Author: Duende

Air Quality & Pollution | Community-led Climate Solutions | Cumulative Impacts | Defending Our Climate Future | Energy Policy | Health Equity | Policy Research & Advocacy

Dare to Breathe
ByDuende May 19, 2026June 18, 2026

May is Clean Air Month, but nearly half of Americans live in areas with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution, and people of color and low‑income communities are impacted the most. Our communities deserve clean air; it’s not a privilege – it’s a human right. On May 19, 2026, Clean Air for the Long Haul and the Platform for a Just Climate co-hosted a virtual briefing examining the Trump EPA’s recent rollbacks of key clean air and environmental protections and what they mean for environmental justice communities. Community leaders and experts discussed what was at stake and suggested ways to take action to protect the health and safety of frontline communities. Learn more and get involved at http://daretobreathe.org/.

Clean Air for the Long Haul is a subset of the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum, convened by WE ACT for Environmental Justice. The Platform for a Just Climate is convened by the Center for Earth, Energy, and Democracy.

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Building Just Climate Futures | Community-led Climate Solutions

Fact Sheet: Neighborhood Equity and Access Grant Program
ByDuende May 18, 2026June 24, 2026

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released text for the Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill on Sunday, May 17, 2026. Entitled the BUILD America 250 Act, it provides $580B in federal funding for U.S. surface transportation infrastructure from Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) to Fiscal Year 2031 (FY31). Notably, it would repeal or reduce funding for several programs that support EJ and climate action from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Check out the full fact sheet to learn more.

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Building Just Climate Futures | Coalition Members | Communications & Narrative Building | Defending Our Climate Future

Federal Fire, Local Heat Event in Washington D.C.
ByDuende May 1, 2026June 17, 2026

On Earth Day 2026, Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy (CEED)’s Dalal Aboulhosn spoke at Federal Fire, Local Heat, an event hosted by the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), where lawmakers, climate leaders, organizers, and change-makers at the front lines of the climate fight highlighted the on-the-ground initiatives, innovative partnerships, and community-driven solutions that deliver climate resilience and economic opportunity for a just climate for all.

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Air Quality & Pollution | Building Just Climate Futures | Coalition Members | Community-led Climate Solutions | Defending Our Climate Future | Energy Policy | Health Equity | Members of Congress | Policy Research & Advocacy

Federal Fire, Local Heat: Uplifting Just Climate Solutions at Congressional Earth Day Event
ByDuende April 22, 2026June 19, 2026

The House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) hosted an Earth Day 2026 strategy session and press conference titled Federal Fire, Local Heat at the US Capitol. Members of Congress, climate leaders, and frontline organizers came together for an Earth Day 2026 strategy session to align priorities in the face of federal rollbacks and policies that protect polluters. Dalal Aboulhosn, Managing Director for Programs and Policy at the Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy (CEED), convener of the Platform for a Justice Climate, spoke alongside other climate justice leaders and members of Congress like Rep. Adelita Grijalva and Sen. Ed Markey. Watch and read Dalal’s remarks at Federal Fire, Local Heat below.

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Building Just Climate Futures | Coalition Members | Communications & Narrative Building | Community-led Climate Solutions | Leadership Development | Uncategorized

Earth Week 2026: Green Door Initiative’s Workforce Development Training Program
ByDuende April 21, 2026June 19, 2026

Did you know that green workforce training programs can provide economic opportunity for individuals while keeping our communities sustainable? In Detroit, the Green Door Initiative’s Environmental Technician Career Worker Training Program teaches hands-on technical skills, job readiness, and life skills to help community members overcome challenges and achieve employment and educational goals.

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Building Just Climate Futures | Coalition Members | Communications & Narrative Building

Earth Week 2026: Donele Wilkins
ByDuende April 20, 2026June 17, 2026

Donele Wilkins of the Green Door Initiative (GDI) in Detroit, Michigan, is leading the way with community-led environmental justice solutions. From growing up on the Northeast side of Detroit during the challenging economic downturn of the 80’s to creating GDI to change the narrative of her city, Donele has dedicated her life to advancing environmental sustainability and economic equity in Detroit to create just climate futures for her community. For more information on the Green Door Initiative, visit: https://www.greendoorinitiative.org/

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Air Quality & Pollution | Building Just Climate Futures | Congressional Budget | EPA | Health Equity | Policy Research & Advocacy

Trump’s EPA Budget Plan Dismantles Health & Community Protections While Bankrolling Polluters
ByDuende April 17, 2026June 18, 2026

President Trump’s FY 27 budget plan guts investments in community health and well-being while bankrolling polluters. The EPA budget cuts would make communities, children, and families sicker, while allowing corporate polluters to emit toxic chemicals and pollution tied to cancer, heart disease, asthma, developmental harms, and premature death into our air, water, and food.

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Air Quality & Pollution | Building Just Climate Futures | Congressional Budget | Defending Our Climate Future | Energy Policy | Health Equity | Members of Congress

Fact Sheet: FY27 President’s Budget Request
ByDuende April 4, 2026June 24, 2026

President Trump released his FY27 budget plan on April 3rd, 2026. While the budget plan is not law, it sets the stage for debate in Congress over appropriation bills that determine how much funding each department, federal agency, or program covering different sectors (defense, education, environmental protection) receives and under what conditions. The budget plan tells us what this Administration prioritizes and how this Administration wants to spend money. Read the full fact sheet to learn more.

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Building Just Climate Futures | Communications & Narrative Building | Community-led Climate Solutions | EJ for All Act

Earth Week 2026: Environmental Justice for All Act
ByDuende April 1, 2026June 17, 2026

The Environmental Justice (EJ) for All Act and the lasting legacy of the Congressional champions who paved the way to make it a reality, late Representatives Raúl Grijalva and A. Donald McEachin, is a historic example of what just climate futures look like. It’s one of the most far-reaching environmental policies of our time, addressing the many systems that disproportionately impact low-income and communities of color. The bill includes provisions that protect and embolden Civil Rights, equity in health research, outdoor access, industry permitting accountability, and directs funding streams for communities to create thriving, climate-resilient neighborhoods.

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Building Just Climate Futures | Coalition Members | Communications & Narrative Building | Community-led Climate Solutions

Earth Week 2026: Dr. Beverly Wright
ByDuende April 1, 2026June 17, 2026

Just climate futures are happening in Louisiana and beyond through the work of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) and its founder, Dr. Beverly Wright! Environmental justice is a civil right. This belief is the foundation of 30 years of work alongside community members at the DSCEJ. Dr. Wright advocates for the simple rule that no project or industry should harm a neighborhood or contribute to the climate crisis. For more information on the DSCEJ, visit: https://dscej.org/

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