Environmental Activism

On March 2^nd, Toxics Action Center’s Local Environmental Action Conference 2014 attracted a diverse group of environmental activists and sustainability professionals. 

The conference focused on community organizing around energy, waste, water, food, public health and other sustainability issues. Keynote speakers included Teri Blanton, an environmental activist fighting mountaintop removal mining and toxic pollution in Kentucky, and Robin Chase, co-founder of Zipcar and CEO of BuzzCar. The conference was powered by 100% local wind power through Mass Energy’s New England Wind Fund.

The conference, held annually at Northeastern University, is an opportunity for community leaders, environmental advocates and activists from across New England to network and participate in workshops. The goal is that attendees leave inspired and more informed about organizing their communities around environmental issues. A common theme of the conference is the need for global action to fight climate change and build resiliency in communities affected by its impacts. The conference featured a Pop-Up Lab with demonstrations and posters on community-based participatory research conducted by graduate students and professors at Northeastern University. Attendees also participated in a silent auction to donate money towards renewable energy programs.

Mass Energy and People's Power & Light staff attended the Community Organizing Bootcamp led by Claire Miller, Massachusetts State Director for the Toxins Action Center. The workshop focused on techniques and strategies to craft a campaign story. Participants also learned how to conduct outreach to recruit new members or educate the public. In the workshop activity, participants practiced pitching their environmental cause. For Miller, a key tip for effective community organizing is to create a message that is concise, clear and compels individuals to take action. Miller also encouraged activists to use story-telling as a way to convey environmental issues as a relatable and meaningful.

Popular workshops also covered topics on toxic chemicals, food waste, gas leaks and environmental policy. In Gas Leaks: Wasting Our Capital and Our Climate, participants learned about the effort to fix leaks in the Bay State’s gas in wake of regional proposals to expand them. In Decoding Data, Naomi Leary, a Toxics Action Center Community Organizer for Vermont and NH, shared Statistics for Action, a new project that provides consumers and educators with environmental data. Statistics for Action contains materials, guidelines and videos helping people understand and communicate key environmental data.

Overall, environmental activists at the conference agreed that an ambitious energy and climate agenda requires solidarity among activists and on-the-ground leadership. Mass Energy and People's Power & Light staff are eager to use new organizing strategies gained at this conference.