We Deserve Better than ‘Back to Normal’: The Urgent Case for a Just, Green Recovery

This month, Jersey Renews organizer Berenice Tompkins and NJ Sustainable Business Council director Richard Lawton co-authored an op-ed arguing that NJ must address the climate crisis as we invest in economic recovery -- and that recovery actually presents a tremendous opportunity to build an economy that works for all. The piece lays out the principles in Jersey Renews’ Roadmap Toward a Just, Green Recovery, explaining why COVID-19 gives even greater urgency to our fight for climate justice and how a green, renewably powered economy could create thousands of good, family-sustaining jobs in communities hit hardest by the pandemic.

“The Roadmap offers a framework for providing immediate relief while redesigning the systems that place poor, Black and brown communities on the frontlines of health, economic and climate crisis. Investment in a renewable economy, necessary to safeguard New Jersey from a constant deluge of Tropical Storm Isaises, is also an opportunity to put tens of thousands of people back to work. If we keep the state’s Clean Energy Fund whole, it can provide utility relief, support efficiency programs that will bring long term savings to New Jerseyans who struggle to make ends meet, remediate lead and other home hazards and train workers for today’s – and tomorrow’s – good jobs in communities hit hardest by the pandemic, all at the same time…” Read the full op-ed here.

Legalization in New Jersey Could Cause More Inequality, if Done Wrong.

This November, many New Jerseyans celebrated the state voting yes to legalize marijuana. Our country, and our state's destructive war on drugs has devastated black, brown, and poor communities, and has helped the ultra wealthy perpetuate the extreme inequality we’ve spent so much time educating activists and workers on.

Unfortunately, when it came time to put forward a bill, the state senate proposed a plan that would engender the same kinds of inequality that criminalization inflicted from the start.

And while this approach has proven controversial, with the senate, assembly, and governor’s office all failing to come to a complete agreement, it is a serious reminder that the ultra rich will continue to find ways to exploit our communities. Any fight for justice and progress must be led by and center the communities most devastated by injustice in the first place.

Kids Shouldn't be Tasked with Disinfecting Our Schools

An important part of fighting COVID-19 is proper disinfecting and cleaning in our schools. The NJ school reopening guidance, The Road Back: Restart and Recovery Plan for Education, states, “Provide EPA-registered disposable wipes to teachers and staff so that commonly used surfaces (e.g., keyboards, desks, remote controls) can be wiped down before use.”

While we agree with the premise of the guidance, these disinfecting wipes are entering the hands of students across the state, with many districts suggesting that they assist in the classroom cleaning process by wiping down their own desk, chair, etc. This is deeply concerning as disinfecting wipes can pose serious health risks and should never be used by children according to the EPA. These disinfecting wipes contain the main ingredient quaternary ammonium, which allows a product to be considered antibacterial and is classified as a pesticide by the EPA.

That's why 30 groups signed on to a letter calling upon the Department of Education (DOE) and the Department of Health (DOH) to amend their guidance to clearly state that students should never use disinfecting wipes or anything stronger than soap and water to clean their hands, desk, or school items as well as to issue a compliance alert similar to the one recently issued on fogging/misting.

In addition, the issue of hand sanitizer must be addressed as well. To date, the FDA has now listed more than 200 hand sanitizers on its "do-not-use" list.  This is largely due to the presence of toxic chemicals, namely the presence of methanol (wood alcohol), or 1-propanol. Many of these toxic hand sanitizers are currently out there with the potential to make our children and staff sick.

 In order to ensure that we are achieving our primary goal with this guidance, to protect our school staff and students, we must make sure that hazard alerts are issued, toxic products are removed, and disinfectant labels are adhered to. We demand that the DOE DOH take action to correct these measures immediately.