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Uptown Chats
By Jaron Burke, Lonnie Portis, WE ACT for Environmental JusticeSociety & CultureBusinessEducationNon-Profit
Uptown Chats episodes
- Toxic Hair Braiding
Do you or someone you know use braiding hair products? Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn about chemicals and heavy metals that have been found in braiding hair products thanks to testing done by Consumer Reports. Our guests include James Rogers and Oriene Shin, who will share their insights about the testing along with tips for how to choose safer products and limit your exposure to toxic chemicals and heavy metals.
Want to learn more about this topic? Check out some of our previous episodes:
- Episode 2: Don’t Be Toxic, Be Beautiful
- Episode 40: The New York State Beauty Justice Act
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
41 min - Virtual Power Plants
Don’t let the name fool you - virtual power plants have real-life benefits! Join Jaron and Lonnie as they chat with Zoe Voss Lee from South Bronx Unite to learn about virtual power plants and their potential to help reduce peak energy demand and lower energy bills.
Check out some other related episodes:
- Episode 4 - Energy Democracy: Power to the People
- Episode 72 - Peaker Plants
- Episode 74 - Battery Energy Storage Systems
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
31 min - Data Centers and Environmental Justice
Hyperscale data centers are getting a lot of coverage in the news lately. Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn about the impact of these data centers on environmental justice communities across the country with help from WE ACT’s Federal Policy Manager, Yosef Robele.
Learn more about WE ACT's Data Center Environmental Justice Principles!
Check out one of our previous episodes featuring Dr. Nicky Sheats, where we talked about his role in the development of New Jersey’s Cumulative Impacts law, and the larger issue of cumulative impacts across the country:
Episode 31: US Energy Policy Wrong Direction Mini-Series: Cumulative Impacts
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
33 min - Climate Resilience and Economics
Climate week may be over, but we're still here doing the work! Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn about some of WE ACT's ongoing efforts in East Harlem to promote climate resilience along with an interview with Dr. Gary Yohe about the intersection between climate resilience and economics.
Want to learn more about our work in East Harlem? RSVP for the State of East Harlem Town Hall on Wednesday, October 21st 6:00pm at El Museo del Barrio!
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
31 min - Environmental Justice Leadership Forum
It's a podcast takeover! Join Tali Natter, WE ACT's Research Coordinator and former Cecil Corbin-Mark Environmental Justice Research Fellow, to get to know the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum, a group of over 40 environmental justice organizations across 24 states and D.C. hosted by WE ACT. Our special podcast episode was recorded at this year's convening in June, held in Chicago with partner People for Community Recovery (PCR), and focused on the theme 'Frontline Power: Organizing for Environmental Justice.' Dozens of groups gathered in Chicago as part of the ongoing work of the EJLF to grow together as a collective advancing environmental justice policies in a difficult political moment, and into the future. Some of the interviews were conducted during the in-person event and may not have the same audio quality as the rest of the episode - our apologies! Follow the EJLF @ejforum and ejforum.org.
Learn more about the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum!
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
41 min - Battery Energy Storage Systems
Battery energy storage systems are coming to NYC! Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn how this technology can help lower energy bills and improve local air quality with help from Alia Soomro, Deputy Director of New York City Policy at the New York League of Conservation Voters.
This episode builds on our conversation about Peaker Plants with Yuwa Vosper, WE ACT’s Senior Policy Advisor. Check out the episode here: Episode 72 - Peaker Plants
Extra Resources:
- Look for local energy storage projects on NYSERDA's online tool
- Learn more about battery energy storage systems with NYLCV's BESS Fact Sheets
- RSVP for an upcoming BESS site tour in the Bronx!
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
32 min - Manhattan Clean Energy Hub
Have you ever struggled to pay your utility bill? Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn about one of the twelve Clean Energy Hubs across New York State that help New Yorkers access programs to lower their energy bills and participate in the clean energy transition. Our special guest for this episode is Sachaly De Leon from the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD).
Want to learn more? Visit manhattancleanenergyhub.org and sign up for free support from the Manhattan Clean Energy Hub!
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
26 min - Peaker Plants
Ever wonder why your utility bill is higher in the summer? Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn how peak demand and peaker plants affect both the cost of electricity and the air quality in NYC communities. Our special guest this week is WE ACT’s Senior Policy Advisor, Yuwa Vosper.
Check out one of our previous episodes to learn more about energy justice and how our electricity grid works
Episode 4: Energy Democracy – Power to the People
Extra Resources:
- What is Peak Demand? (Energy Sage)
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
27 min - Measuring the Impact of Extreme Heat
Summer is here and it is HOT! Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn about a new project to measure the impact of extreme heat inside the homes of everyday New Yorkers led by WE ACT’s Environmental Health Manager, Valentina Rojas.
Relevant Resources:
- Read the NYC DOHMH 2026 Heat Mortality Report to learn more about the impact of extreme heat in NYC.
Check out one of our previous episodes featuring Valentina, where we talked about her work measuring outdoor air quality in Northern Manhattan:
- Episode 53: Air Quality Monitoring: Congesting Pricing & Other Sources of Air Pollution
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
38 min - Solar and Storytelling (Part 2)
Have you ever seen or heard a reference to climate or environmental justice in mainstream movies, TV, or novels? Join Jaron and Lonnie as they continue their conversation with Kiana Michaan, long-time WE ACT member and host of Climate with Kiana, where they discuss how climate and environmental justice show up through storytelling in all kinds of media.
Make sure to check out the first part of our conversation with Kiana: Episode 69: Solar and Storytelling (Part 1)
You can also hear more of Kiana on her podcast, Climate with Kiana!
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
34 min
About Uptown Chats
From the publisher's feed
Join Jaron and Lonnie as they explore issues in their community through the eyes of everyday people, and discuss how environmental justice is showing up in the news. It’s not just for experts, it's for everyone!
The podcast is officially 1 year old! Now that we're older and wiser, we're releasing episodes twice each month - on the second and last Monday of each month.
Uptown Chats is the official podcast of WE ACT for Environmental Justice. WE ACT was founded in 1988 and has offices in New York City and Washington, D.C. You can find us online at weact.org.