CUNY Climate Justice Summit

Tue, Feb 25, 2025

9:30 AM–4:30 PM

Organized by the NYC Climate Justice Hub, a Partnership between CUNY and the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA)

CUNY Graduate Center
365 5th Ave, New York, NY 10016
Concourse Level


Overview

Join us for the first student-centered, community-led, CUNY-wide Environmental and Climate Justice Summit!

The Summit is geared toward CUNY students who want to learn more about the NYC Climate Justice Hub and how to be involved in supporting a climate justice agenda in New York City and State that aligns with New York City Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA) and their coalitional partners fighting on the frontlines to build a more just city. 

If you are looking to get connected to climate justice activism on- and off-campus, this is the place to be!

The Summit will bring together CUNY students from across all campuses so that YOU can gather with like-minded peers to find ways YOU ALL can shape the future of climate justice organizing at CUNY and NYC.


About the Event

The goal for this Summit is to hear about the historical and present-day struggles for environmental and climate justice and the range of collaborative work being done across several CUNY campuses with NYC-EJA member organizations from the Bronx (Nos Quedamos and The Point CDC), Brooklyn (El Puente and UPROSE), and Manhattan (The Brotherhood Sister Sol and Good Old Lower East Side/GOLES). CUNY students will have opportunities to hear from and engage with the aforementioned NYC-EJA member organizations and NYC-EJA staff who work on city- and state-wide campaigns, meet with other students and faculty from across CUNY working on these issues, develop skills, learn the history of CUNY student activism, and hear how to support the climate justice movement. 


Schedule (Subject to Change)


Check-in

(and refreshments)


9:30am – 10:00am

Welcome & Grounding

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This grounding activity will set the tone for the day.

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10:00am – 10:15am

Opening Keynote

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10:15am – 11:00am

Intro to the New York City Climate Justice Hub + NYC Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA)

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This session will provide an overview of the NYC Climate Justice Hub’s formation and structure, as well as an introduction to some of the NYC-EJA member organizations’ leadership. As CUNY students, you will learn a bit about environmental and climate justice (EJ/CJ) history and the context that NYC-EJA member organizations are operating with.

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11:00am – 12:00pm

Panel: The Role of NYC-EJA in the Environmental and Climate Justice (EJ/CJ) Fight

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In this session, you will learn about some of NYC-EJA’s major city- and state-wide campaigns and coalitions.

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Lunch


1:00pm – 2:00pm

Panel: The Role and Importance of Youth in the Fight for EJ/CJ and Social Justice On- and Off-Campus

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Hearing directly from CUNY students, faculty, and alumni and NYC-EJA members, this session will introduce you to the history of student organizing and activism at CUNY. Panelists will discuss the importance of getting involved in climate justice organizing.

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2:00pm – 3:00pm

Hub Showcase on Community-University Partnerships: Learnings, Challenges, Triumphs, and Pathways Forward

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This interactive exhibition will provide a demonstration of the Hub’s work and impact to date. You will cycle through displays showcasing work from all three of the Hub’s core work streams: Research Teams, Classes & Curriculum, and the Climate Justice Fellowship & Academy program. All of these programs leverage resources at CUNY to advance the research and advocacy agendas of the Hub’s participating NYC-EJA member organizations: The Brotherhood Sister Sol, El Puente, Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES), The Point CDC, UPROSE, and We Stay/Nos Quedamos (To learn more about the Hub’s programs, you can visit our website.)

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3:00pm – 4:00pm

Conversation: EJ/CJ Student Caucus at CUNY

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This session will lay the groundwork for a post-Summit EJ Caucus. Facilitated by the Hub’s Climate Justice Fellows, the conversation will center around specific actions that CUNY students like you can take to get involved with NYC-EJA and its campaign partners, and in the broader NYC community.

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4:00pm – 4:15pm

Closing Keynote

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4:13pm – 4:30pm

Closing Remarks

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Reception

(and refreshments)



About the Hub

The NYC Climate Justice Hub is a partnership between CUNY and NYC-EJA to support NYC-EJA’s and its members’ efforts to work with New York City’s underserved, working-class communities of color in securing environmental protections, climate investments and benefits, and community-directed solutions. Thus far, the Hub has built more than half a dozen research teams to support the work of NYC-EJA member organizations and NYC-EJA campaigns, connected dozens of classes, rolled out a Climate Justice Fellowship, Internship, and Academy program with an inaugural cohort of 25 students across the CUNY system, and developed interdisciplinary community-supporting media and curriculum. Research and advocacy topics include just transition, food sovereignty, community-owned renewable energy, coastal resilience, air quality, green infrastructure and many others.