Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Free Environmental Training for Journalists

Understanding the Environmental Stakes

A training program administered by the National Press Foundation

Application Deadline: Monday, April 24, 2017

Training Dates: June 18-21, 2017, in Washington, D.C.

Laws passed almost five decades ago form bedrock protections for water and air quality and wildlife and public lands in the United States. What will happen to the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act and more in the coming years?

In a four-day training program for journalists, the National Press Foundation (NPF) will look at proposed budget cuts and how changes at the Environmental Protection Agency and elsewhere could affect the environment. NPF will look at rules and regulations that could be rolled back, water use out west, the latest scientific research on the environment, and the outlook for clean energy and climate treaties. NPF will show journalists how to find and use the best data to underscore their reporting on the environment.
Funding for this training is provided by the Walton Family Foundation.

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

New York City Environmental Justice Alliance Honorees

New York City's Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA) 25th Anniversary Gala will honor the Magnificient Seven
NYC-EJA'S HONOREES: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Alexie Torres-Fleming, Executive Director of Access Strategies Fund
Omar Freilla, Founder of Green Worker Cooperatives
Mathy Stanislaus, Former EPA Assistant Administrator in EPA's Office of Land and Emergency Management
Michelle DePass, Dean of the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy
Samara Swanston, Legislative Counsel to the Environmental Protection Committee of the New York City Council
Charles Barron, NYS Assembly Member 
Errol Louis, Political Anchor of NY1 News
Charles Barron
Charles Barron

CHARLES BARRON 

Assembly member Charles Barron has been a community activist for over 45 years. In 1969, in need of a vehicle to express his desire for justice, Barron joined the Harlem branch of the Black Panther Party. After his Black Panther experience, he attended New York City Community College, now known as New York City College of Technology, where he obtained an Associate's Degree. He then attended Hunter College where he acquired his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology with a minor in Elementary Education.
In 1979, Barron joined the National Black United Front (NBUF) and became the founding chairperson of NBUF'S Harlem Chapter. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed Chief of Staff to the Reverend Dr. Herbert Daughtry, Chairperson of the National Black United Front. From 1982-87 he served as Secretary General of Rev. Daughtry's African Peoples Christian Organization (APCO). He traveled across the United States visiting many college campuses, churches, prisons and communities organizing around international, national and local issues. As the founder and CEO of the Dynamics of Leadership Corporation, Charles also traveled the country presenting seminars and workshops on leadership development. He previously served on the board of the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance.
In 2001, Barron was elected to the New York City Council. He served as Chair of the Committee on Higher Education for over eight years and was a member of the Committees on Education; Consumer Affairs; Immigration; Land Use (Planning, Dispositions & Concessions); and Women's Issues. As a Council Member Charles Barron secured funding to renovate 3 parks totaling over $15 million; secured allocations for 2 new $80 million schools; was the number 1 Council Member in Brooklyn in securing real affordable housing; secured millions of dollars for funding of the Black Male Initiative for City University of New York (CUNY); and millions of dollars for a work force development project that generated over six thousand jobs in neighborhoods of high unemployment in New York City. At his final session of the City Council, Charles was described as "the conscience of the City Council."
He is a founding member of the East New York based organization Operation POWER (People Organizing and Working for Empowerment and Respect) and was elected to the New York State Assembly on November 4, 2014.
Assembly member Barron is known as a fearless fighter for human rights issues. He is described as "unbought and unbossed," speaking truth to power and delivering for his community and beyond.
Charles is married to Council member Inez Barron and they have 2 sons, Jelani and Jawanza.
Errol Louis
Errol Louis

ERROL LOUIS 

Errol Louis is the Political Anchor of NY1 News, where he hosts "The Road to City Hall,"  a nightly prime-time show about New York City politics, on which he regularly interviews top political and cultural leaders, including Mayor Bill de Blasio and ex-mayors David Dinkins, Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg; Gov. Andrew Cuomo and ex-governors George Pataki, Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson; and dozens of city, state and federal officials.  Louis also serves as a CNN Contributor, providing on-air commentary on key events from presidential primaries to Election Night.
Louis has moderated dozens of debates between candidates for Mayor, City Council, Public Advocate, City and State comptroller, U.S. Senate and state Attorney General, and was a questioner in the final 2016 presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
Louis writes a weekly column for the New York Daily News on a range of political and social affairs and was recently ranked #40 on the list of the 100 most powerful people in New York City politics.
Louis serves as Director of Urban Reporting at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, where he has taught political and investigative reporting to dozens of students. He is co-editor of Deadline Artists, a two-volumeanthology of America's greatest newspaper columns published in October 2011. He previously served on the board of the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance.
Louis lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Juanita Scarlett, and their son.

NYC-EJA's 25th ANNIVERSARY GALA HOST COMMITTEE

Sarah Hope, Executive Director, Solutions Project
Hector Figueroa, President, 32BJ
Rhea Suh, President, Natural Resources Defense Council
Bill McKibben, Founder, 350.org
George Miranda, President of Teamsters Joint Council 16
Maritza Silva-Farrell, Executive Director, ALIGN

WITH PERFORMANCES BY

ASHNI Music
ASHNI MUSIC
ASHNI MUSIC
Ashni is a singer songwriter currently teaching, creating and performing in New York City. Listen to her work here.

DJ Big Lou
DJ Big Lou
DJ Big Lou
After the awards ceremony, DJ Big Lou will keep the party going. Check out his instagram page here.

Eddie Bautista
Executive Director, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance