New York

This podcast episode explores the power of grassroots organizing and coalitions to further environmental justice through climate policy. In this podcast episode, we hear from Xaver Kandler, Campaigns Director at NY Renews. NY Renews is a coalition of over 380 environmental, justice, faith, labor, & community groups, working to further legislation to support climate, jobs, and justice in New York State. This episode discusses NY state policies including the Climate Leadership and Communities Protection Act, the New York Heat Act, the Just Energy Transition Act, the Climate Superfund Act, and more.

Since 2017, New York Communities for Change (NYCC) has built hard-hitting multi-racial campaigns to win transformative results. In large part, their climate-focused work began in response to the devastation that Superstorm Sandy wrecked on the organization’s membership. NYCC attacks the linked crises of inequality and climate change. In order to win, NYCC combines its base in low-income communities of color with the predominantly white progressives who are active on climate to bring powerful pressure on specific governmental and corporate decision makers for major results. This report describes NYCC campaigns from 2017-2022. Some highest-impact winning campaigns: NYC pension divestment, enacting local law 97, stopping the Williams NESE pipeline, cracking BlackRock, removing Lee Raymond from the JP Morgan Chase board, and stopping new fracked gas power plants, all won alongside allies. NYCC hopes that activists, foundation funders, donors, and leaders take a close look at this kind of organizing and base building work.