Front and Centered

📢 Friends, we have great news! We have a bill number for the #CURBPollution Act—our bill to curb pollution so that we can all enjoy a cleaner, healthier future—AND a hearing this Thursday in the House Environment and Energy Committee, where #WAleg lawmakers will discuss CURB, a.k.a. House Bill1303! 🥳🥳 You be a part of our movement and take action ASAP by signing in PRO for the CURB Pollution Act. What does it mean to "sign in PRO"? It means that you provide your name, email, and location, and that you mark your position as being “Pro” for #HB1303. By taking just one minute to sign in PRO, you will be helping us advance #EnvironmentalJustice and to CURB pollution. Head to our legislative agenda landing page to learn more about HB 1303 and take action ASAP, before the hearing on Thursday: https://lnkd.in/gy2Bd6FE

Today, we are celebrating the work of Dr. #MartinLutherKingJr and of Black leaders past and present who created and continue to create lasting change and a legacy of equity, hope, and love. In his honor, we are sharing some of Dr. King's lesser-known quotes that you can read and reflect on. Every day, but especially on #MLKDay, we are reminded that "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." 🧡❤️💚💛

In 2022, a coalition of environmental groups represented by Earthjustice — Front and Centered, Sierra Club, and NW Energy Coalition — negotiated a groundbreaking settlement with Washington’s largest electric and gas utility, Puget Sound Energy  that required the company to develop a pilot program that would encourage its gas utility customers to electrify their energy needs. Recently released results from the pilot show strong customer interest in shifting away from fossils fuels toward electrification. Read more on Earthjustice’s website. 

Hey friends, just wanted to remind you about today's legislative briefing! We'll be sharing our legislative agenda between noon and 1 pm. Click the link to RSVP if you haven't already, and join us online during your lunch hour! 😎😎 (Habrá interpretación en español disponible.) https://lnkd.in/gV7v_R-k

After 10 years co-creating and leading Front and Centered and advancing our ground-breaking policies and programs in climate, environment, and Just Transition to new economy, in October I announced I would step out of the Co-Executive Director role and December was my last month.  Front and Centered is in a great place, and thank you to Aurora Martin and the whole FC staff team for stepping up, and giving me a chance to step into some new shoes, the work continues! After a break, and some months abroad, I will contribute to FC in senior advisory consulting role. I continue to contribute to Just Solutions as a Senior Fellow, Peoples Economy Lab, and other unique projects as time allows, so feel free to be in touch with me; and for FC specific inquires reach out to Aurora or the FC staff team.

Hi friends! 😁 We're back and we're kicking off 2025 with a free, virtual briefing open to all, where you can join us as we launch our legislative agenda for 2025. Our legislative briefing takes place on January 7th, at 12 noon. Join us for the lunch hour to learn more about our priority legislation, including the Cumulative Risk Burden (CURB) Pollution Act which aims to protect communities from harmful facilities, and our Right to Energy campaign, which seeks to ensure energy assistance for low-income residents in Washington State. This legislative session in Olympia is pivotal, as lawmakers will be addressing issues that directly impact #EnvironmentalJustice, #PublicHealth, and economic equity. The incoming presidential administration poses challenges to our values and policy priorities, and at the federal level, changes in energy policies and climate resilience strategies could significantly impact local actions, underscoring the urgency of our work. Amid these challenges, our agenda and advocacy this legislative session will focus on holding the state's legislature accountable to its commitments to climate justice, environmental justice, and the well-being of frontline communities. Want to learn more about how you can help us move forward our agenda for climate and environmental justice? Check out the link and register for our virtual legislative briefing this coming Tuesday, Jan. 7! 🧡❤️💚💛

Hey friends, Front and Centered is closed for nearly all of the remaining calendar year! You may see some updates here because social media never sleeps, 😁 but our offices are closed and we'll be back in full swing on Jan. 2. We wish you a happy #WinterSolstice today and hope the rest of your holiday season is safe and warm. 🤗 Make sure to take time to connect with loved ones and practice self-care—it's super important! 🥰 #TisTheSeason

If climate change keeps you up at night or just feeling #eco-anxiety, join us in our coming virtual workshop Exploring community, ecological, and climate resilience, scheduled on December 3, 2024, from 4:30 to 6:00 PM. We will learn what means to be resilient at different levels and how it can be incorporated into learning and community activities within a grassroots #JustTransition vision. Our main facilitator will be Lydia Geschiere, East Sound Regional FieldSTEM Coordinator at Pacific Education Institute, supported by Isabel Carrera Zamanillo, Community Education Coordinator at Front and Centered.  At Community Education In Action, we promote collective action through co-design and co-learning. Unleash your creativity as we craft together inspiring learning resources to address climate change through the lens of environmental and climate justice!  All workshops and materials are offered in English and Spanish. ***K-12 teachers in Washington State who complete the virtual or in-person workshops will receive clock hours (regular and STEM) More information is in the registration form. 📣Register Today! at https://lnkd.in/g8kPzfKF 📣¡Regístrate hoy! en https://bit.ly/CEA_Español

Happy #TranspoTuesday! 👨🏾🦽🚎🚗🚈🚲🚝 We wanted to remind everyone that applications to the #TransportationJustice Leadership Grant Program are still open. Go to FrontAndCentered.Org for more info, or go directly to our grant program "microsite" to learn more: https://lnkd.in/g8UdnUZi Transportation is a major contributor to #GreenhouseGas emissions, disproportionately affecting #EnvironmentalJustice communities. Projects funded by this grant will focus on innovative, community-centered solutions that reduce emissions, enhance accessibility, and create long-term, equitable transportation infrastructure. We are excited to serve as a community grant maker and coordinator for this unique opportunity, which will not only provide funding to community projects in alignment with carbon-reduction strategies statewide, but also provide recommendations for the Washington State Department of Transportation to consider when building upon the outcomes of this program. Together, we can pave the way for community-centered leadership and transportation solutions! Apply for our grants as soon as you can, or share this information with someone you know who might be interested in being a part of this work! ❤️

With new uncertainty at the national level, you may be feeling anxiety, fear, and concern for your communities. You may also feel conflicted or powerless because the institutions that harm our communities by perpetuating white supremacy, patriarchy, and colonialism were already in place before #ElectionDay and wouldn’t have suddenly vanished the day after, regardless of the result. We expect a hostile federal administration, and we will need to work to protect Washingtonians. As we plan for changes ahead, it’s clear our work here in #WashingtonState must provide a hopeful model of what a #JustTransition looks like, and that we must link arms with frontline communities across the nation and the world, to stand together in resilience as we face the ecological crisis and extractive economy that are upon us. At the state level, Front and Centered advocated in partnership with other organizations and leaders against all four state ballot initiatives, and three of the four went down on election night. We should celebrate this as a victory that proves that our climate, our health, and putting people over profit are all top priorities for the people of Washington State. We can look forward to continued state climate investments, and we won’t stop directing attention to the legislative commitment that 40% of environmental investments must go to frontline communities. At the same time, the passage of I-2066 means we’ll have to work that much harder to ensure that justice is a key part of our transition away from natural gas, and that everyone has access to affordable, clean energy. As Washington State moves forward within this new national context, we must remember that if we are to truly advance and safeguard #ClimateJustice and #EnvironmentalJustice, just making fossil fuels more expensive will not be enough. To make our collective vision possible we must lead by example, stop polluting projects before they start, and create the world we want to see from the ground up. Even as we celebrate our victories and feel sorrow over our setbacks, our work to advance a Just Transition continues. We’re honored to stand with you and to have your support. Let’s keep working together for the world we want. In solidarity, The Front and Centered team #Elections2024 Photos by Pixel and Film Photography and Video