For nearly three decades, Elizabeth Yeampierre has been a driving force in the environmental justice movement — centering the leadership, wisdom, and solutions of Black and Brown communities.
As the executive director of UPROSE, Brooklyn's oldest Puerto Rican community-based organization, Yeampierre is reshaping what climate action looks like when it's rooted in community, culture, and collective care.
UPROSE's mission is simple yet powerful: to build a just, sustainable future by equipping frontline communities to lead the solutions. From community-owned solar to climate education and youth leadership programs, the organization is proving that the most effective climate solutions are those designed by the people most affected.
A lifelong New Yorker of Puerto Rican, Black, and Indigenous ancestry, Yeampierre grew up witnessing environmental inequity firsthand — from poor air quality to the lack of green infrastructure in neighborhoods like the South Bronx and Brooklyn. That early awareness fueled her path to becoming a civil rights attorney and, ultimately, a national leader in climate justice.
Today, Yeampierre is a sought-after speaker at global climate forums and was recently named to TIME's 2025 "The Closers" list, honoring 25 Black leaders advancing racial and climate equity.
UPROSE focuses on some of the most urgent threats to Brooklyn residents: extreme heat, air pollution, and the displacement of longstanding communities as waterfront industrial land is repurposed for luxury development instead of local, well-paying green jobs.
The challenges UPROSE is tackling aren't unique to Brooklyn. Across the country, communities are fighting similar battles against harmful industry practices and expansion of polluting infrastructure — like the residents pushing back against oil refinery expansion in Detroit or Black activists rallying against environmental racism in Houston.
To respond to these systemic injustices, UPROSE is building community-led solutions that create both environmental and economic benefits. One example is New York City's first community-led solar project, launched with Working Power. It will supply affordable renewable power to 200 households and reinvest revenue back into Sunset Park — with residents deciding how that money supports climate resilience.
After years of federal deregulation that rolled back decades of environmental protections, Yeampierre says grassroots groups like UPROSE have had to rethink their strategy.
"We're in a very different position," she explained to Our Time Press. "Now what we're doing is thinking about how to take care of each other on the ground as if the federal government doesn't exist." That shift has pushed UPROSE to strengthen local networks and invest in community-driven solutions that don't depend on outside support.
TCD Picks » Upway Spotlight
💡Upway makes it easy to find discounts of up to 60% on premium e-bike brands
|
Should the federal government deregulate America's energy market? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Absolutely 💯 Climate change is making extreme heat more frequent and severe, which disproportionately threatens communities with fewer green spaces and limited access to cooling.
Community-owned renewable energy, green job pathways, and neighborhood resilience hubs are among the strategies UPROSE is advancing — solutions that protect both families and the environment.
As Yeampierre put it to Our Times Press, after federal deregulation dismantled decades of environmental protections, community strength has become the front line.
"We lean into each other, we lean into community, and we try to figure out how to hold the line in the face of political disruption."
💰Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD's exclusive Rewards Club.
Cool Picks
