August Meeting: Picnic in Prospect Park!
Thursday, August 5*, 6 pm EDT until sunset in Prospect Park next to the Picnic House
In lieu of a formal August meeting, join us to meet, mingle, and celebrate summer together in Prospect Park! Bring food and drinks to share, or bring your own brown bag dinner if you’d prefer. We’ll meet near the Picnic House. No registration is necessary, and friends and family are welcome. We hope you will come out and enjoy this chance to do some summer socializing and meet each other in person! *Please note the corrected date of August 5.
Email [email protected] if you have any questions. Click for a navigation map to the picnic house.
Get on the Bus!
August 6, 1:30–3 pm EDT in Albany
As we all know, this past spring our Albany legislators utterly failed to address the climate crisis. The Climate and Community Investment Act didn’t even move past the committee stage, and a half-dozen other good bills that proposed climate solutions were similarly stonewalled. Want to do something? On August 6, New York Youth Climate Leaders has called for a rally in Albany, and we're standing with them. Sign up here and get on the bus! And NY Renews has set up a phone tool so we can call Assembly Speaker Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins. Call them and tell them to act for climate, jobs, and justice!
Help Us Hit National Grid Where It Hurts: Join the National Grid Gas Bill Strike!
After our more than 1.5 years of fighting the North Brooklyn pipeline, NYS and National Grid are trying to make us pay for the $129 million dollars National Grid spent on the pipeline in 2020 and 2021. The Public Service Commission will vote this month or in August on the proposal to raise our monthly bills, so this coalition has started a strike to withhold $66 — about how much the average customer will pay for the pipeline over time if the bill hike is approved — from our National Grid bills.
Click here if you’re ready to strike or want to learn more!
JOIN US: Electric School Bus Tabling (aka: Meet & Greet!)
Want to learn more about electric school buses and get to know some of our 350Brooklyn members? Come on out to one of our local parks and join us for a couple hours of masked + sanitizer-ed tabling and clipboarding as we try to get postcards and signatures in support of Intro 455! The “Electric School Bus bill” would mandate a NYC phase-out of toxic diesel buses and the purchase (or leasing!) of clean, green electric school buses! Mayor de Blasio's “pledge” to start a nonprofit school bus company is not enough, and VW settlement funds are rapidly dwindling. Come spend a few hours outside and help us make the case to our fellow citizens. Sign up here for a weekend time slot and one of our ESBers will contact you, or contact Lauren from 350BK Families to find a weekday time slot!
Calling All Consultants!
350Brooklyn is revisiting how we kick off our meetings in an effort to build a stronger shared culture! Do any of our members have experience consulting to help companies or nonprofits develop mission statements, vision statements, or statements of principle? If this sounds like you, or if you know someone who might be interested in a pro bono project, please contact Lynn or Georgi.
Get involved in one of our workgroups!
350Brooklyn is volunteer-powered. At the heart of these efforts are our campaigns and committees. Follow the links below for more information on how to join.
City Action Committee’s mission is to make Brooklyn and New York City leaders not only in climate policy but also in the long-term actions and engagement needed to make those policies effective. Current campaigns include The Renewable Rikers Act, Fighting Peaker Plants, Electric School Buses, and the Department of Sustainability and Climate Change. Use this google form to connect with City Action.
The Climate Idea Exchange works to deepen public understanding of the climate crisis, breaking it down into manageable topics and showing how to take action locally. We work both independently and in collaboration with Brooklyn Public Library, and we're developing a podcast series. email [email protected].
350BK Families organizes activities that bring children, youth, and their adults together for the climate. Current projects include pushing for the creation of 529 college savings plans that are free of fossil fuel investments. email [email protected].
Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice is a diverse coalition focused on equity, inclusion, justice, and economic and environmental sustainability. 350Brooklyn is part of this coalition, which is working to ensure that the rezoning of the Gowanus area honors the needs of all community members. email [email protected].
Legislation focuses on federal and New York State climate legislation. Current campaigns are NY Renews (to pass the Climate Community Investment Act), the Green New Deal, and stopping the repowering of the Gowanus power plant (with 350BK's City Action). email [email protected].
The Media Committee is 350Brooklyn's all-around in-house media team. This group writes press releases and promotional copy, creates graphics, keeps tabs on 350BK's social media presence, and runs the new 350BK blog. email [email protected].
Stop the Money Pipeline plans and participates in direct actions that pressure financial institutions to stop funding deforestation and fossil fuel industries. We are part of a national movement targeting New York-based corporations, including Chase Bank and BlackRock Investment Management. email [email protected].
Plastic Free works to eliminate plastic pollution and reduce reliance on single-use plastic products. We meet via Zoom to work on a variety of projects including legislative lobbying efforts, campaigns promoting going plastic free, and neighborhood efforts to reduce waste. email [email protected].
No time but able to donate? While we are an affiliate of 350.org, we are programmatically independent and our financial support comes solely from our members. Can you offer financial support, at any level? Donate here.
