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Greetings!
This week we bring you news about an exciting new organic farm venture recently launched in Upstate New York by WE ACT's Board Chair - Dr. Dennis Derryck, news about WE ACT's efforts to combat the effects of climate change on communities of color and low income, a reminder about an upcoming visit to Harlem by prominent international environmental activist Dr. Vandana Shiva, and links to several news items and publications relevant to WE ACT in particular, and the environmental justice movement as a whole.
It is our hope that these resources and bits of pertinent information will enhance your understanding of the movement for environmental justice, and reassure you that your support of all we do is indeed having a positive impact on Northern Manhattan, New York City, and disadvantaged communities of color and low-income everywhere. We hope you are having a fantastic summer, and as always, we are exceedingly grateful for your support! Sincerely, Team WE ACT |
 | For a Healthier Bronx, a Farm of Their Own
Kim Severson, New York Times |
Dennis Derryck Sorting Herbs (Image courtesy of the New York Times) |
It'S hard to imagine two places in New York State more different than the South Bronx and Schoharie County.
The South Bronx has 31,582 people per square mile. The county has 51. Less than 2 percent of the people who live in the South Bronx are white. Schoharie County, about three hours straight north by car, is 95 percent white.
The South Bronx is home to four jails, two sewage plants and an untold number of subway rats. Schoharie County has 13,600 cows, 1,305 sheep, 291 hogs and several hundred farmers to tend those animals and grow vegetables and fruit.
Dennis Derryck, a 70-year-old mathematician and professor at the New School for Management and Urban Policy, has become the unlikely matchmaker between the two worlds. More... |
| Scientists Join Activists In Pushing Co-Pollution Reductions In Climate Bill
Posted June 18, 2010 at InsideEPA.com |
(Air pollution image courtesy of Inhabit.com) | Environmental justice advocates and scientists have joined forces in a first-of-its-kind initiative to push Congress to include provisions for reducing traditional air pollutants as well as greenhouse gases (GHGs) in a broader climate and energy bill, a proposal intended to protect low-income and minority neighborhoods from potential emission spikes resulting from GHG trading.
The Environmental Justice Science Initiative sent a June 8 letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) that asks for any climate change policy to "address the emissions of greenhouse gas co-pollutants, as well as the emissions of greenhouse gases themselves." The letter singles out "particulate matter and its precursors," which it says cause "the premature death and illness of tens of thousands of U.S. residents annually, especially in urban areas where concentrations tend to be highest." The letter notes that by drafting climate change policy in combination with existing co-pollutant reduction strategies "we will be able to drive down concentrations of these deadly particulates to levels we have not yet been able to achieve." And because the same sources tend to generate both types of pollutants "attempting to reduce emissions of both simultaneously is a logical step." More... |
| Earth Democracy:
Activist Vandana Shiva in Harlem
Speaking at The Riverside Church |
(Image of Dr. Shiva courtesy of South End Press) | Wednesday, July 7, 2010
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
490 Riverside Drive
New York City, NY Please join WE ACT for Environmental Justice, The Riverside Church, The Center for the Study of Science and Religion, Sisters of Faith, The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and Faith Leaders for Environmental Justice in welcoming Dr. Vandana Shiva to Harlem on Wednesday, July 7, 2010. Dr. Shiva is a world renowned activist, feminist, environmental leader, and author whose work has focused on the connections between poverty, sustainability, agriculture and human rights. She is a powerful voice for economic and ecological justice in the world. Dr. Shiva holds a Ph.D. in Physics, and is the author of numerous books and over 300 articles. Her recent publications include Globalization's New Wars: Seed, Water and Life Forms, Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace, and Soil Not Oil. Among many other honors, she has received the Right Livelihood Award (the 'Alternative Nobel Prize') and the Sydney Peace Prize. Dr. Shiva will be speaking to us about "Earth Democracy" on Wednesday, July 7, 2010 in South Hall of The Riverside Church at 6 p.m. All are encouraged to come and be inspired. The event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP to thecssr@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you there. |
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