In 2021, President Biden established the Justice40 Initiative to advance environmental justice and spur economic opportunity for disadvantaged communities. Justice40 is a whole-of-government effort to ensure that Federal agencies work with states and local communities to make good on President Biden’s promise to deliver at least 40% of the overall benefits from Federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities. History has shown us, however, that too often projects intended to benefit our communities never reach us.
The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, along with partners WE ACT for Environmental Justice and the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University, launched a Justice40 Community Engagement Project to build the capacity of communities through education and training to participate in the “just” implementation of Justice40.
Last week, Green The Church participated in the FIRST Convening to discuss Justice40 Project in ACTION—New Orleans, LA, which was designed to build a grassroots infrastructure that will support community-based organizations (CBOs) and EJ groups to advocate for:
· thoughtful, transparent, and sustained stakeholder engagement,
· the identification and dismantling of bias and systemic racism embedded in programs; and
· the use of federal investment to reduce pollution in environmental justice communities.
Webinar Series for Houses of Worship/Faith on Environmental and Public Health
The public is invited to an important webinar—Breathe Healthier Indoor Air in Houses of Worship & Other Facilities—which will be held virtually September 20, 2022, 6:30-8:00 PM ET.
This webinar will focus on how Houses of Worship can improve and protect the indoor air of their facilities, to make the indoors safe and healthy for members of the faith communities and those working in faith facilities.
The webinar will include a discussion on effective ways to improve indoor air quality, including reducing indoor pollutants such as mold, safer chemical use, and integrated pest management, as well as the importance of outdoor air, ventilation and other topics. There will be up to 60 minutes of presentation and at least 30 minutes of Q & A for participants to engage with the presenters.
For more information and to register, use this link: https://usepa.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_W9dgrf60THyk3RXifyavFw
DOE Awarding $540M To Ramp Up Clean Energy Research
According to The Hill, “The United States Department of Energy (DOE) announced Thursday it will grant 54 universities and 11 national labs over $500 million to conduct research on clean energy technologies and low-carbon manufacturing, ranging from direct air capture to carbon storage and sequestration. The move comes on the heels of the passage of President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to significantly cut emissions by 2030.
“By 2050, Biden hopes to have a net-zero emissions economy. The new funds allotted by the DOE will be spread across institutions in 34 states and Washington D.C. ‘Meeting the Biden-Harris Administration’s ambitious climate and clean energy goals will require a game-changing commitment to clean energy — and that begins with researchers across the country,’ said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm in a statement.
“New research projects ‘will strengthen the scientific foundations needed for the United States to maintain world leadership in clean energy innovation, from renewable power to carbon management,’ Granholm added. Carbon dioxide emissions resulting from fossil fuel use are a significant driver of climate change.”
Read the entire article here.