Agenda

Local Environmental Action is an opportunity to join community leaders, environmental advocates and activists from across the region for an exciting day of skills training, networking, and inspiration. Whether you have been to every conference or are attending for the first time, be sure not to miss this amazing opportunity to connect and grow our grassroots movement.

The agenda below is subject to change. Stay tuned for additional workshops and speakers!

9:00AM Registration

SignBe sure to register to enjoy a day of inspiration, learning, and celebration.

10:00AM Workshops

inaccessible movements lead to inaccessible solutions: bringing together disability justice and environmental justice

Research unequivocally shows that low income communities, and particularly low income communities of color, tend to be ground zero for Superfund sites, landfill and incinerator operations and industrial factories -- all of which have been implicated in adversely impacting public health. And yet, disability justice movements rarely encompass issues of environmental health, while environmental organizations do not often prioritize disability justice. How do we close down plastic factories and landfills in environmental justice communities while still offering straws for folks in the disability community? How do we move our communities away from personal cars for transportation while still supporting people who rely on them to get around? How do we hold actions in the streets in a way that is truly accessible? Together, we'll find ways to hear people speaking for themselves to make our movements more genuinely inclusive and accessible.

Solutions from the south! racial capitalism, today's trash problem and what we can learn from the global south

Do you ever think about the system that brought you your trash? Or how your trash is connected to a larger, global issue? Come learn how today’s waste problem is created and perpetuated by global, racial capitalism, and hear from our allies in the Global South how they are tackling the issue at home.

Restore our Ecosystems, restore our earth

One of the most devastating impacts of climate change is the destruction of our natural ecosystems. However, restoration is possible! Come to learn from activists across Massachusetts on the work they have done to rehabilitate and recover damaged ecosystems. Join us to find resources, partners, and first steps towards restoring ecosystems in your community.

Organizing 101

Your local elected and appointed officials can be a huge help when it comes to getting stuff done in your community. Learn how to target the decision-maker that can you give the outcome you want and power map the influencers around them. Come hear from local activists about how you can build relationships and leverage them to make your voice heard and move from ideas to concrete action.

Envisioning a renewable energy future

In order to meet our climate goals of getting to 100% clean energy by 2050, we need to commit to transformational local action. Come to this workshop to join other climate activists across Massachusetts in envisioning what you want YOUR community to look like, and to hear from experts on how we can make a completely renewable future a reality.it.

It's not just climate strikes: Mass movements around the world

We know that global injustice is the cause of climate change, and that advocates across the world are taking radical action to fight the climate crisis. Come hear from international climate activists to learn about what is happening on climate action on a global level, and why mass movements matter!

11:30AM WELCOME & KEYNOTE

Keynote speakers to be announced.

1:00PM LUNCH

2:20PM WORKSHOPS

Building a Unified Climate Justice Movement

The world we hope for demands that we halt the rapidly escalating climate crisis. To do so requires building a massive interconnected movement of people from every background. Relationship building, overcoming divisions imposed by oppression in society, and developing alliances are essential elements in building such a movement and advancing climate and environmental justice. Join us in addressing the connections between racism, classism, genocide, patterns of domination--and our climate crisis. To accelerate our unified effort toward an equitable, sustainable future, this interactive workshop will provide concrete skills and perspectives for ending the damaging effects of oppression on our lives, communities and local action groups. We will share tools and perspectives that strengthen our connections, leadership and advance equity by healing from the effects of oppression.

This workshop is offered by Sustaining All Life/United to End Racism [SAL/UER], a grassroots organization working to halt climate change and build a unified climate justice movement within the context of ending all divisions among people.

climate resiliency and immigration justice

Join us to envision how to build resilient communities in the face of climate change, and to explore the intersections of immigration and climate chaos. We will combat the urgency to act as fast as possible, and explore what it means to make a just transition toward resilience founded in deep connection and community that leaves no one behind.

organizing 201

Learn how to build and use power to move your decision-maker and win your campaign in your community. This workshop will teach you about how to use appropriate tactics to move your decision-maker and why these are so critical to success. Learn how to bring new team members up the ladder of engagement, and increase the pressure on your target to bring about change.

money for the movement: getting started with grant apps

There is an abundance of grant opportunities out there for towns, cities, and grassroots groups. These grants can make your dream project a reality. If you are working on setting up an educational or advocacy event, or are trying to implement a local climate solution and need funding, there are grants for you. Come learn about where to find grants, what grants are currently offered, and how to make the most out of your application.

Getting off gas

Because buildings are a big part of the climate problem, making sure that our buildings are fossil-fuel free is a crucial piece of the climate solution. Come to this workshop to hear from Massachusetts activists on how they were able to pass gas bans in their communities, why all-electric buildings are so important to combating climate change, and what YOU can do to take action.

Just transition for a solidarity economy: envisioning and creating the bright new world we know is possible

Eager to figure out where we’re headed? What’s beyond the short-term solutions we’re supporting and the false solutions we’re opposing? Join us to push the boundaries of your imagination as we explore how to create a just transition to an economy that puts people and planet over profit. We’ll help you create a vision for your community and your world that inspire you to stay in this work for the long-haul. Burst open the possibilities for a vision that is possible for re-creating our energy system in a way that centers democracy and breaks through the forces of oppression.

TURNING SCIENCE INTO FAKE NEWS: HOW CORPORATIONS USE THE "DISINFORMATION PLAYBOOK" TO COUNTERFEIT SCIENCE AND MANIPULATE THE PROCESS

Science helps keep us safe and healthy. The public safeguards that keep our drinking water clean and our children's toys safe rely on independent science and a transparent policymaking process. And we all rely on scientific information to make informed choices about everything from what we eat to what consumer products we buy for our families. But the results of independent science don’t always shine a favorable light on corporate products and practices. In response, some corporations manipulate science and scientists to distort the truth about the dangers of their products, using a set of tactics made famous decades ago by the tobacco industry. Learn about how the chemical manufacturing industry, the oil and gas lobby, the waste industry and more are using these common corporate plays in your town and how you can employ and even stronger science-based playbook to fight back.

One-to-one connections: practicing deep connection to build your group and your power

Having meaningful one-to-one conversations with people is a key part of building the strong group you need to make the change you want to see. A one-to-one is not an ordinary conversation—it an intentional relationship-building meeting between two people who are interested in building power together. The best organizers set up one-to-ones to get to know why members of your group are invested in this work, see where your goals align, and recruit people to deeper leadership. In this workshop, you’ll explore the key components of one-to-ones and leave ready to have deeper, more meaningful connections with current and future members of your group.

awards

We Can't wait to see you there!