Save the Date: July 13 is National Green Amendment Day
This year, we will be joined by the Green Amendment Pixie who is going to help us all learn how to take on the industry opposition!
Keep an eye out for more info coming soon!
Green Amendment Leadership in Action
In-state grassroots leadership is key to our Green Amendment movement and its growing success. We know it is hard work and that progress can take time–we are incredibly honored to work alongside our amazing leadership teams.
- In Washington, our Green Amendment leadership team continues to make steady progress, continuing to find new audiences to connect with! Recently, they helped our movement connect with the Pacific Northwest Forest Climate Alliance and secured an invitation for a Green Amendments presentation as part of a lecture series hosted by the Gonzaga Climate Institute in Seattle.
- In Connecticut, the leadership and collaboration remains strong and ever-growing with the CTERA coalition securing another successful hearing and a positive vote of support. The coalition is already working on steps to strengthen the coalition and identify new strategies for success in the coming year.
- In Michigan, our Earth Day Green Amendment launch and well-attended press conference have fueled the coalition’s excitement for the year to come! They also sparked an interesting new organizing initiative that you can be a part of if you are from Michigan.
- In Arizona, after years of promoting powerful language but a lack of grassroots leadership needed for progress, we have a new youth initiative coming forth to take on the leadership role. Details will be shared when the time is right!
- In New Jersey, our leadership team continues to make connections with community groups so that we can secure more outreach events like Town Halls and Green Amendment trainings.
Industry is Afraid – What Happened in Colorado?
Two of the biggest questions we hear in our Green Amendment movement is:
- Does a Green Amendment make a difference?
- How can we effectively take on the points of opposition that industry feeds to the public and politicians?
Green Amendments Do Make a Difference
In our talks and on our website we have lots of examples of how existing Green Amendments were key to defeating pro-fossil fuel laws; rolling back permits for projects that would have had devastating environmental impacts; addressing water pollution, air pollution and toxic contamination by empowering (and sometimes forcing) regulators to take action; protecting natural ecosystems in remote areas and in our communities, and so much more.
The fact that we garner so much industry opposition is actually a major demonstration of how powerful a Green Amendment can be. Industry is working hard to undermine, derail and defeat our Green Amendment movement because they see the power Green Amendments hold for protecting our communities and holding both politicians and industry accountable.
We Have a Good Answer for Every Point of Opposition
The points of opposition we see advanced by industry and politicians are all pretty much the same–rarely do we see a new talking point. Whether old or new, we have a good answer for every narrative–most of them false–that industry spews out. But the industry has big budgets and lots of lobbyists. So a large part of the Green Amendment work is figuring out how to take on the opposition in a way that resonates, is memorable, and will succeed.
This year Colorado’s Green Amendment effort, advancing under the moniker the Colorado Right to a Healthy Environment, got derailed by a last minute, behind the scenes, misinformation campaign we believe was advanced by the oil and gas industry. A memo was quickly and quietly dropped just a few days before the amendment was to be announced. In response, many legislators got cold feet. The same strategy was used in New Mexico just a few years ago.
Despite a massive effort to refute the false narratives, with lots and lots of people speaking up and speaking out, this year the industry won and the amendment did not advance.
It is sad to see legislators respond so quickly and easily to the narratives and demands of industry. But we see it time and time again, in state after state.
So that means a big part of our work in the year to come is going to be finding new ways to help you and us take on these quiet, but well-funded and effective, industry campaigns of opposition.
We hope that this Year’s National Green Amendment plans will help.
But, we need many ideas and tactics to accomplish this goal. If you have an idea, please share it with us by emailing maya@forthegenerations.org.
Putting Green Amendments to Work in Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, Green Amendments For The Generations is helping communities exercise their constitutional environmental rights including by:
- Opposing ICE Detention: GAFTG filed a legal action to oppose the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security ICE to transform a windowless warehouse into a detention center for 7,500 detainees in a community that is already facing water and wastewater infrastructure challenges. The result of the ICE Warehouse-to-Detention Center proposal could be devastating–depriving the community of needed water for drinking, bathing and fire protection; overwhelming waterways and the environment with wastewater pollution; and putting at risk those who are detained in the facility by not having enough water or wastewater systems to support their essential needs and safety.
- Opposing a State Sweetheart Deal for Toxic Site Development: GAFTG filed a robust comment (see the first drop down on webpage) opposing a legal settlement put forth by the state that would fail to ensure full clean up of the Bishop Tube toxic contamination site and if implemented, would empower a developer seeking to build residential homes on the site for a very high profit, all while the local community and environment continues to suffer from the resulting ramifications.
- Opposing Data Centers: GAFTG is standing with communities at public meetings, delivering detailed materials, and hosting trainings to help communities challenge data centers that could violate their environmental rights. Thanks to our work, we are seeing more and more people cite their Green Amendment environmental rights in their data center battles AND we are seeing more and more community victories in opposing data center projects. While the PA Green Amendment has not been the lone death knell for halted data centers, it is certainly helping.
Maine is on Track for a Reboot
Maine’s Green Amendment campaign first began in 2020, advancing under the moniker the Maine Pine Tree Amendment. The effort experienced early success with well-attended hearings and early bi-partisan support. But, as can happen with any great movement, after a few years of progress, there were changes in grassroots leadership and the effort slowed while people re-assessed the best pathway forward.
But now the effort is coming back!
On Wednesday, June 11th, the Reboot of the Maine Green Amendment Campaign will be announced. If you are from Maine, join the webinar to be among the first to see the new Maine Green Amendment language, to be reminded of the values of a Green Amendment, and to learn how you can get involved.
