May 29, 2018
by Kate Bartholomew
Greetings. I can’t help but note how ludicrous it is to only now be introducing myself as the new Atlantic Chapter Chair when it’s almost June and the year’s nearly half over. But perhaps that is indicative of how much greater the tasks we all face in the environmental community, given the state of the planet and our own country’s dysfunctional, deconstructionist, anti-democratic agenda.First, I want to express my profound gratitude to and for my immediate predecessors who held this pivotal role before me: Erin Riddle and Carl Arnold. We all owe the possibilities for change available now for the Chapter to their forethought and preparation.
Second, as I expressed when I initially announced my intention to seek this role, no one person is able to fulfill any vision or goal the Chapter aspires to - it requires the concentrated and concerted efforts of volunteers and staff at every level of the organization. That’s why we are a “grassroots” organization - we build movements and accomplishments from the base - the roots - upward - and involve a multiplicity of people along the way. So any “win” for the Chapter, is a win because of all of us.
And that “all of one, one for all” philosophy will be especially important this year as we face mid-term elections and a chance to mobilize our new members to shift the balance at all levels of government -local, state and federal. To that end, the Atlantic Chapter has re-established a PAC (Political Action Committee), which you’ll be hearing a great deal more about very soon. If ever there was a time to get off the couch and take to the streets, it’s now.
The Chapter has also been designated one of five pilot chapters for the National’s Clean Energy For All Campaign. This is a huge initiative folding together the Beyond Coal, Electric Vehicle and Ready for 100 Campaigns all together to push for pledges and commitments to 100% renewables in all sectors by 2050 from towns, villages and municipalities across the state. Obviously, this will involve every group and many, many volunteer hours to even make a dent in this goal.
Finally, there are a number of initiatives I would like to launch this year with what I hope will be sufficient energy and support to see them achieve a self-perpetuating level by next year.
- Fostering greater intra-Chapter communication and networking (and idea exchange) by establishing monthly Group Chair and Group Conservation Chair conference calls with the Chapter Chair and Conservation Chair. This will be a salon to discuss new policies; an incubator to share campaign and action ideas; and a forum to air various problems. The calls could even focus on a specific topic each month. The possibilities are vast.
- Establishing an Equity, Inclusion and Justice Committee for the Chapter, ideally comprised of at least one member from each group, empowered to continue the work begun in the DEI Training some of us engaged in last summer. Ideally, this committee would push to provide access to “Growing Through Change” type programs for more of our volunteers to disseminate the ‘modality throughout the Chapter.
- Put together a team to develop an orientation program/webinar series for new Chapter and Group officers. Often we have new leaders elected to positions and the best advice we can give to them is to “look it up on Clubhouse” to figure out what they are supposed to do. Well, I want to change that by establishing Chapter-specific orientation materials folks can refer to and perhaps even a mentor ship program for the first month or two of a new person’s term.
- Work with National to broaden and deepen our fundraising strategies throughout the Chapter and Groups. We are one of, if not the largest, Chapter in the Sierra Club, with a vast, untapped pool of donors. We need to figure out better ways to reach them. If we could do that, we might be able to add not just one, but two more staff people - then think of all that we could accomplish!
- Maximizing the new volunteers who’ve joined the Club, inspired by - or appalled by - the new federal administration. Several people have, with sardonically, cynical smiles remarked that Trump’s election was a great boon for the environmental movement because of the mobilization it inspired. Well, it certainly brought a huge boost to our membership - so we need to find ways to get those new members actively engaged before we are pushed back another 20 years pre-EPA by those swamp creatures inside the beltway.
So, those are my thoughts for this year. If any one or all of them particularly strike a chord with you and passionately move you to action, please don’t hesitate to contact me: ecogreenwolf@gmail.com; 607-228-7371. Peace.