and policy perspectives. Fellow panelists include NRDC Associate Director & Staff Attorney: Environment, Equity & Justice Center Sahana Rao and Institute for Policy Integrity State Policy Director Elizabeth Stein. NYU Law's Wilf Family Professor of Property Law Katrina Wyman will moderate. And the keynote address will be given by NYU Law's Director of the Environmental and Climate Justice Lab, former EPA Deputy General Counsel for Environmental Initiatives, and former WE ACT Board Member Marianne Engelman-Lado. The event will be on Tuesday, April 15th at 6:00 PM in NYU's Furman Hall Room 212. Dinner will be provided! RSVP
|
|
|
Cecil Corbin-Mark Fellowship: Applications Are Now Open
Applications for the 2025-26 Cecil Corbin-Mark Fellowship for Environmental Justice Leadership are now open, and will remain so through April 18th. This fellowship, named in honor of Cecil Corbin-Mark, who served as WE ACT’s Deputy Director before passing away in 2020, is a unique opportunity for young people to continue to follow in his footsteps and begin a career path to become the next generation of environmental justice leaders.
This year, we will be hosting one fellow beginning in June and lasting one year. Learn more about the fellowship and how to apply here. And read about the experiences of former Cecil Corbin-Mark Fellows in this blog post and watch this video testimonial from Tali Natter ’23.
|
|
|
Earth Day 5K Fun Run: Support WE ACT!
Come celebrate Earth Day, help raise funds for WE ACT, and run or walk for a healthier, greener community at our annual Earth Day 5K fundraiser. We will be holding the fun run at Randall’s Island on Saturday, April 19th. You can run or walk and enter as an individual or as a team. The event is open to everyone, including all ages and abilities. Early bird tickets are now on sale for $25! To take advantage of this special offer, register today using the promo code “earlybird” when prompted. RSVP
|
|
|
Curbside Composting is Here!
Landlords and other building owners in New York City are now required to compost. We have a guide in English and in Spanish to help you comply. Click here for the New York City Department of Sanitation’s official guide on what to compost and how to compost, and they have virtual info sessions on April 10th and 24th. And click here to listen to our very first podcast episode to better understand the importance of composting.
|
|
|
Manhattan Clean Energy Hub Launches 2nd Clean Energy Justice Partners Cohort
As host of NYSERDA's Manhattan Clean Energy Hub, WE ACT brought together community-based organizations from across the borough to launch our second Clean Energy Justice Partners cohort. Over nine months, these grassroots organizations will partner with us to do outreach for the Hub in their communities, connecting low income New Yorkers to free and low-cost energy efficiency upgrades, green job opportunities, and support with utility debt. Participating organizations include Asian Americans For Equality (AAFE), Business Outreach Center (BOC) Network, Cooper Square Committee (CSC), Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES), Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC), University Settlement, Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB), and the Yemeni American Merchants Association (YAMA).
|
|
NYC DOT Car-Free Earth Day
We will be tabling on Saturday, April 26th from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM as part of the New York City Department of Transportation’s Car-Free Earth Day celebration. Come join us at Broadway between West 17th & West 46th Streets; Dyckman Street between Broadway & La Marina/Inwood Hill Park; and Fifth Avenue between 40th & 50th Streets in Brooklyn.
|
|
|
Peggy Shepard & Sarah Salem at Environmental and Racial Justice Network Summit
Peggy Shepard (above) opened up New York University’s Environmental and Racial Justice Network 2025 Spring Summit with a fireside chat this morning. Sarah Salem (below) spoke about our TCTAC in one of the breakout sessions. And Lonnie Portis was on a panel this afternoon discussing how to best navigate the current political climate.
|
|
|
New Book on Energy Justice from Diana Hernandez
Long-time WE ACT friend, colleague, and collaborator Diana Hernández, PhD, an Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, has a new book, Powerless: The People's Struggle for Energy, about to be published with co-author Jennifer Laird, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Lehman College. The book tells the story of energy insecurity in America, a hidden epidemic that impacts 10 percent of the population with another 40 percent at risk of not being able to meet their household energy needs. Click here to learn more about the book, and click here to pre-order a copy (and use the discount code POWERLESS to receive 25-percent off).
|
|
|
The Chemistry of Racism: Dying to be Beautiful Podcast
As we eagerly await Uptown Chats podcast’s new mini-series on the Right Direction, we wanted to let you know about another podcast worth listening to: The Chemistry of Racism: Dying to be Beautiful podcast from our friends over at Clean+Healthy. It explores “the social context, chemical toxicity, and the health consequences of European beauty standards.” Click here to learn more and listen!
|
|
|
Faith-Based Climate Action
New York Disaster Interfaith Services, working with Rebuild by Design, is looking for 15 faith leaders (clergy or laypeople, from all faiths and boroughs) to join a NYC Faith Sector Climate Adaptation Working Group that will meet in-person April–September 2025 to better understand how faith leaders can help advance climate justice. Click here to learn more and apply by April 11. A small honorarium will be provided.
|
|
|
|
|
