Uptown Chats
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.
Jaron Burke, Lonnie Portis, WE ACT for Environmental Justice · WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Show overview
Uptown Chats launched in 2025 and has put out 28 episodes, alongside 1 trailer or bonus episode in the time since. That works out to roughly 15 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 30 min and 35 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Education show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 3 days ago, with 9 episodes already out so far this year. Published by WE ACT for Environmental Justice.
From the publisher
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.
Latest Episodes
View all 28 episodesEPA Rollbacks Part 2 - Fighting Back
EPA Rollbacks Part 1 - The Endangerment Finding
Energy Justice in New York
Ep 64Healthy Homes First
Everyone deserves to live in a healthy home! Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn about WE ACT’s Healthy Homes First campaign and how you can get involved with help from WE ACT”s Federal Policy Director, Anastasia Gordon. Extra Resources: Learn more about WE ACT’s Healthy Homes First campaign at healthyhomesfirst.org Want to dive deeper? Check out our Equitable Principles for Building Decarbonization Did one of the topics in this episode pique your interest? Listen to one of our previous episodes to learn more: Episode 23: Energy is Environmental Justice (Wrong Direction Mini-Series) You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Call our Uptown Chats Hotline at 877-UPTOWN6! You can also email us at [email protected]. Make sure to subscribe to the WE ACT newsletter for updates, upcoming events and actions you can take! Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Ep 63City and State Budget Update
March is here and money is on our minds. Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn about some of WE ACT’s priorities for the City and State budget this year with help from WE ACT’s City Policy Manager, Caleb Smith. Did one of the topics in this episode pique your interest? Listen to one of our previous episodes to learn more: Episode 11: The Legacy of Lead (Pb) Episode 20: Celebrating Parks on Earth Day Episode 61: New York City Policy Updates: Plans, Compost and More You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Call our Uptown Chats Hotline at 877-UPTOWN6! You can also email us at [email protected]. Make sure to subscribe to the WE ACT newsletter for updates, upcoming events and actions you can take! Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Ep 62Liberatory Finance
Tax season is here again, which means finances are on everyone’s minds. In this episode, Lonnie and Jaron are joined by Bunny McKensie Mack, CEO & Founder of MMG Earth, to talk about liberatory finance and how it connects to environmental justice. Did one of the topics in this episode pique your interest? Listen to one of our previous episodes to learn more: Episode 34: Community Land Trusts You can also listen to this episode on YouTube. Got questions? Call our Uptown Chats Hotline at 877-UPTOWN6! You can also email us at [email protected]. Make sure to subscribe to the WE ACT newsletter for updates, upcoming events and actions you can take! Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Ep 61New York City Policy Updates: Plans, Compost and More
A lot is happening in New York City, especially when it comes to policy. Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn about some of WE ACT's priorities for 2026 with help from Caleb Smith, WE ACT's City Policy Manager. Topics include the City's Environmental Justice (EJNYC) Plan, the East Harlem Climate and Community Master Plan, and organic waste diversion. 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 16: NYC Environmental Justice Report Episode 35: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), featuring Lisa Garcia 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
Ep 60WE ACT Federal Policy Office Update
This week, Lonnie and Jaron are joined by Weezie Foster, WE ACT’s Government Affairs Manager to share some updates from our Federal Policy Office and talk about some important items on WE ACT’s federal policy agenda for 2026. Check out some of the resources from WE ACT's Federal Policy Office: WE ACT produced six StoryMaps including ones sharing the past, present and future of Black History and Environmental Justice. Want to learn more about the National Environmental Policy Act? Check out this StoryMap titled NEPA Does Not Delay! 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
Ep 59WE 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 Follow us on Facebook Donate to WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Ep 58Holiday 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
Ep 57Celebrating 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
Ep 56Trash 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
Ep 55Youth-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 Follow us on Facebook
Ep 54Green 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 Follow us on Facebook
Ep 53Air 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
Ep 52Flooding
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
Ep 51Fifty 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
Ep 50Uptown 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: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook
Ep 49Uptown Chats Book Club: Powerless (Part 1)
Energy insecurity is real! Join Jaron and Lonnie for 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! Note: This is a two-part episode. Stay tuned for the rest of the interview in our next episode! 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: Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook
Ep 48Renewable Energy of the Future
Welcome to the future! Join Jaron and Lonnie to learn about some emerging renewable energy technologies ranging from totally plausible to way out there with help from Jama Joseph, WE ACT's Communications Associate. Be warned - this one may get a little silly! DISCLAIMER: This episode is for entertainment and educational purposes only. WE ACT does not endorse any of the technologies discussed in this episode. Discussion of investments in any of the aforementioned technologies is fictitious and does not reflect any investments of real monies by WE ACT or any affiliated parties. 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