Why does environmental justice matter?

Pollution from fossil fuels has been choking our community for years. The climate crisis, driven by emissions produced from burning fossil fuels, is flooding our neighborhoods and killing our most vulnerable with extreme heat waves. And the economic injustices of the fossil fuel economy have drained our communities of job opportunities that can support a family.

It is time for a Just Transition. A Just Transition to renewable energy will not only clean up our environment and address the climate crisis, but it will also create jobs in our communities — communities that have been unjustly ravaged by systemic racism for generations.

Please join us on Thursday, October 15 for WE ACT's 2020 Gala. Come learn about how we can achieve a Just Transition, and in doing so you will help support WE ACT towards this goal. This year, WE ACT is honoring leaders working to advance a Just Transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, combating climate change while creating economic opportunities for those most impacted by it.

WE ACT has an incredible program planned for this year's Gala, including a provocative panel discussion by the honorees:

Jose Bravo, Executive Director, Just Transition Alliance

Robert Bullard, Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy, Texas Southern University

Michael Gerrard, Professor and Director, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School

Linda McPherson, President, Head Start Local 95 DC 37 AFSCME Maritza Silva-Farrell, Executive Director, ALIGN

In addition, we are excited to welcome Tom Steyer, founder of NextGen, as a special guest! A donation of $500 will give you an Ally Ticket to this virtual event and support our staff as we work at the city, state, and federal levels to achieve a Just Transition. In addition to access to the event, Ally Ticketholders receive special recognition in our Gala eJournal and get to participate in our VIP Cocktail Reception. Why is it called an Ally Ticket? Because purchasing one will make it possible for WE ACT to offer tickets to a wider audience who could not otherwise afford to participate in this year's Gala due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 on our community.

Please join us in October to celebrate our honorees and help us work towards a Just Transition in 2021!

Exhibit & Events at the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space through 2020

Originating on the Lower East Side, the locally-led Green Map movement is returning to its roots, impacting 65 countries along the way.

In 1995, Green Map System created a new way to use mapmaking for social change and shared their ideas, toolkit and outcomes to spark vibrant connections between people and the place where they live. The nonprofit’s adaptable toolkit has been creatively applied by agencies, institutions, innovators, activists and community groups to challenge perceptions of local nature, culture, social justice and green living while encouraging eco-smart habits and informed actions.

Bringing the roots and trajectory into focus, this exhibit will generate new answers to the question “How Green Is My City?” Featuring locally made Green Maps from NYC and cities around the world, the exhibit shares the project’s tools and trajectory along with local impacts on public policy, climate change, social movements, along with sustainability projects of all kinds. Come explore new directions to a healthier common future.

Located at 155 Avenue C in the East Village, MoRUS Museum's season includes a fresh from the streets Black Lives Matter exhibit, Creating a Buzz about Bees interactions the annual MoRUS Film Festival, and mapping events, too! Open 11-7 Tuesday and Thursday-Sunday (closed Monday and Wednesday) with a suggested $5 admission.

Join an event, make a map and experience the green side of our cities. However, given the uncertainties of the season, check GreenMap.org/2020exhibit and MoRUSnyc.org or follow @GreenMap or @MORUSnyc for updates.

EVENTS - in person and online

Sunday, September 6th, 5pm Exhibition Opening and Tour
Join us for the socially-distanced opening of Green Map’s exhibit How Green Is My City?, including a live broadcast at 6pm (on MoRUS's Facebook page) introducing the show and upcoming events, brought to you through a special partnership with the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. In the basement level of MoRUS, explore a special temporary exhibit featuring photos, art, and barricades from the recent Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

Saturday, September 19, 5-7pm Put your Spot on the Green Map at Grace Exhibition Space!
Celebrate North American Day of Sustainable Communities by putting your favorite green sites on the map. Share your knowledge about places, projects and practices and find out about the OGM2 mapping platform at this outdoor event. Grace Exhibition Space, dedicated to performance art & permaculture, is located just 2 blocks from MoRUS at 182 Avenue C, where “Microbes to Metropolis” exhibit by MoS MoBS LoBS Lab by dd Maucher is also on view.

Sunday, September 20th 4pm East Village Community Garden Passport (MoRUS Family Programming)
Stop by the Museum for a copy of your Community Garden Passport, which will map out different sustainable gardens in East Village. If you gather the stamps from all the gardens, return the full passport to the museum and receive a prize! We will have a small opening on Sunday September 20th, but come in anytime on the 20th or after to pick up a copy of your passport and complete your tours.

Friday, September 25th, 6pm Climate Week NYC Exhibit Tour
Join us for a special exhibition tour led by Wendy Brawer, the founding director of Green Map System, this event is part of Climate Week NYC 2020. Meeting outside the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, this tour will provide unique insight and context to the Green Map movement. Please RSVP here.

Friday, October 2, 2pm OGM2 Demo Online! Repeated first Fridays - November 6th + December 4th, 2pm
Find out about Open Green Map 2, the new mapping platform, now in Beta, and how you can use it for your own local Green Map projects with the developers at the Berlin-based GIS Collective. Featuring Green Mapmakers already using the OGM2 mapping platform! Here's the Zoom link.

Saturday October 17th, 3pm (rain date 10/18) - Green Map Cycling Tour
This Green Map bike tour will highlight green infrastructure in the East Village. Let’s meet at the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, then track underwater streams and traverse the original shore line into East River Park, which is slated for demolition this fall. Guest speaker Fannie Ip from EastRiverParkAction.org as well as maps from the past (and for the future) will help us chart the physical changes and gain perspective on current resiliency challenges and movements. Limited to 8 riders - with distancing & masks. RSVP to apple@greenmap.org

November Date TBD Material Mapping (MoRUS Family Programming)
Led by MoRUS, this youth event will gather found materials from different East Village blocks and transform them into sculptures. As artistic manipulation transforms these materials, they will begin to take on a physical representation of their origin block. As more and more sculptures are created, they will begin to map out the neighborhood and forge new relationships to space and community. For all ages.