Building Resilience for Staten Island’s Future.

Your Community. Your Climate. Your Action.

Join neighbors, advocates, and leaders in shaping a safer, greener Staten Island.

About the CCC

The Community Climate Corps (CCC), a program of Nonprofit Staten Island, is your partner in building a stronger, more climate-resilient Staten Island

Through education, advocacy, and action, we equip and help empower residents, organizations, and local leaders to address climate challenges and prepare our borough for future risks.

Whether it’s increasing awareness about climate impacts, strengthening disaster response networks, or supporting environmental justice, CCC works to protect Staten Island’s people, neighborhoods, and natural environment.

Get Connected!

Join the CCC newsletter to get the latest updates on volunteer opportunities, upcoming events, and helpful resources to support a greener, more resilient Staten Island.

Save The Date – May 30th

The Community Climate Corps is partnering with the American Red Cross, Con Edison, and NYC Emergency Management to host community-focused evacuation center events on Staten Island, bringing residents into local shelter sites to build familiarity and confidence ahead of extreme weather.

The program will include a practical panel on flooding risks, evacuation and response protocols, and how communication flows during an emergency, alongside a hands-on go-bag demonstration and distribution so participants can prepare in real time. Designed to be family-friendly and accessible, the event will also create space to connect with trusted local partners through a resource fair-style setup, ask questions, and walk away with a clearer sense of what to expect and how to be ready when it matters.

Doors open at 11:00 AM, with food, resources, and family-friendly activities available throughout. The panel will begin around 11:45 AM and run approximately one hour. A separate space will be available for younger youth to participate in age-appropriate preparedness and climate literacy activities with trusted adults, including school staff and CCC Ambassadors. The final hour of the event (1:00–2:00 PM) will feature the go-bag demonstration, a “pack your bag” activity, and continued engagement with community partners.

Join us Saturday, May 30th, from 11 AM to 2 PM for this special event! Registration is coming soon, so be on the lookout for it!

Get Involved

The CCC offers many ways to get involved—stay informed by joining our listserv or connect with Rob Grosso at rob@nonprofitstatenisland.org for collaboration opportunities.

Volunteer: Join us at community projects, resource distributions, or outreach events.
Lead or host a session: Collaborate with the CCC to bring climate education and resilience workshops to your community network.
Outreach in the community: Invite the CCC to table events or join us at one of ours.
Pitch a project: Have an idea for how we can connect with your community? Email rob@nonprofitstatenisland.org and share your idea!

Earth Day, The Clean Air Act, and the EPA

By Anne Walsh

America celebrated its first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, as President Nixon authorized important amendments to the Clean Air Act of 1963, resulting in the creation of the EPA. The Clean Air Act legally requires the EPA to regulate pollutants once it determines that there is a threat to the environment and human health. It sets standards for regulating emissions and provisions for monitoring air quality.

The EPA has the authority to issue penalties, enforce compliance, and restrict funding for areas failing to meet air quality standards. After years of scientific study, in 2009, the EPA published its “endangerment findings,” which determined that greenhouse gases are a threat to public health and welfare. It authorized the EPA to regulate emissions from motor vehicles, power plants, and other sources. A peer-reviewed EPA study issued in 2011 found that the Clean Air Act amendments of 1970 are achieving large health care benefits that will continue to grow over time.

Some studies indicate that air pollution levels have dropped by as much as 80% since the Clean Air Act was first passed in 1963. On the EPA website (www.epa.gov), there is a detailed report included under the tab for Clean Air Act Overview titled “Progress Cleaning the Air and Improving Health”. This report explicitly states that, in addition to the improvement in human health, the study found that the economic welfare of American households is better with post-1990 clean air programs than without them.

On February 12, 2026, Lee Zeldin, the current director of the EPA, approved the rescission of the agency’s own findings. Relaxing controls over the burning of fossil fuels, he contends, will encourage production, boost the economy, and improve the standard of living for many people. The medical community, however, has expressed concern that the rollback of certain regulations puts the population at risk for an increase in cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory illness, including asthma in children.

The question is, will a temporary surge in the economy offset the potential increase in long-term cost of health care and decrease in the quality of life for many people? How is the value of human health determined, and who is qualified to make the determination? How will it impact the environment?

The debate is ongoing, and many environmental groups and others have already challenged the ruling in court. Please stay tuned for further updates on this critical issue.

Why Get Involved?

Learn & Act — Access training, resources, and events that help you take climate action in your community.
Build Connections — Collaborate with neighbors, advocates, and local leaders.
Make a Difference — Contribute your time, skills, and ideas to projects that matter.