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Uptown Chats
By Jaron Burke, Lonnie Portis, WE ACT for Environmental JusticeSociety & CultureBusinessEducationNon-Profit
Uptown Chats episodes
- WE ACT 2026 Policy Agenda
WE ACT’s 2026 Policy Agenda is hot off the press! Join Jaron, Jama, and Briana to learn about some exciting campaigns WE ACT is advocating for in New York State this year.
Check out WE ACT’s 2026 Policy Agenda!
Make sure to subscribe to the WE ACT newsletter for updates, upcoming events and actions you can take!
Did one of the topics in this episode pique your interest? Listen to one of our previous episodes to learn more:
- 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
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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
31 min - Holiday Special with Leslie Fields
The holidays are here again, and this year, Lonnie and Jaron are joined by Leslie Fields, WE ACT’s Chief Federal Officer to share stories from the environmental justice movement, including Leslie’s role in creating our Federal Policy Office in Washington, D.C.
Learn more about the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum made up of organizations across the country!
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
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
42 min - Celebrating Our Wins in 2025
It has been a difficult year for many of us, but that hasn’t stopped WE ACT from accomplishing some big wins in the name of environmental justice. Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn more about some of the wins for 2025 that we are excited to celebrate.
Want to take action? Check out the links below:
- SEND A LETTER TO GOVERNOR HOCHUL TO PROTECT OUR HEALTH AND BAN PFAS & OTHER TOXIC CHEMICALS IN PERIOD PRODUCTS
- SEND A LETTER TO GOVERNOR HOCHUL TO REPEAL THE 100 FOOT RULE!
Check out these past episodes related to some of our wins this year:
- Fifty First Episodes (featuring Karla Cordero, WE ACT's Chief of Staff)
- Energy Democracy – Power to the People (featuring Briana Carbajal, WE ACT's State Legislative Manager)
- Extreme Heat: Too Hot to Handle (featuring members of WE ACT's Climate Justice Working Group)
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
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 - Trash Talk in New York
Want to hear some trash talk without all of the drama? Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn about some emerging policies in New York State to reduce the impact of plastic and other waste materials on the environment and our health, with help from a member of WE ACT's Planning Committee, Danielle Dookie. Danielle also serves on the Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board.
Liked this episode? Check out our previous episode on Waste Incineration to learn more!
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
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
28 min - Youth-Led Climate Action
Children’s Environmental Health Month is almost over, but youth-led climate action is still going strong! In this episode, Lonnie and Jaron are joined by Shiv Soin, Founder and Co-Executive Director of TREEage to learn how young people have helped shape the climate justice movement and ways for more young people to get involved.
Want to support climate action in your community? Check out upcoming TREEage events!
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
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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
36 min - Green Healthy Schools
October is Children’s Environmental Health Month! Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn about the Green Healthy Schools campaign with help from Faiza Azam, Climate & Labor Organizer at ALIGN.
Take Action!
Join the Climate Works for All coalition and sign the petition to tell our next mayor: we need Green, Healthy Schools to ensure the future of New York City’s climate, children, education system, and workforce. www.alignny.org/greenhealthyschools
You can also find ALIGN on Instagram: @align_new_york
Learn more about the Green Healthy Schools Report
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
Follow us on Instagram
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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
29 min - Air Quality Monitoring: Congesting Pricing, Pollution and More
Need some fresh air? Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn about air quality monitoring projects in Northern Manhattan and how you can help promote environmental justice in New York with help from Valentina Rojas, WE ACT’s Environmental Health Manager.
Extra Resources:
- Learn more about the EJNYC Report
- Check out WE ACT’s Air Quality Monitoring Projects
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
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
36 min - Flooding
It’s raining, it’s pouring! Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn how different types of flooding impact communities across New York, and what is being done to reduce those impacts with help from Tyler Taba, Director of Resilience at Waterfront Alliance.
Guest Information: Tyler Taba, Director of Resilience - Waterfront Alliance
Extra Resources:
- Sign up for Notify NYC to get important updates about flooding and other climate-related hazards.
- Live in Northern Manhattan? Check out WE ACT’s Climate Ready Uptown Plan
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
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 - Fifty First Episodes
It is our fifty-first episode! Join Lonnie and Jaron as they reflect on highlights and lessons from their first fifty episodes of the podcast with the help of Karla Cordero, WE ACT’s Chief of Staff.
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
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
35 min - Uptown Chats Book Club: Powerless (Part 2)
The story continues! Join Jaron and Lonnie for the second part of their first Uptown Chats Book Club featuring a discussion with Dr. Diana Hernandez about her new book, Powerless: The People’s Struggle for Energy. No reading required!
Check out this Uptown Chats Book Club read: Powerless: The People’s Struggle for Energy
You can also listen to this episode on YouTube.
Got questions? Email us at [email protected]
Connect with the show:
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24 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.