Environmental Justice Committee

OVERVIEW OF THE COMMITTEE

OUR FOCUS: Climate change is a fact. The wider and deeper the understanding of its nature, its causes and its impact, the more effective the PSC can be in crafting an appropriate response.

Clearly, in the realm of public policy, responses to climate change raise questions of environmental justice that, directly and indirectly, now and over the long term, affect the CUNY community and the city of which it is a crucial part. We believe that the PSC must work actively within the university and with allies outside to share information and mobilize support for initiatives that place racial and class equity at the center of public responses to the climate crisis. Our particular focus is the CUNY community and its constituency.

Elizabeth Yampierre, one of several community activists speaking at our Nov. 30 Climate Justice Forum.

The Environmental Justice Working Group will:

work with our City University partners to widen and deepen the understanding across the CUNY community of the nature, causes and impact of climate change

take a census of faculty who teach climate change-related courses as well as those who administer climate related initiatives centrally and on the campuses;

coordinate CUNY-wide discussions of the possibilities for information sharing and collaboration;

support CUNY’s clean energy and community solar efforts, and the many campus-based initiatives that elevate environmental justice issues through teaching, activism, and the building of community a

work to define a distinctive PSC perspective on what an environmental justice agenda for CUNY should look like;

evaluate the most effective ways to collaborate with environmental justice groups outside the university, and particularly our sister unions;

hold forums and workshops to facilitate the above.

We believe that these objectives are not only legitimate in themselves for a social movement union, but have the potential to draw additional members to an active role in union life.

CALENDAR:

Environmental Justice Committee Meetings

Monday, Dec. 11, 6-8 pm at the PSC

CUNY Campus Events

Lehman College
Monday, November 27: 3:30 pm
Climate Change, Climate Justice: Crisis in Puerto Rico
Faculty Dining Room, Music Building.
Elizabeth Yeampierre, UPROSE Executive Director
The current recovery efforts and the organizations involved

Teresita Levy, Professor, Lehman College
The current situation in the context of Puerto Rico's history

Alfred Friedland, Professor, Baruch College
Climate change and extreme weather

Beyond CUNY/ NYC, National and Regional Events

Wednesday, November 29
Public Advocate Hearing: NYC Pension Funds
Divesting From Fossil Fuels
Richard Harris Terrace
Borough of Manhattan Community College
199 Chambers Street, NYC
Rally: 8:30 am
Hearing: 9:30 am
RSVP

RESOURCES AND LINKS:

National