Uptown Chats

Join Jaron and Lonnie from WE ACT for Environmental Justice to learn what the show's all about and what they have in store for 2023!

Listen to the WE ACT Team share what environmental justice means to them.

Composting is coming uptown! Jaron and Lonnie talk to a local composting advocate and discuss the benefits of composting for environmental justice communities. You can find more information about Nando's 'hot box' composting on Instagram: @hotbox.composting

Love hurts and so can beauty - but should it? Jaron and Lonnie talk to a local social media advocate about the role of colorism in the beauty industry and why it is an environmental justice issue. Guest Information: TK Saccoh (Creator of The Darkest Hue) Yuwa Vosper (Policy & Regulatory Manager at WE ACT) References from the Show: Safe Beauty Apps: Clearya, EWG Skin Deep, Think Dirty WE ACT's Beauty Inside Out Campaign: weact.org/beauty-inside-out/   You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.   Got questions? Email us at podcast@weact.org    Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter  

In honor of Women’s History Month, Jaron and Lonnie are joined by WE ACT’s Environmental Health Intern Gabriela Lebron along with three special guests to highlight Women of Color who have laid the groundwork for the Environmental Justice movement and are shaping its future. Guest Information: Gabriela Lebron, WE ACT Environmental Health Intern Kristy Drutman, aka Brown Girl Green WE ACT’s own Dana Johnson Vernice Miller-Travis, Co-founder of WE ACT Join WE ACT's April Membership Meeting: April 8 @ 10am (454 W 155th St, New York, NY 10032) You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Email us at podcast@weact.org  Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

We need renewable (and affordable) energy now! Jaron and Lonnie are joined by two experts to discuss solutions for addressing the disproportionate burden that low-income communities and communities of color experience when it comes to their energy bill. Guest Information: Stephan Roundtree, Vote Solar's Deputy Program Director (Northeast) Briana Carbajal, WE ACT’s State Legislative Manager References from the Show: https://www.sierraclub.org/energy-burden-calculator You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Email us at podcast@weact.org  Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

Join Jaron and Lonnie as they take a short detour through space [and the internet] to look at WE ACT’s Green Institute with help from our Director of Workforce Development, Charles Calloway. Guest Information: Charles Calloway, Director of Workforce Development & Head of the Green Institute References from the Show: Definitions of Green Jobs: International Labour Organization (ILO): https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/green-jobs/news/WCMS_220248/lang--en/index.htm Bureau of Labor Statistics: https://www.bls.gov/green/green_definition.pdf FINAL (ILO): https://www.cepal.org/sites/default/files/ana_sanchez_en_0.pdf GPRO Certificate: https://www.gpro.org/ WE ACT Green Jobs Report: https://www.weact.org/publications/green-jobs-report/ You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Email us at podcast@weact.org  Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

It’s getting hot! Jaron and Lonnie are joined by members of WE ACT’s Climate Justice Working Group along with our very own Caleb Smith to talk about their experience with extreme heat advocacy. Guest Information: Liz McMillan, Climate Justice Working Group Member Louis Kleinman, Climate Justice Working Group Member Stuart Aaronson, Climate Justice Working Group Member Nan Faessler, Climate Justice Working Group Member Caleb Smith, WE ACT's Resiliency Coordinator References from the Show: WE ACT Extreme Heat Advocacy: https://linktr.ee/extremeheatnyc NYC Urban Forest Agenda: https://forestforall.nyc/nyc-urban-forest-agenda/ Take Action! 1% for New York City Parks: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/1-percent-for-nyc-parks/ You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Email us at podcast@weact.org  Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

Jaron and Lonnie talk about how transportation and public transit impact environmental justice communities with help from Flora Huang, a fellow podcaster and member of WE ACT's Transit Working Group, as well as our very own, Louis Bailey. Guest Information: Flora Huang, Member of WE ACT's Transportation Working Group & Podcast Host Louis Bailey, WE ACT's Manager of Membership & Organizing EJ in the News Articles: https://gothamist.com/news/mtas-congestion-pricing-plan-means-big-upgrades-for-nyc-transit https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-congestion-pricing-gets-key-federal-approval-possibly-in-place-by-april-2024 https://nypost.com/2023/07/17/mta-to-spend-50m-on-5-free-bus-routes-across-nyc-boosted-subway-service/ References from the Show: Collaborative Blog Post - Fixing the C Train (Flora & Bailey): https://fihuang.wordpress.com/2015/09/07/fixing-the-c-train/ Flora's Podcast: New Normal in Parenting You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Email us at podcast@weact.org  Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook

What is air pollution and why does it matter? Join Jaron and Lonnie as they explore how air quality impacts New York City with the help of WE ACT’s Community Organizer, Tyisha Smalls and Leslie Vasquez from South Bronx Unite. Guest Information: Tyisha Smalls, WE ACT’s Community Organizer Leslie Vasquez, Clean Air Project Organizer at South Bronx Unite EJ in the News Articles:   WE ACT’s Community Air Quality Monitoring   Health Disparities from Canadian Wildfire Smoke in NYC References from the Show: Sign up for the South Bronx Unite Newsletter You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Email us at podcast@weact.org  Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Jaron and Lonnie are joined by three special guests, including City Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa, to hear about their experience working in the environmental justice movement. Guest Information: Manuel 'Manny' Salgado, WE ACT’s Environmental Justice Research Analyst Carmen De La Rosa, New York City Councilmember (District 10) Marileidy Pimentel Paniagua, WE ACT’s Bilingual Community Organizer References from the Show: Poll of Black and Latino/x Communities on Climate Change and the Clean Energy Transition Justice40 Initiative Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) WE ACT’s Civic Engagement Working Group (Bilingual) You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Email us at podcast@weact.org  Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

It’s time to vote! Join Jaron and Lonnie for a chat about why voting matters and what you can expect this election season with help from WE ACT’s Director of Civic Engagement, Pamela Stewart-Martinez. Guest Information: Pamela Stewart-Martinez, WE ACT’s Director of Civic Engagement & Organizing References from the Show:   Governor Hochul Signs Legislative Package to Strengthen Democracy and Protect Voting Rights   You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Email us at podcast@weact.org  Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

Lead is everywhere! Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn about the long history of lead exposure and why it is an environmental justice issue, with help from two special guests. Guest Information: Sonal Jessel, WE ACT’s Director of Policy Matthew Chachere, Former Staff Attorney at Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC) References from the Show: Information and referrals for children and pregnant women with elevated blood lead levels: Lead Poisoning Prevention and Treatment Program at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center Information on lead exposure on the job for adults: Mt. Sinai Hospital Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health and Bellevue/NYU Occupational Environmental Medicine Clinic NYC Environment & Health Data Portal NYC 311: Make a complaint about lead paint NYC Department of Health Lead Poisoning Prevention Resources You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Email us at podcast@weact.org  Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

In the spirit of the holidays, Jaron and Lonnie are joined by two of the people who helped make WE ACT what it is today to tell their part of the WE ACT story. Guest Information: Eric Goldstein, Senior Attorney and Director, New York City Environment, People & Communities Program Vernice Miller-Travis, Co-Founder of WE ACT You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Email us at podcast@weact.org  Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter  

Jaron and Lonnie are kicking off the new year with their first listener-requested topic - Rats! We all know those furry creatures are a nuisance, but are they also an environmental justice issue? Listen to find out! Rat Resources: Got rats? Call 311 to file a complaint. View rat inspection results and follow-up actions on the Rat Information Portal. Look up rat inspection history by address, borough, block and lot (BBL) number or by neighborhood. Learn more about rat prevention by signing up for Rat Academy Trainings hosted by the NYC Department of Health. Join us for WE ACT’s first membership meeting of the year. Register here! You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Email us at podcast@weact.org  Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

The war on rats continues! Jaron and Lonnie talk about rat contraceptives and other rat prevention strategies with the help of New York City Councilmember Shaun Abreu.  Rat Resources: Got rats? Call 311 to file a complaint. View rat inspection results and follow-up actions on our Rat Information Portal. Look up rat inspection history by address, borough, block and lot (BBL) number or by neighborhood. Learn more about rat prevention by signing up for Rat Academy Trainings hosted by the NYC Department of Health. More Information About Rat Contraceptives: Brief history of rat contraceptives. How do rat contraceptives work? How does NYC use rat contraceptives now? Will rat contraceptives solve the rat problem? You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Email us at podcast@weact.org  Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

Show me the money! Jaron and Lonnie explore how the budget gets decided at the city and state level in New York with the help from WE ACT’s State Legislative Manager, Briana Carbajal. Advocacy Resources: Albany Advocacy Day: What to Expect When Lobbying with WE ACT at the State Capitol You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Email us at podcast@weact.org  Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

New report alert! Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn about the first-ever EJNYC Report with help from Peggy Shepard, Executive Director and Co-Founder of WE ACT for Environmental Justice. You can find the EJNYC Report on the NYC Mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental Justice website. Report not released yet? Sign-up for WE ACT's Newsletter for updates! You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Email us at podcast@weact.org  Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

The rent is too damn high - and so are our energy bills! Jaron and Lonnie talk about WE ACT’s new campaign, Our Homes Under Our Control, with help from WE ACT’s Climate Justice Campaign Manager, Annie Carforo. Join WE ACT’s Climate Justice Working Group on the third Tuesday of every month from 6:00-7:30 PM! You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Email us at podcast@weact.org Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

Count ‘em up - New Yorkers have THREE elections to vote in this year! Lonnie and Jaron are joined by Tyisha Smalls, WE ACT’s Community Organizing Coordinator, to chat about what to expect in this year’s presidential primary and highlight the role that women have played in protecting the right to vote. Find important dates and information about this year’s elections at weact.org/vote Learn more about Women’s History: Between Two Worlds: Black Women and the Fight for Voting Rights (National Park Service) Got questions? Email us at podcast@weact.org  Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter