Our staff will be participating in the following events during Climate Week NYC 2026:

Monday, Sept. 21 – 11:00 AM-9:00 PM
Stories that Move: Where Story, Data, and Place Converge to Build Narrative Power
Leslie Fields and WE ACT Co-Founder & Board Member Vernice Miller-Travis will be among the panelists at Stories that Move, a day-long series of events at various locations along with an exhibition and reception celebrating the launch of Mothers of the Movement, a storytelling collection by the Environmental Justice Oral History Project, in partnership with students and faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, honoring the women who have shaped the fight for environmental justice. This 27-story collection includes those of Peggy Shepard, Leslie Fields, and Vernice Miller-Travis. Explore the Collection & Register for Stories that Move

Monday, Sept. 21 – 10:00 AM-5:30 PM
Frontline Resource Institute’s Climate Justice Hub
Valentina Rojas and Manny Salgado will be speaking at the Frontline Resource Institute’s Climate Justice Hub at on September 21st. Valentina will be on the Data to Action – What Communities Know, How Cities Lead panel from 12:00-1:00 PM and Manny on the Uplifting Frontline Voices in Research panel from 3:30-4:30 PM. If you want to know where to be during Climate Week NYC on Monday, September 21, be sure to check out the Climate Justice Hub, which will be building a stronger climate coalition by bringing together frontline leaders and changemakers across sectors to share knowledge, build partnerships and advance lasting, equitable climate solutions. The Climate Justice Hub will run from 10:00 AM-5:30 PM at the Leon Lowenstein Center, which is located at 113 West 60th Street on Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus. Learn More & RSVP

Monday, Sept. 21 – 12:00-5:00 PM
What is Just AI: A Half-Day Summit on AI, Environmental Justice, and the Future of Philanthropy
Artificial intelligence is reshaping our communities faster than most public conversations can keep up. From the rapid expansion of data centers to growing questions about democracy, public health, energy, and economic justice, AI is one of the defining environmental justice issues of our time. Hosted by Building Equity & Alignment, Climate Justice Alliance, and WE ACT, What is Just AI: A Half-Day Summit on AI, Environmental Justice, and the Future of Philanthropy will be held on Monday, September 21st at the Malt House, which is located at 471 West 126th Street. The event will open with networking from 12:00-1:00 PM and then Denise Patel will be speaking on the the $4.3 Trillion Question: Are Just Data Centers Possible? from 1:00-3:00 PM along with NJEJA Executive Director Melissa Miles. ACE Executive Director Dwaign Tyndal will speak on the $4.3 Trillion Question: Are Just Data Centers Possible? panel from 3:00-5:00 PM. Learn More & RSVP

Wednesday, Sept. 23 – 5:00-9:00 PM
Wardrobe Rescue: NYC Climate Week Benefit Boutique
Custom Collaborative’s Wardrobe Rescue is a fun way to turn talk into action during Climate Week NYC 2026. This pop-up boutique will be stocked with designer and quality pieces, donated by brands you love and rescued from the landfill. Peggy Shepard has donated items to this event and will be in attendance. The event will run from 5:00-9:00 PM at Custom Collaborative’s studio, which is located at 253 West 35th Street. Tickets are $25 and include massive discounts and refreshments. Custom Collaborative is a nonprofit that provides workforce development training and worker-owned business incubation in the fashion industry. Learn More & RSVP

Saturday, Sept. 26 – 9:00 AM-6:00 PM
Sixth Annual BIPOC Climate Justice Summit: Climate Governance Frontiers
Peggy Shepard will be speaking on the Organizing for the Impossible: Building People Power in a Time of Backlash panel at the 6th Annual BIPOC Climate Justice Summit: Climate Governance Frontiers on Saturday, September 26th at the American Museum of Natural History, located at 200 Central Park West. Hosted by the HBCU Green Fund, Donors of Color Network, ACE Observatory, and Columbia University, the event will feature movement gathers, hundreds of organizers, scientists, and frontline leaders converging to build the collaboration this moment demands. Peggy’s panel starts at 10:00 AM but the event runs from 9:00 AM-6:00 PM. Learn More & RSVP

These are events that members of the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum will be participating in during Climate Week NYC 2026:

Tuesday Sept. 22nd – 10:30 AM-12:00 PM
Super Pollutants to Super Solutions: Targeting Diesel Black Carbon for Climate and Health Benefits
Super pollutants like black carbon are compounding the effects of climate change and harming human health. But they are often overlooked in CO2-based climate policies. This event will explore how transportation and climate policies at all levels of government can better account for and address super pollutants rather than treating them as an afterthought. Brooke Helmick, Director of Policy, New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance, will be among the speakers. Register

Tuesday, Sept. 22nd – 12:00 AM-5:00 PM
Tools, Testimonies, and Tomorrows
Alongside the Creative Liberation Network, One Square World, Alternatives for Community and Environment, and Recycle & Reinvest bring together climate and housing advocates, circular fashion designers, and other artists and culture bearers to share lessons from developing community-controlled solutions to the social, economic, and environmental challenges facing our people and our places. Woven throughout the conversations will be opportunities for participants to creatively reflect and engage around the ideas and questions raised by our presenters. The afternoon will end with time for connection and play with those you’ve seen, heard from, and talked with during the event. Located at Malt House Harlem at 471 West 126th Street. Register

Tuesday, September 22nd – 1:30-3:00 PM
WHO PAYS FOR POWER? Indigenous Sovereignty, Data Centers, & the New Energy Sacrifice Zones
Join 7 Directions of Service during Climate Week NYC for an Indigenous-led conversation examining the hidden connections between the rapid growth of data centers and AI, increasing electricity demand, fossil fuel infrastructure, water consumption, land acquisition, and threats to Indigenous and frontline communities. The event will run from 1:30-3:00 PM at 15 West 38th Street. Learn More & RSVP

Wednesday, Sept. 23rd – 9:00-11:30 AM
Seeking Justice: An Oral History of Building a Principled Partnership
Join us to explore lessons from more than a decade of partnership between NRDC, the Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform, and Los Jardines Institute. Hear how community-led collaboration, shared power, and sustained investment can advance environmental justice and build stronger, more equitable partnerships across the environmental movement. You must RSVP by September 15th. RSVP

Wednesday, Sept. 23rd – 11:00 AM-1:00 PM
HEArts Center Groundbreaking
Join the Mott Haven-Port Morris Community Land Stewards, South Bronx Unite, Alembic Community Development, NYC Health + Hospitals, NYCEDC, and community partners as we celebrate the groundbreaking of the HEArts Center, a 26,805-square-foot community hub for healing, learning, creativity, culture, and connection in the heart of Mott Haven. This groundbreaking is more than the start of construction. It marks the culmination of more than 15 years of resident organizing and leadership, and a community land trust model of equitable development that brings together community vision, public investment, and nonprofit and private partnership. This event is located at 349 East 140th Street in the Bronx. Register

Wednesday, Sept. 23rd – 12:00 PM
Environmental Justice Film Screening: The Lines We Live On
At 12:00 PM on Wednesday, September 23rd, Moving Forward Network, NRDC, Union of Concerned Scientists, Tallahassee Food Network, and East Yard Communities will host a special Climate Week NYC screening of The Lines We Live On followed by a live panel conversation and audience Q&A with the environmental justice leaders featured in the film. This documentary follows mark! Lopez and Dr. P. Qasimah Boston as they navigate the fight for clean air, zero-emissions transportation, and community power in the face of systems that have long put frontline neighborhoods last. Their stories are what this movement is made of, and we hope you’ll join us to experience them together. The screening will be at NRDC’s New York City Office, which is located on the 6th Floor of 40 West 20th Street, and lunch will be provided for those who register. Register

Wednesday, Sept. 23rd – 1:55-2:30 PM
Environmental Justice & Advocacy in the Green Workforce
A truly sustainable economy must put environmental justice, worker power, and community leadership at its center. This session explores how advocates and professionals can advance equitable hiring, policy, investment, and workplace practices across the green workforce. Panelists include Jaffee Judah, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Recycle & Reinvest. This event will be held at Project Farmhouse, which is located at 76 East 13th Street. Purchase Tickets

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