WE ACT for Environmental Justice

WE ACT 2024 Policy Agenda: Check out the key campaigns and initiatives that we're fighting for in 2024 at https://lnkd.in/eGnKVQe5 Our fight for environmental justice at the city, state, and federal level in 2024 is centered around these key areas: ➡ Funding A Just and Equitable Future ➡ Accountability and Public Participation ➡ Civic Engagement and Voting Rights ➡ Clean Air ➡ Energy Justice ➡ Healthy Homes ➡ Extreme Heat ➡ Open and Green Space ➡ Sustainable Land Use ➡ Waste and Sanitation ➡ Toxics ➡ Affordable and Equitable Transit ➡ Workforce Development and Education A few of our priority campaigns including #NYHEAT, #GoodCauseEviction, #SafeCosmetics, #LeadPaint Right to Know, #CommunityLandAct, and #ExtremeHeat, are highlighted! For the full list of our campaigns, including background, where we're at now, and what we're planning to do in 2024 to advance justice and equity for low-income people and communities of color, read out full agenda at rb.gy/md9b5z

Have you listened to our U.S. Energy: #WrongDirection series? We dive deep into the U.S. #energy landscape, examining progress made and the critical decisions shaping our energy future. Check out this first ep featuring director of federal policy Anastasia Gordon ! We highlight how certain new energy technologies threaten a just, equitable transition to clean energy sources that protect frontline communities most impacted by the climate crisis. Learn about #Hydrogen, #LNG, and #CarbonCapture in our latest episodes >> https://lnkd.in/eJuXiPzX ! 🎧

🌎♻️ #DIDYOUKNOW Plastic production is projected to *double* in the next decade? This is a big threat to climate goals and also disproportionately impacts low-income communities and communities of color. Here’s why: ❌ Petrochemical facilities release cancer-causing chemicals that pollute our communities ❌ Plastics are going to become the largest driver of oil and gas demand by 2050 ❌ The plastic industry could potentially emit more greenhouse gases than coal plants by 2030 ❌ The harmful impacts throughout the plastic lifecycle, from extraction to disposal are HUGE Good news? There are solutions! Here are a few ways better policy can help: ✅ Establish stricter rules for petrochemical plants ✅Set nationwide targets to reduce single-use plastics ✅ Focus on reusable and refillable systems that also address socioeconomic barriers ✅ Reject false solutions like plastic-to-fuel conversion The plastic pollution crisis is an urgent threat to public and environmental health, with communities near plastics facilities often suffering from exposure to harmful pollutants and increased long-term health complications. Advancing equitable policy is a crucial part of achieving environmental justice and a more sustainable future by addressing the root causes of plastic pollution. Want to help right away? Like and share this post! #PlasticFree #PlasticFreeJuly #PlasticPollution Post by Kaleea Korunka ✨

Want to learn how to advance #EnvironmentalJustice? Sign up for one of our FREE spots for community members in our new in-person environmental justice course at CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy on Mondays from 6:00-7:50 PM, Sept 9 - Dec 16, at 55 W 125th St in #Harlem. https://lnkd.in/eVEMQfj6

Peggy Shepard will be speaking about #ClimateJustice in #Harlem as part of #HarlemWeek’s annual climate event, organized by The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce and Columbia Climate School on Wednesday, August 7 from 5:30-8:30 PM at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building, located at 163 West 125th Street. RSVP: https://lnkd.in/eYrG23Hq

💥Environmental Justice Leaders Speak Out: Our Communities Won’t Pay the Price for Polluters Any More - Manchin “Permitting” Bill is NOT it. READ FULL STATEMENT: https://lnkd.in/edKBMcCe On Wednesday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is set to vote on the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, introduced by Sen. Manchin (I-WV) and Sen. Barrasso (R-WY). This bill is a blatant effort to cater to the fossil fuel industry’s demands, as outlined in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, while masquerading as a measure to advance renewable energy and transmission infrastructure development. Ahead of the expected vote, environmental justice leaders including Peggy Shepard @weact4ej, Dr. Beverly Wright @dscejnola, Dr. Robert Bullard @bullardcenter, and Richard Moore @losjardinesinstitute issued the following statements. Read & share!

📣Did you hear the news?📣 The Indoor Air Quality and Schools Act of 2024 is here! We all deserve to breathe healthy air, indoors and out. The Clean Air Act has made progress to clean up our outdoor air, but no similar law exists for air indoors - where we spend 90% of our time. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies show the levels of health-harming contaminants in our indoor air can be 2-5x higher, and sometimes 100x higher than outdoor air! To make matters worse, environmental justice communities breathe more polluted air indoors, resulting in higher rates of asthma and other chronic conditions. It’s time to take action. The Indoor Air Quality and Schools Act, introduced by Representatives Paul D. Tonko @reppaultonko (D-NY) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), would ensure EPA has the authority and resources to do something about it. It would help to: Update, expand, and codify the work of EPA’s Indoor Environments Division; Require EPA to establish and regularly update significant indoor contaminants, and develop health-based, voluntary guidelines to reduce exposure risks to these contaminants; Direct EPA to develop or recognize voluntary certifications to prevent or minimize indoor air health risks for buildings designed, built, operated, and maintained; Establish a regularly updated national assessment of indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools and childcare facilities, and supports the development of technical assistance, guidelines, and best practices to improve the IAQ conditions of these places. Read our statement in response to the introduction of the Indoor Air Quality and Schools Act of 2024 here: https://lnkd.in/eRSB8DvJ

New episode of #UptownChats is out! >> https://lnkd.in/eWKGDjrK We’re continuing our mini-series about the #WrongDirection that US energy policy is going in with #LiquefiedNaturalGas #LNG. This week Lonnie and Jaron sit down with Roishetta Sibley Ozane, M.S. from the Vessel Project to talk about LNG, what it is, how the U.S. became the biggest exporter, and how its primarily methane emissions drive #climatechange and harm #environmentaljustice communities.

WATCH the White House Summit on Environmental Justice in Action beginning at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, July 24 and see what the Biden-Harris administration has been doing to advance environmental and climate justice. #EnvironmentalJustice #ClimateJustice #WhiteHouse  https://lnkd.in/er4vsq48