Green Promises
NYLCV
By: Brett Spielberg
Following a record high level of turnover among City Council seats in addition to the Mayor, Comptroller, and four borough president seats being up for grabs since the implementation of term limits in 2001, there are new opportunities to make sustainability and environmental justice key priorities in the City. To ensure council members maintain their campaign promises of delivering crucial environmental policy, NYLCVEF, WE ACT and South Bronx Unite formed the Green Our City Now coalition. This coalition will hold elected officials accountable on their promises, by providing information and guidance on environmental policy priorities and tracking their environmental commitments.
As climate change becomes an increasingly pressing issue in all regions, it is especially impacting communities of color and lower-income areas. Green Our City Now is attempting to combat this issue through an array of methods including policy implementation and advocacy as well as ensuring equal distribution of environmental benefits. Recent local laws in New York City including Local Law 60 and Local Law 64are examples of legal efforts already taken by the city to ensure an equitable future for all areas of the city vulnerable to climate injustice.
