Environmental Advocates of New York (EANY) is a left-of-center environmentalist organization that advocates, lobbies, and assists implementation of New York state government protections of water, air, food waste, and open spaces using grants from left-of-center foundations and federal and state governmental sources. 1
Background
Environmental Advocates NY (EANY) was formed in 1969 as the Environmental Planning Lobby. It was then renamed the Environmental Advocates of New York, Inc. and in 2020 renamed again as Environmental Advocates NY Inc. 2
Activities
Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act
Environmental Advocates New York advocated the passage of the Climate Protection and Community Protection Act which set New York state targets of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and 70 percent of New York’s electricity generated by weather-dependent wind and solar sources. 3
New York Environmental Rights Amendment
EANY successfully advocated voter approval of a constitutional amendment that would enshrine the right to clean air, water, and a healthy environment. 4 5
Environmental Protection Fund
Lobbying efforts by EANY led to the creation of a New York fund which intends to provide resources for land acquisition, improved water quality, and open space conservation. 6
Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Bond Act
EANY joined with the left-leaning League of Women Voters (LWV), NYS Laborers Organizing Fund, the Nature Conservancy (TNC), and American Lung Association to urge voters to approve the Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Bond Act that created a $4.2 billion fund. 7 8
Hudson River Estuary Management Act
EANY advocated legislation that established a management plan for the Hudson River that included habitat restoration, public access, and pollution control for the river and its tributaries. 9
Lead Poisoning Prevention Act
EANY advocated for the passage of the Lead Poisoning Prevention Act that requires landlords to remove lead hazards in residential buildings. 10
Electrifying Transportation
EANY joined ElectrifyNY, a coalition that calls for environmental and left-of-center social outcomes, and advocates moving state and local government fleets from the use of conventional fuels to electric energy. 11 12
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)
EANY advocates for mandates that 35 percent of funds generated by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) are spent in the promotion of environmental, and other equal outcomes. 13 14
Related Organizations
Environmental Advocates Action (EAA) is a 501(c)(4) formed by Environmental Advocates New York, and shares leadership with it. EAA activities include a session scorecard for members of the New York legislature based on their voting records concerning the environment. It awards the “Oil Slick Award” to legislators it believes have the worst environmentalist voting records. 15 16 17
EANY is a member, along with 174 other New York and national organizations, of the Coalition for Environmental Funding. The coalition exists to safeguard funding for environmental programs. 18
People
Vanessa Fajans-Turner is executive director of Environmental Advocates New York and was executive director of BankFWD when climate change became a top agenda item for the bank’s investments. She was a candidate for United States Congress from New York in 2022 but did not make the Democratic primary ballot. 19 20
John Buttrick is board chair and is a general partner at Union Square Ventures. 21
Financials
Contributors to Environmental Advocates New York include the left-of-center Tides Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and New World Foundation (NWF). 22 23 24
EANY reported revenue from gifts and grants of $2,176,109, of which government grants totaled $257,365. 25
Environmental Advocates NY reported net revenue of $2,517,146. It reported expenses of $1,986,638 and net assets at the end of 2021 of $2,393,681. 26
References
- “Environmental Advocates NY Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt From Taxes, (Form 990), 2020.
- “Collection Environmental Advocates of New York Records, 1970 – 2017 June 1 Online.” Environmental Advocates of New York Records, 1970 – 2017 June 1 – M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives. Accessed December 18, 2023. https://archives.albany.edu/description/catalog/apap104.
- “Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.” EANY, December 20, 2021. https://eany.org/climate-leadership-and-community-protection-act/.
- “Environmental Rights Amendment Passes in New York.” Earthjustice, October 3, 2022. https://earthjustice.org/press/2021/environmental-rights-amendment-passes-in-new-york.
- “Community Access to Environmental Rights and Justice .” EANY, June 29, 2021. https://eany.org/community-access-environmental-rights-justice/.
- “NY’s Environmental Protection Fund: Creating Jobs, One Buck at a Time.” EANY. Accessed December 18, 2023. https://eany.org/press_release/nys-environmental-protection-fund-creating-jobs-one-buck-at-a-time/
- “Today Labor Unions and Health, Business, Religious, and Environmental Groups Gathered to Support the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Bond Act Ahead of General Election.” EANY, November 1, 2022. https://eany.org/press_release/today-labor-unions-and-health-business-religious-and-environmental-groups-gathered-to-support-the-clean-water-clean-air-and-green-jobs-bond-act-ahead-of-general-election/.
- “Letter to President Donald J. Trump.” American Lung Association. December 18, 2023. Accessed April 17, 2023. https://www.lung.org/getmedia/8791ec52-553b-4e46-aa21-1efcaa9e7f6d/EO-Letter-Final-Oct2020.pdf.
- “Hudson River Estuary.” CALS. Accessed December 18, 2023. https://cals.cornell.edu/water-resources-institute/watersheds/hudson-river-estuary.
- “Lead in Drinking Water.” EANY, December 20, 2021. https://eany.org/lead-in-drinking-water/.
- “Electrifying Transportation.” EANY, March 12, 2022. https://eany.org/electrifying-transportation/.
- “Who We Are.” ElectrifyNY. Accessed December 18, 2023. https://electrifyny.org/about/.
- “Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).” EANY, March 12, 2022. https://eany.org/greenhouse-gas-initiative-rggi/.
- “Collection Environmental Advocates of New York Records, 1970 – 2017 June 1 Online.” Environmental Advocates of New York Records, 1970 – 2017 June 1 – M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives. Accessed December 18, 2023. https://archives.albany.edu/description/catalog/apap104.
- “Environmental Advocates Action, New York’s Environmental Conscience.” Environmental Advocates Action, February 18, 2021. https://eaaction.org/about-eaaction/.
- “Oil Slick Awardees: NYS Legislators’ Environmental Voting Records.” Environmental Advocates Action, October 26, 2022. https://eaaction.org/oil-slick-awardees/.
- “Environmental Scorecard Archive: View Environmental Voting Records.” Environmental Advocates Action, October 26, 2022. https://eaaction.org/scorecard-archive/.
- Staff, Editorial, and About Editorial StaffStories written under the Editorial Staff byline are drawn from press releases and other notices. Submit your news to New York Almanack here. “175 Organizations Launch Coalition for Environmental Funding.” New York Almanack, December 13, 2020. https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2020/12/175-organizations-launch-coalition-for-environmental-funding/.
- “Staff Directory.” EANY, September 11, 2023. https://eany.org/staff-directory/.
- “Sign Up.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 18, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?fetchDeterministicClustersOnly=true&heroEntityKey=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_profile%3AACoAAAH4Ox0BpKZFqUquxicyXRH9IB4gbQ6K7So&keywords=vanessa+fajans-turner&origin=RICH_QUERY_TYPEAHEAD_HISTORY&position=0&searchId=9717d2fe-0e66-4c80-bc2d-b4e1f64cff28&sid=i3S&spellCorrectionEnabled=true.
- “Board of Directors.” EANY, October 27, 2023. https://eany.org/board-of-directors/#buttrick.
- “Tides Foundation”, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, (Form 990), 2021, Schedule I, Line (592).
- “Charles Stewart Mott Foundation”, Return of Private Foundation, (Form990-Pf), 2021, Part 3.
- “New World Foundation” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, Form 990, 2022, Part II, line (a)(93).
- “Environmental Advocates New York Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, (Form 990), 2021, Part VIII, line 1(e), Part I line 8.
- “Environmental Advocates New York Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, (Form 990), 2021, Part I lines 12,18,22.