And Justice for All

GREEN GROWTH New York City’s green trajectory includes community gardens and protected greenspaces throughout the five boroughs. Earthjustice works to protect these important spaces, especially in underserved communities.

Sustainability is the watchword for these four New York organizations.

by Noemi Florea

SUSTAINABILITY IS a hot topic today, yet few people really understand its nuances. In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as a “triple bottom line” of social, economic, and ecological equality, and today it has become an all-encompassing concept addressing the racial, socioeconomic, industrial, urban, and ecological disparities that exist globally.

The four organizations featured here — Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, Earthjustice, New Economy Project, and New York Communities for Change — are emphasizing climate justice in its multifaceted reality across New York. They are expanding the social, economic, legal, and charitable boundaries of our city in an effort to kickstart a paradigmatic shift into a more egalitarian future. They’re thinking about the economic parameters of capitalism and serving those who have been left behind. They are questioning the industrial pollution and challenging our policymakers to see what lies ahead, and they advocate on behalf of communities across New York lying in the wake of environmental destruction to attempt to rewrite the history of discriminatory urban planning that now makes communities of color most vulnerable to climate change.

Fostering these ideas is not an easy task, but the leaders of these organizations are anchored by a strong set of principles and a vision for a future we can all thrive in. Legions of volunteers, who show up every day to support the causes they believe in, are the backbone of these and other organizations worldwide.

EARTHJUSTICE (ENVIRONMENTAL LAW)

What a season it’s been for environmental law. A new Presidential administration has resulted in a sky-high pile of executive orders reworking ecological law from the ground up. At Earthjustice, a national coalition of environmental lawyers headquartered in Manhattan, the newfound legislative emphasis on climate protection is both welcome and unprecedented. Nydia Gutierrez, the Communications Strategist of Earthjustice’s Northeast Operations, believes now is the “perfect time” to see our country undertake a pathway to sustainable systemic change. Among the President’s executive orders that address ongoing work by Earthjustice in New York are a national ban on chlorophyll pesticide, and Biden’s guidance to “temporarily halt” fossil fuel investments. “We’re hoping that ‘pause’ turns to ‘stop entirely,’” Gutierrez states, as preventing further power plant development would protect the residents of many underresourced communities where refineries are often built in close proximity, including near the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. To advocate for citizens in Gowanus, Earthjustice is “working with coalitions in the city to help with these microscopic steps that happen along the way,” ultimately seeking to build a path to renewable energy aligned with the President’s trajectory.

Though Earthjustice is structured nationally to address environmental issues occurring from coast to coast, the organization is based in New York City to support the many local coalitions and movements working against chemical, toxic, and pesticide production. Investing in issues at local- and state-levels enables attorneys to focus on the specific circumstances of every issue, while also enabling regional influence to take place at a larger scale. “What happens in New York will also transfer to New Jersey. I’ve seen a lot of efforts spread that way,” Gutierrez confirmed. “So, we’re really going to get to see that systemic change in a flash.”

In the 50 years since Earthjustice was founded — originally as a team of attorneys supporting the Sierra Club, “there’s been a lot of awakening, reckoning, and understanding,” Gutierrez reflected. Today, the fight has been picked up by young people, whose investment in the safety of their own futures has led to what Gutierrez called “greener pastures for the environmental movement.” As she describes, “the youth are taking over, they’re saying ‘We’re not standing for this anymore. We’ve got to figure out how to help and make this change.’” To join in advocacy alongside these movements, Earthjustice offers an Action Alerts center on their website, where members can sign on petitions to the city council and EPA, as well as send prewritten letters to officials at the state and local levels. Local coalitions can also connect to Earthjustice for free legal services on environmental litigation. “We’ll never bill our people for legal services,” stated Gutierrez. Through united communities across political, demographic, and economic thresholds, there’s hope to meet the climate challenge and establish a stronger future for ourselves and younger generations, together. earthjustice.org

BOOTS ON THE GROUND Volunteers from Rescuing Leftover Food travel the city looking for excess food that can be turned into meals for hungry people.

RESCUING LEFTOVER CUISINE (FOOD INSECURITY)

Among the disparities exacerbated by COVID-19, food insecurity tops the list. With many Americans out of work, putting food on the table can become a challenge compounded by structural inequity. In light of these pervasive struggles, many organizations have stepped forward to ensure everyone has their basic needs fulfilled, including Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (RLC), a nonprofit that addresses systemic food waste by partnering with local restaurants and grocery stores to redistribute excess inventory to New York’s homeless population.

Originally a student organization at New York University which redistributed dining hall food to homeless shelters, RLC was formally established in 2013 around the idea that “there was so much food going to waste, while at the same time there were people who were food insecure,” CEO and founder Robert Lee says. Today, the partnerships at RLC are “all about the fact that this is a common-sense solution, and every single food business should be donating their excess food.” In the past three years, the nonprofit’s presence has expanded its network, both within New York City and nationally. The organization can also be found in cities like Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Dallas, and Portland. “We’re excited about continuing to spread the word and get more people donating,” Lee says. In 2020, the organization rescued over 1.8 million pounds of food in New York City alone; they’re projecting to save even more in 2021, and to reach three to five million pounds of food rescued annually within the next few years. To connect with local restaurant and grocery partners, RLC generally works by “cold outreach” — contacting businesses by phone, email, and door-to-door campaigning. Though success this way was hard to come by early on, a growing reputation and the spreading awareness of food waste, insecurity, and environmental impact has made their program progressively more compelling.

Today, many businesses “know about the ins-and-outs of donating food, and the conversation is much easier,” as Lee puts it. With new partners, their team also cooperates with businesses to determine donation logistics so as to prevent a

burden on the commercial operations. To bring excess commercial food to the local homeless population, RLC relies steadfastly on volunteers and community members to transport the food by foot, bike, or car to nearby public spaces hosting food drives. As Lee says, engaging people while volunteering is the most impactful stage of work at RLC, because the volunteers can “see the impact, see how much food is about to go to waste, and then just take that to a place that’s just 15, 20 minutes away and see the line of people who desperately need that food.”

This past May, RLC partnered with Pratt Institute to distribute leftover food during the ongoing pandemic and, as Lee recalls, the line of recipients “was wrapping around avenues and running around long blocks of Brooklyn.” As long as scenes like this continue, RLC remains committed to continuing food waste interventions. Readers can help by donating, or signing up to volunteer for a distribution shift. Supporting local partners, including popular takeaway spot, Pret A Manger, and 3Guys produce market in Brooklyn, is also important. To get involved, visit rescuingleftovercuisine.org NEW YORK COMMUNITIES FOR CHANGE (RACIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE)

In the span of a single year, the global movement for racial justice has peaked in ways never seen before: the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, served as a catalyst to march for an end to systemic racism in policing and beyond, and the weeks of rallying that followed served as a testament to racial solidarity. Marching alongside dedicated activists were members of New York Communities for Change (NYCC), a New York nonprofit for racial and economic justice founded in 2009. “Fundamentally, New York Communities for Change is about working to fight racial and economic injustice at its core,” says Patrick Houston, the organization’s Climate & Inequality Campaigns Associate.

Today, NYCC’s work centers on five core campaigns: housing affordability, labor, immigration, education, and criminal justice. In addressing the distinct overlap between climate and racial justice, Houston confirms that “the issue of climate has diversified racially in a significant way.” Though environmental injustice has historically impacted low-income communities of color disproportionately because of discriminatory zoning laws and the proximate development of refineries, power plants, and other pollutive sources, racial and climate justice were not always perceived to be closely aligned until recently. Houston has since noticed that members “are now engaged in the environmental justice and climate change campaigns in a deeper and more consistent way.” In partnership with broader ecological coalitions, there has also been “a more consistent and beautiful overlap of conventional white environmental organizations working in unison with racial and economic justice organizations” like NYCC.

In conjunction with the climate crisis, recent campaigning has revolved around affordable housing and protecting excluded workers, the importance of which has been magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic. As Houston points out, there are “so many people struggling right now, literally deciding between putting food on the table or paying to keep the lights on,” and “people are still going to be struggling beyond the pandemic.” Specific pushes to cancel rent on housing and increase taxes on New York’s wealthiest all fall under the umbrella of NYCC’s core motivations to support racial and economic equality throughout the city. Houston emphasizes how each campaign, despite its varying nuances, serves to “draw the connections of how our macro-pushes for things like taxing the wealthy are fundamentally tied to black liberation, for communities of color to have the resources and support they need to live safely and thrive.”

Built on a staff of twenty, a member-run board of directors, and hundreds of active members in their neighborhood-based chapters, NYCC isn’t stopping short on any account. In the past year, they’ve organized and campaigned against the fracked gas Williams pipeline in the Far Rockaways, as well as advocated to pass what is now Local Law 97 in New York, which Houston describes as a “massive, massive bill to cut pollution from New York City’s large buildings.” Through these campaigns, incorporating support and opportunity for black and Latinx communities is a top priority, and Houston underscores that “we can’t solve the climate crisis on the backs of those least responsible.” To support their work, visit the NYCC website at nycommunities. org for a calendar of events, as well as mgnd. org to learn more about the statewide climate campaignMovement for a Green New Deal. To find out more about NYCC’s housing justice campaign, visit housingjusticeforall.org.

PUBLIC ADVOCATES Fighting for climate justice, financial justice, worker justice, and housing justice is the bread and butter of the New Economy Project.

NEW ECONOMY PROJECT (ECONOMIC JUSTICE)

The importance of economic justice and its close interconnections with social and environmental concerns has never been clearer. With millions of people unemployed and many now homeless or on the verge of becoming so, the need for robust social governance has been augmented in the wake of extreme financial disparity. Among the ranks of New York nonprofits and social organizations working to serve local communities, New Economy Project (NEP) has been bridging the gap with a keen angle on supporting meaningful systemic change. As founder and co-director Sarah Ludwig states, the work being done at NEP is “radical in nature and in vision, but very practical, grounded and achievable.”

Originally founded in 1995 as the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project, the organization’s mission was and still is “to work with community organizations and New Yorkers to challenge discriminatory economic practices and systems that perpetuate inequality, poverty, and segregation.” In their 26 years, NEP has consistently put emphasis on “[getting] banks to the table” and keeping city and state officials accountable in their services to low-income residents. In the past seven years, they’ve particularly focused on supporting local coalitions to build systemically innovative and democratically-owned institutions including a public bank, community land trusts, financial cooperatives, and community-based renewable energy systems. When it comes to ensuring that their ongoing work has the intended impact, co-director Deyanira Del Rio says, “There have been moments in time where we step back and say, ‘Are we having the impact that we want to have?’”

Within their core initiatives, the projects

gaining momentum across New York include piloting a public bank program and enhancing the leverage and presence of local community land trusts. Where city laws currently require that businesses lend their finances to commercial banks along with the billions of dollars of taxpayer finances handled annually, NEP’s Public Bank initiative asks, “Couldn’t that be deployed for the public good? Shouldn’t that be deployed for the public good?” In effect, the program functions as a “multilevel campaign that’s built around climate justice, financial justice, worker justice, and housing justice,” Ludwig explains, and describes how it “embodies this idea of the common good, of the commons.” Linked to a philosophy of the commons, NEP’s core campaign for community land trusts and social housing seeks to “keep housing out of the private speculative market and [put] it in the hands of communities” so that “long-time neighborhood residents can have a say over developments in their communities,” Del Rio explains. NEP is now collaborating with city officials to embed funds for community land trusts across New York, as well as to push for legislation that would prioritize CLTs and give tenants a firstpurchase right to newly-available property. “It is a really transformative model. It’s very much linked to deeply and truly affordable housing in New York City,” Ludwig emphasizes.

As the world and city progresses in the strife to make social and economic ends meet, NEP remains committed to supporting populations traditionally disenfranchised by systemic bias. Ludwig encapsulates the organization’s vision: “We’re not trying to make things fair-er, we’re trying to make things fair. We’re not trying to make things more equitable, or less polluting, or less harmful – we’re trying to eradicate and build affirmatively.” To endorse their ongoing projects and to learn more about upcoming bills and campaign progress, join their mailing list at neweconomynyc.org.