September 15th marks the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month, an opportunity to highlight the cultures and contributions of Hispanic Americans. As part of this month’s celebrations, MCE is recognizing environmentalist Elizabeth Yeampierre for her instrumental work in shaping US and global climate policy and her role in advancing intersectional climate justice.
Elizabeth Yeampierre, originally from Puerto Rico, is an advocate for sustainable development and environmental equity. Recently named by Apolitical as one of the world’s most influential people in climate change policy, Yeampierre’s contributions to the climate justice movement are significant. She is co-chair of the Climate Justice Alliance as well as the first Latina chair of the EPA National Environmental Justice Advisory Council. She is also the Executive Director of UPROSE, Brooklyn’s oldest Latino community-based organization, where she works to uplift local voices petitioning for a cleaner and more environmentally friendly community.
As director of UPROSE, Yeampierre has advocated for local renewable energy projects. She recently worked with other community organizations to create New York’s first community-owned solar project. In an interview with the Yale School of the Environment, she stated, “People will be able to access renewable energy, at a reduced cost, be hired locally to build it — and have ownership. So it’s really exciting. We’re hoping this model will birth more projects like this.”
In her time at UPROSE, she also established the Sunset Park Climate Justice Center, creating a space for local indigenous leaders to organize and plan for climate adaptation. The Climate Justice Center, the first of its kind in New York City, creates a road map for other grassroots climate resiliency organizations.
In 2010, Yeampierre was selected as the opening speaker at the inaugural White House Forum on Environmental Justice because of her background in advocating for equity and intersectionality in climate conversations. Much of Yeampierre’s work has focused on bringing light to the connection between racial injustice and climate change, placing a specific emphasis on empowering youth voices of color.
In 2014, Yeampierre helped organize and spoke at the People’s Climate March, the largest and most diverse climate march to date. While organizing the march, she worked to make inclusivity a primary focus by incorporating principles that promoted equity and put young people of color on the front lines. She also founded the NYC Climate Justice Youth Summit, which empowers youth with the tools necessary to have constructive climate justice conversations within their own communities.
MCE would like to thank Elizabeth Yeampierre and other activists of Hispanic heritage that have fought to make our world a better place. For more information on what MCE is doing to address environmental equity, check out our recent series, Environmental Justice in Energy, that focuses on the importance of equity in MCE’s work, breaking barriers across organizations, and the just transition to a clean energy economy.
