Hi friends,
The compost battle is heating up. We are not the only people up in arms about the backward move to cut curbside organics collection.
The mayor’s argument is dubious. He says that the diesel emissions to collect compostable waste are not justified because of low rates of participation. He says he’s cutting the program because it’s poorly designed.
If your kitchen is poorly designed, you redesign, reorganize, and renovate. You do not decide that a kitchen is unnecessary.
[C]limate experts say [that composting] is one of the easiest ways to reduce New York’s planet-warming emissions. . . successive mayors have sought to position the city as a leader. [The mayor’s decision] comes just weeks after Rohit Aggarwala, Mr. Adams’s new chief climate officer, pledged that climate impact would be taken into account in every city decision.
Yesterday’s action was popular and I want to give you a second chance:
Let the mayor and your city council member know that we can’t afford to not to adopt a mandatory curbside composting collection program for all residents. The action is ready-made!
State Senator Brad Hoylman introduced legislation yesterday that
Requires a city with a population of one million or more [to] establish a residential composting program for all buildings with residential units.
Contact your state legislators to support S8374 to require universal composting. I made it easy!
Yesterday, one of you sent me the link to Shock Market, an astonishing, regularly-updated compilation of data about gun violence in the US. It is a well-designed gut-punch for those of us who are focused on other urgent issues in American life.
Take a look at Shock Market.
The site was created by youth activists who survived the Parkland shooting and includes political action recommendations for social media users. I have adapted their actions for those of us who don’t tweet.
Call on the president to take action to end gun violence. The action is ready-made.
Yesterday was the Black Immigrant Day of Advocacy, AND since my calendar is permanently askew, we missed the actual day, which included a rally at the White House in support of the designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Cameroonians, as well as social media action and prayer.
We’re going to kick in to exceed the fundraising goal for
the Black Immigrants Bail Fund, an organization committed to eradicating the mass incarceration of Black immigrants and level the playing field of equity in due process, transforming one life at a time.”
Support the Black Immigrants Bail Fund!
Schools are closed next week and there is reason to hope that they will not reopen with another wave of infections. For one thing, the DOE is sending home COVID tests before this break along with instructions for families to test children next Saturday and Sunday before returning to school.
Youth activists from the YA-YA network waited five hours to speak at this week’s PEP (Panel for Educational Policy) meeting this week to address the question of COVID safety in school. They came out in favor of mask-wearing and funding to provide KN-95 masks.
City health department data show the vaccination rate for 5- to 17-year-olds is just under 54%. But there are stark disparities across the five boroughs. In parts of Manhattan, including Chinatown, TriBeCa, and the Upper East Side, 99% of children have gotten at least one dose. In Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, it’s 39%. In the Tottenville neighborhood on Staten Island, the rate is 27%.
School vaxx rates are known, as they are the basis of the COVID-testing regime. My city councilwoman, Rita Joseph, also the chair of the Education Committee, has pointed out that the DOE is obliged to disclose vaccination information, broken down by school, race, grade-level, and whether students have completed two doses.
Remind the mayor that city legislation requires the DOE to disclose detailed information about student vaccination rates and should do so well ahead of any new mask guidance.
The week is ending and we still face climate chaos and the threats of war and authoritarianism. Systemic racism is still here. And yet. We brought a bit of activation energy and made some moves.
I hope you have at least a three-day weekend ahead of you to recharge and rest. We’re going to take Monday off because I’ll be visiting family. Look for a late-Tuesday post of good news.
with love,
L