June 9, 2011

This is an exciting week for the Youth Way on the MBTA Campaign!

After three years of youth-led research and organizing for a new Youth Pass, we are releasing a report titled Opportuni(T): Youth riders, the affordability crisis, and the Youth Pass solution. The report is now available on our Youth Way website.

While thousands of youth depend on the MBTA and ride it daily, many can’t afford to pay adult fares. As Opportuni(T) shows, affordable access for youth riders on public transportation benefits everyone. Public transit is part of a sustainable future for the Boston area, and improving access for youth today encourages life-long public transit riders tomorrow.

We propose the creation of a new Youth Pass, an unrestricted monthly LinkPass available for ages 12 to 21 at Charlie Card machines for $10 a month. While the MBTA provides discounted student fares, the benefit reaches less than 50 percent of young people. The Youth Pass is an innovative solution to young people’s crisis of affordability. Its creation will transform and increase youth riders’ access to the MBTA, bridging the transportation gap to education, employment, healthcare and community involvement.

May 23, 2011

The Environmental Chelsea Creek Crew (E3C) is a program of the Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH) in East Boston. The teens work with Know What's Up (KWU) and the Chelsea Creek Action Group (CCAG) to clean and redevelop polluted sites and lead environmental justice campaigns in the local watershed.

E3C and KWU are geared towards experiential learning, and their work has ranged from conducting field studies with the Urban Ecology Institute at the Condor Street Urban Wild to organizing cleanups and managing a community garden. During the Earth Day cleanup last month, they removed a seven-foot tractor tire that had been dumped in the Chelsea Creek over a decade ago.

May 19, 2011

Jammin' for Justice, ACE’s annual celebration and fundraiser, is next Thursday, May 26! Members and supporters will be celebrating with delicious food, a live band, and our famous silent auction. Don't forget to RSVP by calling 617-442-3343 x231 or emailing Jasmine -- the deadline is tomorrow!

Jammin' is also an opportunity to showcase outstanding environmental justice work. In the next few days we will be highlighting our 2011 Environmental Justice Award honorees. Our first honoree is the Boston Workers Alliance.

Founded in 2005, the Boston Workers Alliance (BWA) is a grassroots organization led by unemployed and under-employed workers fighting for social and economic justice. Their vision and leadership in a multi-year statewide campaign led to the passage of a long-awaited Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) reform bill in August 2010. Job applicants will no longer be required to disclose their criminal history on preliminary job applications, giving equal footing for people who have completed sentences and those who were arrested and cleared.

CORIs will now be sealed after five years for misdemeanors and 10 years for felonies, a five-year decrease in both instances, and the CORI system will be upgraded so that employers will not have to depend on unregulated and inaccurate private databases. These reforms open doors for people who have paid their debt to society, give equal opportunities for employment, and place Massachusetts at the forefront of the national movement for economic justice.

April 14, 2011

Do you like fresh vegetables? Want to grow them in your own backyard? The Food Project's Build-a-Garden program is now accepting applications for raised bed garden kits.

Having a backyard garden plot can help encourage better eating habits and a healthier lifestyle, reduce food costs, and foster a sense of community in the neighborhood. All Boston residents are eligible to apply, but residents of Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan and others with financial need are given priority.

The program will provide participants with a raised bed garden or container gardening kit, (including soil and compost) as well as seeds and plants. Additionally, printed growing guides and workshops are available.

In order to make the beds accessible to all, The Food Project requires a minimum contribution of $10 for individuals ($25 for organizations) for each bed. However, those with the ability to pay more are encouraged to do so to offset the cost of a raised bed for another applicant.

If you're interested in applying, complete the application and return it to the Food Project at 555 Dudley Street, Dorchester, MA 02125. Applications are accepted throughout the year. For more information, email The Food Project.

February 24, 2011

ACE is partnering with Toxics Action Center to hold an Environmental Action 2011 event on March 12, 2011, along with Environment Massachusetts, Massachusetts Climate Action Network, Clean Water Action, MASSPIRG and MLEV. An ACE team (Whitney, a youth organizer, Gene and Staci, attorneys) will present a panel about air quality. The conference will bring together community activists, organizers, and scientific experts to network, collaborate, and strategize about hot environmental issues.

We invite you to come and learn, collaborate and be inspired at Environmental Action 2011! The event will take place on Saturday, March 12, from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm at Bentley University in Waltham.

We are offering over 20 workshops on skills trainings, issues tracks, and expert advice. These include: Coal-Free 2020, Maintaining Your Team for the Long Haul, and Getting Organics out of the Waste Stream: How to Fight Global Warming, Reduce Trash and Make Landfills Safer.