 Okay, so thank you again everybody for for coming on this cold day for sticking it out We're really really excited to see Everybody here. I'm Jacob Moore. I'm the associate director of the Buell Center We ran out of programs. So that's exciting. We had no idea how many people to expect And it's great that not only everybody came but everybody has stuck around so just so you know by the way We're gonna have this last panel a concluding discussion And then there's a reception that's gonna happen right on the other side of the t-shirts that's open to everybody So in case that's motivating to stick around there will be drinks Okay, so as they're coming up This last panel. We're really excited to have everybody here We have CJ Bastida is a leader of the Fridays for Future youth climate strike an Organizer of the global climate strike a member of the administration committee of the people's climate climate movement and it's part of Sunrise Movement and Extinction Rebellion as well to come to Caesar who we heard from earlier is a Native American artist and cultural consultant of Mattencock turkey clan one Panwag Montancook sorry Montauket and Blackfoot descent Amma Francis is a 2018 to 2020 Climate law fellow at the Saban Center for climate change law at Columbia Law School Dianna Hernandez is a assistant professor of sociomedical sciences at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health She's also director of the community engagement core of the NIEHS funded Center for Environmental Health in Northern Manhattan Orosh Kaurzad is an artist educator and urban planner And one show Lopez is a political scientist cartographer Musician composer and South Bronx based environmental activist who teaches Latino and ethnic politics at Hunter College He's also a founding member of South Bronx Unite and a board member of the Mott Haven Port Morris community land stewards the local community land trust so Give it away to them for 20 minutes and then we'll hear from Jessica Ramos after that Good afternoon everyone Thank you for your attention and your engagement and your presence around climate change Which I think we all know is a really important and pressing issue My group our group was tasked with looking at the relationship with government between government and power around three questions How can the Green New Deal just eliminate the use of fossil fuels? How can the Green New Deal meaningfully avoid green gentrification and how can the Green New Deal equitably include front-line communities workers and non US citizens and as a starting point our group Acknowledge that climate change is not just an environmental issue. It's also an issue of racial economic inequality Inequality between able-bodied people and people with disabilities Also an issue that deeply connects to indigenous communities who are on the front lines of these issues And so climate when we talk about climate solutions, we're not just talking about environmental solutions But we're talking about in ways and opportunity to really transform our society across class race economic and other lines of inequality So to start us off just in response to the question How can the Green New Deal justly eliminate the use of fossil fuels? I think the key point here and AOC mentioned this in the video is the idea of a just transition So when we're moving from reliance on fossil fuels to looking at sources of energy that are cleaner and by cleaner we mean have Lesser impact on the environment but also cleaner in terms of how it affects the communities that are surrounding these Sources of energy. It's important that the people who are most impacted by this transition are also Part of the solution on Workers at coal mines communities that are placed next to fossil fuel plants These communities and people need to be at the front and center of the solution and benefiting from this transition to clean energy So that just that idea of a just transition was the first Thing that we really emphasized in relation to this question and I'll just keep it quick because this is a summary We also talked about green gentrification So one thing that came out in our discussion is that when we promote sustainability measures Renters or people in Low-income housing or people who are dependent on Who are I think struggling to meet costs of housing? Are often priced out of these buildings that are receiving this sustainability upgrade And so we find that our climate measures are actually pushing people out of their homes out of their communities And so we talked about how to stop this and and highlighted some good practices and also Important just to mention here that this is not just about displacement of people in the US But as we've heard from other panels climate is really a global issue So our climate effects are not just displacing people in the Bronx Or in Queens but also across the global south and the Caribbean in the Pacific And it's important to include these people also in an effort to be People of solidarity with black and brown communities around the world. It's important also to bring in these perspectives Finally. Yeah, good transition. We talked about how the Green New Deal can equitably include frontline communities workers and non-us citizens and For us here the idea really was that everyone needs to be included Everyone needs to be at the table and again this this idea of Climate not just being I think the Green New Deal actually says this that we're the US is actually Exporting the effects of pollution to other people where other people are bearing the cost of of our energy use here and It's important when we're thinking about climate solutions to make sure that we're making space for people who are displaced by these Issues, so how can we create more visa categories for climate migrants? For example How can we include non-us citizens in the job opportunities that are going to be coming from the Green New Deal? So just to wrap up. I think One of the key ideas from our panel was that we are sharing Resources as a global community across race class ability lines Across national lines and it's important to think about our responsibility to each other and sharing those resources And it's really critical that we organize because none of these changes will happen if we are not building collective power Does anyone want to add Hi everybody, thank you for for being here and for contributing to this discussion I'll start by framing this the way that we began our panel in the morning And again my background is as an artist and an urban planner and I'm speaking more from the perspective of an urban planner But what we talked about in the morning is that you know, I think we're faced with a very big decision And the decision is are we going to? Mandate that the Green New Deal more for move forward through a process of community-based planning or a process of top-down planning and What we have now in the city And the standard operating procedure is top-down planning and with top-down planning with what we end up with or places like Willets Point You know the redevelopment we end up with Hudson Yards, you know, we end up with a lot of the big signature projects That you see being happening in the city, you know downtown Brooklyn, etc. Billionaires row right these are things that aren't done with You know accountability at the community level right they're done with the interests of developers and You know large corporations and and power brokers in mind And if we move forward with this process of whitewashing which we have in the city now Then what will happen as a result of the Green New Deal is a green gentrification, right? So I think that's one thing is how are we as a community and how are we as New Yorkers? Standing up and saying with the unified voice that we're going to dictate what the plans are that are implemented at the local level And we're going to make sure that there's accountability in this process So the community isn't used to you know the community isn't co-opted right so their voices aren't co-opted and they're kind of put forward to Say look we're doing democracy, but at the end of the day what they want isn't what's reflected in the plan right so I think that's a big choice that that we have to move forward with and A way that you would think about community-based planning is is reflected in what you see on the panel here, right? We have indigenous voices that are that are being centered We're talking about you know gender non-conformity. We're talking about race. We're talking about class and This is a makeup of what you would imagine a leadership group That's determining what's going to happen in the New Deal right and but that's not what we have We have AOC, but if I were to peel back the bigger curtain and see who's really making the decisions I don't think that it looks like what we have here sitting on this panel, right? So I think that's a big issue Or should we go down and come back or should I just get everything off my chest now? Okay, go for it. I have my notes here. So I'll be very brief So we talked about the community-based planning versus top-down planning if you recall the the the original New Deal was Done with a lot of good intentions in mind, right? And there's a lot of infrastructure that we depend on today that came out of that But every planning decision or many many planning decisions that ended up horribly for the community were done with good intentions, right? And and and they were done using the justification of technological progress, right? This is the newest thing. It's going to improve our efficiency It's going to make society better and cleaner cars were thought of as being cleaner than horses at the time, right? And we turned out to the horses on the other hand weren't destroying the planet with climate change right to my knowledge so we we you know we can't jump into You know this kind of hubristic mentality and just assume that because we're using the latest technology and it's different from what we had in The past that it's going to be an improvement, right? So we and that's that's how community-based planning can kind of reinforce this notion, but at the same time with respect to the speakers earlier We Understand that con Edison and National Grid are creating issues But they're not the ones that are leading the gentrification of New York City, right? Our own institutions our own city agencies our own legislative bodies are the ones who are who are Gentrifying the city. They're the ones who are leading the rezoning processes. They're the ones who You know are part of this process of endless and endless skyscraper development While many other people are living in substandard housing, right? Not to say that they're the only ones driving it because there's a whole system that they're a part of But I think we have to reflect on ourselves and and say what are we doing to prevent gentrification as a city? You know what our institution is doing and if they're not equipped to prevent gentrification now Then what measures are we putting in place to make sure that when we get all of this new development? It's not just going to follow the same pattern, right? So so so there's something there and and at the same time that we have a city that's that's gentrifying ourselves, right? through luxury development We have other expenditures that are occurring that are criminalizing young people, right? young people of color in this city and Disincentivizing the kind of behavior that we need to decarbonize our society and I'm thinking specifically about transit enforcement, right? So one thing I think it's a it's a myth to say that broken windows is a thing of the past, right? You know maybe maybe in recent times that might have been something that people entertain But we see now with the increased police presence in the subways We see now with the the war on the homeless or houseless and and you know many other things that are happening in the city With surveillance culture that broken windows isn't a thing of the past, right? And you have a situation in a subway where the MTA is spending 200 million two hundred fifty million dollars to Fight against fair evasion in order to save two hundred million dollars, right? 200 million a fair evasion. So the the issue there is you are criminalizing young people of color for Using mass transit when the reality what should be the opposite, right? We have free transit for everyone So how is the Green New Deal addressing this kind of overpolicing, you know, the the policies of overpolicing? That that would that would not only prevent gentrification happening if they reversed it But it also incentivize people to take mass transit, right? So these are kinds of the things when you when you think about how people are treated in our communities They're not traditional development concepts and they don't come up in a in a in a normal discussion about Sustainability, but that's what we need to take into account if we want our communities to stay intact as we move forward and into this This era of green development So I'll pass there, but those are just some some top things that I came to mind all right, so Diana Hernandez, I am just gonna put my Researcher hat on and say that there are really amazing policies that actually have Are on some measure successful and we talked about the clean heat policies here in New York City that phased out the use of residual oil number six But when my team and I actually looked at who really benefited from transitions to clean energy It happened not to be the buildings that were in northern Manhattan in the Bronx so While the the city can really tell a big success in saying that They successfully phased out the use of number six oil for number four that actually hasn't been the case And what it means is that those buildings in northern Manhattan in the Bronx are likely not to transition to clean fuels Until 2030 when it completely phases out and that's really unacceptable and the assembly woman on the last panel Basically talked about the need for evaluation and that's absolutely true. It's also really true in public housing So public housing has a lot of different issues going on but one of the kind of more promising potentially Things that that that are actively happening here in New York City and across the U.S Is the rental assistance demonstration project? The first one was in a sandy affected complex in the Rockaways And the second one is in Botanzas in my haven where I live And ultimately these projects have gone on without evaluation that we don't really know what the impact is We know that the policy promises to keep people in place Even as their units are improved But ultimately ultimately there needs to be you know investment on the part of policymakers to also embed Evaluation and research into the policies that are put forth Otherwise, we really don't understand the impact and it happens to be that researchers like me that are hustling for outside dollars Come in and are assisting with that evaluation, but it should really be kind of integrated There was another piece that I think this is outside of the research realm that I think is really important And that's the question of listening. So first of all, let me acknowledge that it's late in the day This has been a long You know session and that all of you have been so wonderfully patient and participatory So thank you But the truth of the matter is that we have a lot to say many of us actually wear dual hats You know, we are layered human beings while we might have some kind of technical expertise Some of us are also coming from communities of need and I definitely sit I straddle worlds of expertise and a lot of privilege on on my institutional Affiliation and at the same time I feel like at my core I'm representing the South Bronx where I grew up and where I have chosen to live and ultimately When we think about politicians and what they are in position to do and other policymakers is Actually to listen like we actually have a lot to say and that it's not just a job to come in And give us a little five-minute stumps speech But that participating in something like this all day is actually a demonstration of a willingness to Listen and to reimagine governance and that was one of the things that came up in our session today Is that we're really at a time where we have to kind of think about decentralized in government and at the same time Reimagining and reconstituting What what it means to represent that it's not necessarily about your own ideas But that those ideas are truly inspired by the people that that the constituencies that you're representing That your duty is not necessarily to just share, but it's also to listen. Hi, my name is to come sir representing my tribe the Matinacoc, but also our sister tribes of Siwa and hockey Long Island and for the first question as for justifying the Eliminating the fossil fuels. I gave an example of the Shinnecock Reservation, which is our sister community in Southampton and Because of rising sea levels and beach erosion we actually found their cemeteries being flooded and We also found that they had to have a major And basically like progressive plan to stop beach erosion because their beach was actually eroding up to like 20 30 feet and This is a tribe our tribes have been here for thousands of years. So This is a they have about 800 acres of land that they have been pushed on to only their summer would be traditionally their summer villages and Now there's a very big Threat that their environmental saying Environmental department is saying it's quite possible that they're going to have to relocate and one of the things that we talked about is Making sure that we're not just relocating people but Figuring out how can we help them stay in their communities where they have connections to Whether it's like our indigenous brothers and sisters who literally our ancestors are buried here And we want to take care of them or it's some people who have roots to those communities and the movie might cause separation between families and Different things that tie them down and then for the second question talking about the Avoiding gentrification green gentrification. We talked a little bit about animals because often that's something that is totally overlooked and We're taught that each animal has a specific Responsibility and with things like the mosquito population where we're spraying for mosquitoes I always ask myself, well, where did the bats go and Why is that population not being looked at and why are we putting forth efforts towards spraying for mosquitoes? But not figuring out who the original eaters of those mosquitoes are and why they've disappeared things like glass houses where we know in traditional ways that New York is actually a migration and area for birds and many of my indigenous brothers and sisters in Manhattan have actually found birds with broken beaks in front of glass buildings and why is that not being addressed and The importance of pre-prime informed consent. So talking to communities and understanding that they can actually pull back their consent For what's been given and that that should be applied. It shouldn't be just me here today, but it should be representatives from all the Governments that are that are still on seawall on a hockey Shinnecock uncle Chuck so talk it Lenape all these representatives could be here today, but they you know, they weren't brought to the table and Talking about the housing a little bit. We were talking about the when you have for instance, I live in subsidized housing and When they did the capital improvement That cost came to me, but I felt that it should have came in a tax break to the To the owner of the building so that way it's not being put on Towards the the consumers who once we move out, we don't have any equity in in that space So those are just quickly things that I felt were really important and that's for the last part for non-citizens a Point that I brought up is that we call this area eternal island and as far as we're concerned U.S. Canada and Mexico and the Caribbean Those are not immigrants the immigrants are basically anybody who came from Europe and a lot of times We disconnect ourselves with the fact that people whose grandparents or great grandparents came here They have the privilege of not knowing what it is to be an immigrant and we need to have more empathy and more understanding of who is an immigrant and who's not an immigrant, but really who is a human being and also You know another living being so this green deal needs to encompass humans But also animals and those other beings that actually came Before us because in my teachings were taught that humans are actually the last people the last thing put on the earth. I Already spoke so I'll I'll just keep this brief, but I didn't want to just share That I am deeply saddened about the climate crisis that we're going through and At the same time being a descendant of people who were enslaved the fact that I'm sitting here today gives me hope I know that we have the collective power to make transformative change and I Specifically want to talk about the change that needs to happen in terms of immigration the climate crisis is creating millions of Displaced people around the world. It's forcing people out of their homes out of their homelands just in 2018 last year We had nearly 18 million people displaced by climate related disasters 18 million people of no fault of their own being forced out of their homes and so on the US side We also need to be thinking about Decriminalizing immigration and also making it easier for people to migrate and that can look like a number of things Bernie Sanders It's just put forth this proposal to increase family reunification So making it easier for people to connect with their families There are other ways that we can also increase visa Categories and this is something that the federal government alone is in power to do the federal government controls immigration So this if we're talking about federal reform Immigration definitely needs to be on the table Especially when we take into consideration the justice issues associated with climate My name is my name is Moncho Lopez. I was born in Puerto Rico. I'm a South Bronx Activist We in in the South Bronx we have a group. I'm a co-founder Called South Bronx United South Bronx United. It's began many years ago as an environmental justice organization Now we are sponsoring meaning South Bronx United the South Bronx community land trust So I think that that's an important sequence to understand because we began and we remain an environmental justice organization that came to realize that control over land Was Extremely important To address the environmental justice issues that that we were facing. So so I think that The the the idea of community land trust is One of the most important and central ideas that we in the South Bronx Stumbled upon or have rallied around to address the environmental justice issues and I I have a as you know as Strange as it might seem I I need to put like a really critical eyeglasses on in the South Bronx today One of the most important perceived threats to us is private development Okay, and and so that's common for all over the city But the fact is that historically The entity that has abused the most our people is the government Now we have a problem with private developers It was the government that allowed the South Bronx to burn down And so here we have Government and power I think that we need to be careful of not placing too much faith in these types of legislation Because if you look at it, I'm I mean, it's like, you know, the the ex files the truth is out there If you look look at it here, you see that these Alternative the Champlain Hudson power Express system It's a symbolizing the map as a red line Is a red line That loops around the South Bronx For me that triggers me immediately Because we have a history like these You know, I'm in total support of the of the Green New Deal. I'm not a Republican. It's like I support it That being said this has the all the necessary ingredients The good intentions The urgency the scale the complexity for experts to take over and If they can take over and we're not paying attention, they will Everything that can go wrong with this will go wrong if we're not paying attention and and and so what? We in in in South Bronx tonight and our CLT is designed to defend ourselves against development private people, but also against the government because We need to be prepared That very easily they can try to sacrifice once again Our community for the supposed greater good and that's something that we are not gonna allow To happen. This is a community that has been brutalized Traumatized. I think that we should all get Very very well educated about the technicalities of all of these they were talking about gigawatts before I Educated myself when Hurricane Maria happened and destroy Puerto Rico I in I became an expert in in watts in in volts in in amp hours Francisco Casablanca Libertad they they they were supportive of all the research that I did on solar power on wind power Educate yourselves Because that's the only way that you're not gonna be fooled That's the only way that we are not gonna get fooled We need to educate ourselves as to the very technical aspects of this is technical But it's not rocket science. So if I figure it out, I think that we all can configure it out We have to spread that Education out there the the last thing that I'm gonna mention Two more things What what we don't need eventually obviously is that we don't want the Green New Deal and the pipes and whatever To be part of what I I've been calling the infrastructure of trauma Infrastructure that that traumatizes people Infrastructure that is part of these non-spoken Neocolonial social contract that I'm gonna give you these In exchange of that, you know, you need jobs you need clean air you need good housing So let's you know and this this can easily go the Robert Moses way and even larger So so we have to to to be very attentive that the last thing I'm gonna say is that governments lie government lies all the time for obvious reasons, okay, and so my stomach turns when suddenly I heard here today Not because I'm opposed to it dimension of Rikers Island as the new solution for the green thing here in the city that's a place of torture of Kidnapping and suddenly we're talking we're green watching The story of that place. Where are the bodies of the people? That that have been kidnapped We're talking about closing Rikers. I don't believe it. I don't think it's gonna happen but we're building these mixes of Jails that are supposed to be humane and community gales with with shopping malls in in our neighborhoods And so we haven't dealt with the problem of kidnapping and incarceration and we are already talking about Rikers Island being the green thing and you know the sewage treatment plan or whatever whatever whatever solar farms and whatnot I I use that as an example of how governments lie and That we need to we need to be critical we we need To make alliances with people in government and whatnot But we need to pay attention because if not they're gonna do a row of Moses on us Over and over and over again. Okay. Thank you Hi everyone My name is Shia Bastida. I am a 17 year old climate justice activist. I Was born and raised in Mexico moved here when I was 13 Now I'm part of people's climate movement Friday's for future sunrise movement And I don't job with the CLCPA the dirty buildings build another legislation here in the city So I want to talk about a few things The first thing is definitely climate education this coming from a student who skip school every Friday To strike for a future Education is probably one of the most important things and that is because our biggest problem is not denialism But apathy People know what is wrong, but they don't want to do anything about it. It might be too big They might not know what and go to look at it. And that is why we need education through all sectors You are all here because you care about this issue but you need to we all need to understand that we need to increase our depending of understanding of the situation because our goal here should not be to Convince everybody about the climate crisis our goal should be to deepen our own Understanding to be able to tackle this mode the most in the most efficient way So I have friends who are in the policy sector education sector transportation sector energy sector And that means so in the government writing Yeah, so in the government Writing climate curriculum into schools and doing so many things that are essential for us and Just as students. I think that because I think I am one of the only Under 20 here. How many people are here under 20? Okay, you start 20 Yes, you start 20% of the present, but we are a hundred percent of the future I want to let you know that if this is going to Exceed these talks which are amazing. We need to educate youth and That sounds so obvious But that means that we need to go into schools. We need to go into Engagement I in as part of my environmental club. We go up to Albany to speak to representatives and one time I tell them okay, everybody email your Representative scheduler and set up a meeting and everybody said what that's a thing we can talk to representatives. Yes So those things that we don't know as young people who care are Things that we must be taught and we are not getting that kind of training And I also wanted to touch upon immediate needs We heard about immediate needs in presentations previous to ours and my immediate need right now is to pass my AP physics test but I also want to let you know that As youth our immediate need is to be secured of a livable future and that is when I think a lot of The world is not understanding where our care comes from. We are scared of what is coming And we are mad that nothing is being done Because we have the solutions where is that going towards and So that's why I'm very happy that you know youth all over the world are standing up and saying Yes, we need Global momentum and the youth are bringing that we need or to organize We need to come together and a big part of that is going to come from youth who are organizing 7 million people strikes, right? and That is when intergenerational Conversation has to come into because there's this whole thing. I don't know if you heard the okay boomer thing. I don't Yes, I don't like that and that is because Yes, we didn't create this mess you did but that doesn't mean that we don't need everybody Everybody in every sector to work towards it and to fix this and to get it over with because I Wanted to be a veterinarian. No, I'm gonna study environmental studies and international relations because There is no other way for me to feel like I can help if it's not through an environmental lens So we yeah, we just need more mindful solutions more mindful approaches to things and If I if you want to take one thing away from today is Everything I don't think we can pick what to take away Because everything that was said today is important and everything that was said today you need to implement in your work You're thinking your conversations your daily lives and the way you vote not only in elections But with your money in businesses So thank you so much Okay, I think that that's the for now, but then we'll have the Q&A in a second I'm really happy to introduce Jessica Ramos who's here joining us Jessica Ramos has spent her life fighting for working families Advocating for labor and organizing her local community born in Elmhurst an undocumented seamstress and a printing pressman Jessica was raised in Astoria attended Queens public schools and now lives in Jackson Heights with her two sons Where where she represents the 13th district in the New York State Senate. So Jessica Hi, good afternoon everybody I'm very proud to represent actually the Queens Museum. We're in the district right now And find it very appropriate that this conversation is actually being held in this room Surrounded by this exhibit one of the perks of being the state senator for the Queens Museum Is that I get to come to the previews and meet the artists? But what the exhibit is actually about is a statement on consumerism all of these t-shirts are We're picked up at thrift shops in the artist's travels And really does at least to me stand as a powerful statement about How much waste it is that we actually create? Unnecessarily and to really think about what consumer behaviors we we must change and That I think is the hardest part of it all is that some folks do know where the solutions are do understand Where it is that we need to change how we live our lives But are not willing to or the government has not facilitated the way for us to do that Even though a couple of things happened in the past session so Folks know we had a historic session in the state Senate We have a Democratic majority finally after decades of suffering under the Republican helm Thank you a lot of you guys were very instrumental in that largely because we wanted to pass a climate and community protection act that really worked and While it was severely watered down by you know who and now we call it the climate leadership and Community Protection Act it is still largely Inspired by the Green New Deal and focused on bringing environmental justice to frontline communities like mine I actually deal with some of the highest asthma rates in our city Particularly in Astoria which has now been dubbed a store Astora Asthma Ali Which is really a In eye-opener because we don't think of Astoria in that way Necessarily but because of the conitis and plant that's there and because of everything that's been going on Environmentally it's really been a game-changer For the conversation and why we fought so hard for the CCPA To include funds That would be redirected towards these very same communities that have been hurting the most And and really it's about shifting the paradigm entirely and moving away from an economy That's based on exploitation and fossil fuels and moving towards one that really dignifies work And that makes sure that we're prioritizing clean energy I don't know if folks have brought this up throughout the conversations today, but there's actually a huge Crisis with national grid that we aren't really talking about as much which is very convenient for many but Essentially all of the new buildings New restaurants Commerce aren't able to open new gas accounts with national grid because we're out of gas Quite literally And that's a problem because then the answer can't be fracking the answer can't be figuring out You know how it is that we fulfill that that Capitalistic driven need but rather how it is that we're saying That we're providing viable alternatives for these businesses to be able to run in an Equitable way in a way that that really is responsive to climate change and those are very hyper local decisions That are going to perhaps take some time for us to figure out but holistically, I think This conversation has finally been elevated to a place where real policy Is to is being passed real policy is being heard real policy is being written But it needs to be written much more by the people than rather than the contractors who would even benefit from a great new deal To be quite honest, right? Everybody has a vested interest You know even any business tycoon knows exactly where we're where all of this is headed And ultimately, you know, this is why we need to make sure even if we retrofit buildings that these buildings remain Affordable for tenants, right? I'm a preferential renter. This is part of the reason I ran for office And and these are one of some of my biggest concerns when it comes to talking about a green issue I used to complain that really, you know, this topic was a white people issue for a long time it felt that way and and really seeing how that conversation has shifted Particularly for a district like mine where we speak 160 languages where we have people from all walks of life, right? It is particularly important that we're that we're doing this today that we're putting our brains together that we're trying to figure out hopefully What new legislation can look can look like how we're making sure that we're putting pressure on Government to release more funds for things like community community land trusts, which I'm a big fan of as well How we think of a people's banking system and how we actually utilize this moment to create Actual wealth for our communities and general and generational wealth for our communities So I just want to say thank you. Thank you for for really bringing this to the forefront today Obviously, there's gonna be a ton more work to do to make sure that the Green New Deal is a reality And I promise to stand as an ally and fight shoulder-to-shoulder with you. Thank you okay, so Just a couple notes before we do the Q&A. So I think We're sort of off the program now the idea is actually that we're gonna do just 30 minutes of Q&A again Probably two or three rounds of three questions and everybody up here can answer But it'll be this is also the concluding conversation. So think about that If you have questions for the other panelists you've seen speak or anyway, so so cue those up and then at 530 we have Paul Evans the catering company has graciously Frontloaded a little bit our reception. So at 530 we'll go over there for drinks and we can continue the conversation obviously so So just like before We'll take questions three at a time. Please keep them brief one question per person and then Do a round and then we'll do it again. So I saw one back in the back and one here in the green green jacket We can start in the back Hello, I have a question for Senator Ramos I have an issue that's directly impacted my community the building of the LaGuardia air train that's connecting LaGuardia to Willis Point it's creating a lot of air pollution and Damaging homes What is your position on the air train and what are steps? Are you taking if you're against it? Thank you for the question The LaGuardia airport air train is of grave concern to the larger district But specifically to the East Elmhurst community that completely surrounds the LaGuardia airport and There has been a lot said about the trajectory of the air train and I think that unfortunately The conversation has moved to a place where it seems like more constituents are actually Okay with the idea of an air train being built which is really concerning to me because Because largely we've been working a lot with River Keeper And a couple of the other Organizations who have been advocating for the cleaning up of Flushing Bay for making sure That would there is a community process involved in the future steps of the LaGuardia air train But up until this moment My stance has been to be against the air train and make sure that we are Really holding the port authority accountable for shoving a project down our throats without even including a conversation with us I Just have a quick follow-up. So on the EIS report most of the comments were About finding solution alternative solutions like extending the end train. Yes, I was one of you can talk a little bit about sure So extending the N and W train from Going north on 31st Street I don't know if everybody's from Queens But in Astoria the idea is that the N and the W would head north and then kind of just go towards LaGuardia That has actually been debated at community board one for decades It has been a huge short source of contention But one that I think is still worth pushing for I think that Change can be very hard for many people But that's not to say that we should give up on what the most viable option is Okay, and just so I'm gonna collect three questions So they're just for the panelists them will wait to answer those until they've all been collected just to try and pack more in So here in the green So thank you for for mentioning about Oscar about the green washing also and about how we have to sort of say vigilant in in the Government actions in our community I was born and raised and now live in the lower east side of Manhattan and we're currently dealing with one of the east coast east side coastal resiliency plans that Is since our neighborhood was heavily affected by a hurricane Sandy how to prevent future flooding from storm surges and also sea level rise and what has just been sort of Troubling to me is how the narrative is evolving around what resiliency is in this sort of That we have to protect ourselves from nature Rather than that resiliency should also be about Healing some of the damage that has been done to nature and also to our communities And I'm wondering some of your of the the panel's thoughts more about how we can start to shift these kind of colonial narratives of even in Greenwashing and in the Green New Deal and in resiliency planning of seeing it more as this holistic way of a design process That it's that's not just about protection, but also about healing Okay, another question. We have one over here and then one in the back Is that could somebody bring it? Yeah over here in the exactly and then after her in the back there with her Thank you so Champlain Hudson power Express If I'm not mistaken that has to do with New York City's Effort to get power from hydro Quebec Which is a horrible company that is you know harming indigenous folks in Canada So talk about the need for transnational solidarity and relying on big dams big hydro Which is completely environmentally incorrect and and horribly damaging. So there is actually a big event about New York City's effort to bring you know power through hydro Quebec down down here and as if that's a green Way to get more power for the city on Tuesday evening If you I guess go to the website of Sierra Club New York City, they're the ones who are hosting it Okay, any question in the back. Yeah, thank you Thank you so much everyone for being here the participants the panel members the organizers everybody I have found it really inspiring to hear from you all today And it seems that we're all on the same page here We're all willing to move forward with something and I'm wondering how you're capitalizing on our participation today and how we can more Effectively be what be in those spaces to to do something about it and something that I find incredibly frustrating about this movement is That you know, we have we don't have the socioeconomic liberty most of us to take time away from what we're doing to Contribute to something like this that we're all deeply passionate about and it's something that I greatly envy of the youth movement So I'm wondering if you could please in your closing remarks speak to that Oh, I wanted to just respond quickly to the first point and hopefully get to the other ones but in terms of changing the narrative and You know moving away from the colonial narrative my reflection on the green new deal is that I think we have the green part figured out We have the new part figured out But we don't have the deal part figured out and the deal for the original new deal The way that I see it was to build American Empire. That was the project, right? We're going to give you a job and in return you're gonna make you're gonna grow this engine, right? And you know, I don't know how many wars later We've realized that the engine was built to do something that's very bad for the planet, right? And and the the green new deal can't just be about further building the Empire and growing the Empire and growing our GDP Analyzing everything by economic growth creating more jobs It has to be about something different and the different thing that I hear from the panel isn't that isn't just about giving me a job, right? It's about justice. It's about dignity. It's about human rights. It's about restoration of nature It's about mother nature, you know, respecting the rights of mother nature and understanding what that means and going back and looking at our history And dealing with some of the atrocities that our governments have committed and that's very different from from just getting a job Something that that's reflected in is not the green new deal But the red new deal and the red new deal is something that we have An excerpt from in this pamphlet, which is a people's climate action plan for New York City And I developed it with some people at the the CUNY Graduate Center and we have copies here and in the red new deal I'll just read really quickly. It says It's not the red new deal because it's the same old deal the fulfillment of treaty rights land restoration sovereignty Self-determination decolonization and liberation ours is the oldest class struggle in the Americas Century's long resistance for a world in which many worlds fit Indigenous peoples are best suited to lead this important movement, but it must come from the ground up So that this I think is a contrast and something that can be injected into the discussion to talk more about human rights and Indigenous peoples issues and things along those lines and and the way that I think we can build power around that is By connecting with other movements, right? We We know that there's it's not up to us to stop gentrification There are other movements in the city that we can partner with and work together with right I know about MCIs, which are major capital improvements, right? One of the ways that landlords can pass down rent increases to their tenants is through MCIs even in rent stabilized units and And if you think about all of the technological upgrades We're talking about as part of the Green New Deal There's a big issue with is that cost going to be passed down to tenants, right? And I know about that because of people I know in the housing movement, right? So we have to we have to join forces and build power across these disciplines and and we can start to Address the fundamentals of what the deal is, right? It's not just a job and economic growth, but it's actually degrowth, right? It's actually about human rights. It's about values that that aren't Commodities, right? So I wanted to just address that point and some things I didn't get to mention earlier And there's there's more in this in this pamphlet as well I guess I'll add to that and say That in some ways the reframing of this has also I think close to question Resilience in a different kind of way So resilience is kind of in a more in the most fundamental of ways the idea that people rebound That there's some kind of a shock and then they rebound But the truth of the matter is that in our most vulnerable populations The rebound if they're going to anything isn't actually enough and really what we need to be thinking about is security, right? We want people to live secure dignified lives Period and when there is some kind of a crisis They actually have reserves built up that they can call on those resilient reserves and say There's been a significant issue I need to rebound and what I'm rebounding to is dignified and it's enough And that is not we don't have that at this point We're calling upon Communities to be more resilient when they're resilient every day when you can't pay for food When you can't pay for housing when your energy bill is so high and you're not sure how you're making ends meet That is a resilience that is an everyday resilience for everyday hardships that we need to question In the context of the Green New Deal and and anything else and I think we also need to make the connections between What we understand to be clean energy on which side of the equation? So if we're thinking about clean energy again on the demand side We say oh well we benefit from clean energy because we're completely electrified But if we're not necessarily thinking about the source We have to question that and then really consider whether or not it's clean And we have to think about that source also being global Where are those resources stemming from to begin with that we considered to be clean? You know on the user side, so there's a lot to question I think we really need to push back on these kind of notions of clean and green and Resilient because as terms they are also loaded with Assumptions about what's at the baseline and that baseline for many communities isn't great I I wanted to mention the the dynamic of cultural organizing also that when we speak about the the Green New Deal and Progressive initiatives in general We have as has been mentioned the the propensity to think About about progress and a major in progress in terms of a cash finances monies And and and and we on the good side in a way are are totally complicit on that when we Talk about anti-explacement strategies for example And when we narrate the gentrification process Obviously affordability. It's it's at the center of it. However to reduce People and the fears of families of displacement To to just a cheap rent It's disrespectful and and political malpractice People don't want to remain in in the places. There are just because there's a cheap rent So I think that the issues of memory culture Emotions are Extremely important when we consider Organizing and and the other thing that I wanted to mention to address the question here Is that you know, I'm in a way like a like a piano with one, you know note For me the solution for almost everything is is to organize organize organize organize we are a Fortunate that that we all are parts of different communities Virtual communities and real communities the places that we live the places where we work the places where we studies Study the place of where we worship and so I think that in any of those Spheres that you move you can organize when when the hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico It was because we had networks of Organizing in the lower east side and in the south Bronx that we were able to make a small Difference and small contribution Because those networks the the CLT national network here in the United States those people send people they send Monies it's it's important to organize because you can always organize the local You can always leverage the local organizing that you do to help and support other Movements and other causes. So I think it's really important don't ever discard Any type of organizing because it's you know on sexy or too hyper local whatever Towards the people united in common intention for something good. It's bound to to make a difference And it's better to have you all you know together than than just Watching Netflix Oh, sorry, I was gonna say I think we have time for three more questions. So one more round I wasn't looking over here before so I didn't miss any right okay right there in the middle with yes Exactly waving and then right behind you exactly the two of you and then I can take one more if somebody Has anything you want to thank everyone for the Amazing assembly all of the panelists Francisco Casa over there And I think it's Gabriel Solano right wherever he is So I wanted to just introduce myself My name is Ingrid Gomez and I am a community organizer and activist and I've recently participated in an assembly that DSA and New York's New York communities for change and food and water action Put together and in that we are organizing a movement for a green new deal And what we're doing is we are reaching out to our state senators and our state assembly members Regarding pushing the governor to sign a green new deal. What would that look like? It would be public utilities right free public utilities. It would be Taxing the rich to pay for a green new deal. I think they're saying five percent should be higher and They're also a hundred percent renewable energy and a complete divestment in fossil fuels So I wanted to address senator Ramos and ask you publicly since you did say you're an ally if you would Sign on to this letter that we're gonna present to the governor Thank you. Thank you. I'll be contacting your office. Thank you One right behind you My name is Andrea. I'm from the Democratic Socialists of America From our public power campaign, which we spoke about a little So we're trying to win as other people have stated a public takeover of our energy sector across the entire state so not just conned but other investor owned utilities and also win public generation Through legislation that we're gonna be introducing as part of the coalition that Ingrid just mentioned And I really appreciate the conversation I think one thing we're really cognizant of is that we have to frame public power and also through our legislation address Tenants and workers and not just protect them, but actually reverse structural inequalities there So for instance, we're researching a bill to fund public housing in the New York in NYCHA through a public utility And also address things like MCIs and take back heat from the purview of landlords Which they often use to effectively evict their tenants But I guess my question for you is how we sort of link up all these fights that are happening Like the fight for housing the fight for transportation Even things like firing these MTA cops Really transitioning to a just and sustainable economy aka a Green New Deal before it before it inevitably gets co-opted by special and capitalist interests We have one more the last question right over here. I don't know if there's a mic that can wait. I can just do this I just want to say thank you so much You have given so much knowledge and you've given your heart and your spirit and your organization and all that Is contributing to hopefully a good Green New Deal But as a person that was on a community board as a person whose political science major and environmentalist I would hope this conversation Years ago there was a thing called block associations And if you live in an apartment building then maybe a neighbor association where you get to know your neighbors where you share This conversation where you build upon each other where maybe Consumerism can be less because your neighbor has something they don't need or you have something they need and you help each other Or you go to your community board meetings and you make this conversation known in the community board meetings You go to your civic meetings because they're all in your communities And you make your voices heard and you share the conversation you go to wonderful people like the senator and And just keep moving as that gentleman said over there Organize be present and make connections because we're all connected and if we don't connect our dots Then this won't happen Thank you The two points are a couple point There's two things that everyone in this room has in common that I can tell one is that we're all human beings and two is that We all have lithium in our pockets right that's one those are two things we all have in common I make that point in reference to the comment about renewable energy this the first comment you know we set targets for renewable energy and We we go into them in a very committed manner. We don't ask a lot of questions or in my opinion I don't think we ask enough questions about what is renewable energy. Where is it coming from? Is it is it ethical because it's renewable or those two things not always the same thing, right? And I think it's important in this example to look to the development of the oil industry Even though lithium is a different material than oil the economy that they both operate within that those industries operate within isn't different Right and in the oil industry there wasn't there wasn't a place to sell oil until they actually created the industry around it right it was used a little at first but Eventually there was a gigantic industry that was created that required the input of oil and it made the oil industry itself grow as a Result and that's the exact same thing that we're doing with lithium now Right if you're if you're a businessman now, are you investing in oil or you investing in lithium? We all have lithium. We don't all have cars right in this in this room and the the mistakes that we're making in terms of the ethical violations in terms of the Colonization in terms of the displacement of people that happened with the oil the development of the oil industry is the same thing That's happening now with the development of lithium in the street and you saw an example with the coup in Latin America Which I'm in Bolivia right which I think there's a connection there So it's it's really important that if we're talking about a Green New Deal that that is going to promote justice And not lead to the displacement and gentrification of people that we really have to think where are these materials coming from right? Is it necessary it just because it's electricity or just because we're electrifying our society? Does that mean it's it's it's ethical we can ask for ethical provisions in the Green New Deal right? Where are the materials coming from you're talking about electrifying the world? Where are the materials coming from? and that also is Something that's in the pamphlet within the the green that an eco socialist Green New Deal guiding principles which was produced by the the DSA and Number four is decommodify survival right? So when you take that perspective then you start to ask the questions is is someone suffering so I can Decarbonize my life right are they suffering as a result of my efforts at? Decarbonization and those are things that I think it's really important to think about as we set these targets And we agree to to meet these targets Where is that the conversation about ethics and colonialism just because it's green doesn't mean it doesn't have those effects? So I wanted to address a comment that was posed earlier as to how can we all implement climate solutions in our work if You know we don't have the time we have other things to do and You mentioned that you're jealous of the youth climate movement because Apparently, we do have the time to do that And we don't but that's why I'm kind of failing my gym class It sacrifices that we have to make and there is no other way to say it All these statistics are making us uncomfortable But we need to be uncomfortable in order to make change There is no other way of doing that and a lot of people will get uncomfortable and look away and think I can just keep living my life because it's not going to affect me and the point is that we are climate activists all of you because we don't want other people to experience the climate crisis to realize that we are in a crisis and That is something that is very close to me I my town in Mexico was flooded when I was 13 and that is when I saw How inequitable the system is because my town is a small town that does not have The system to deal with heavy rainfall. It does not have the system to treat sewage So all the sewage was all over the streets. It doesn't have any of these things that a city does have most of the times So that is when I realized that this is an issue that does affect everybody But it affects low-income communities communities of color the most and That is why it makes a lot of people uncomfortable because we don't necessarily know how to approach that But through that uncomfortability, we need to implement the action in everything we do That means I haven't bought any clothes in a year because I research the Clothing industry that means I Buy local things because I research how much it actually takes for my food to be shipped from another country But those things are also a privilege that we need to recognize And so if you have the privilege to change your lifestyle to be more mindful and eco-friendly Unconscious then we have to do it, but it's not only in our personal Actions that we need to change but the place in which you work at the place in which you study at the place that you send your Children to school Why aren't those place changing as well? There was a policy passed to put solar panels in every New York City public school and only two schools have solar panels So even if a policy does get passed, why does it fall through? It's because we become comfortable with what we've achieved and that is not enough that is not good enough anymore and So the first step is you showing up the second step is taking all of this information and implementing it in your lifestyles I wanted to Speak to the fact of the question. How do we come together with our different fights and I think one thing that we had talked about in our group Is defining success in this country? We define success through economic However, we need to be defining success through longevity of the actual country And of the earth. I think that's one thing It's also Putting forth that effort and that sacrifice. I know in our community a Group of us travel all the way to Wisconsin to get back our ceremonies and we're putting forth that time That's not easy, you know, we give up a week four times a year to do it But you put forfeit because it's worth it I think that with these different things we have to decide is it worth it And you know, it's not fair that our marginalized communities have to put forth that extra effort But if we're not doing it and we're asking other people to do it's just not going to happen I think finding those commonalities When I do work with the global indigenous youth caucus even though we are indigenous youth from all around the world our Strength comes from finding their commonalities and for advocating in those commonalities because it's very easy to identify What our differences are but it's very hard to Get on that duality that there is not it's not just white and black It's right in the middle is where we have to meet and I think you know people look at the Green New Deal and they they think it's so radical and I understand that there's things that I don't like about it And there's things I do like about it But the fact of the matter is is that something Has to go forward and we can't just think that oh, we're just going to dismiss it because we don't like one thing No, we have to figure out what can we come to terms with what can we connect over and that's how our different fights are going to come together to advocate on what we can connect to and What are the similarities instead of thinking that's a republic thing and a democratic thing or white in the black? No, it's right now. Let's figure out what we can connect on and that's how we're going to implement change okay, so I think with that we will Keep the conversation going on the other side of the t-shirts But thank you again to everybody involved, especially we should say should have said earlier and more loudly to the whole Queens Museum staff This has been like a really all And Yeah, I don't know we'll keep we'll keep it going here But then in the days and weeks and months to come so we're all gonna stay in touch But thank you all very much for coming and sticking it out