How Madison County Residents Successfully Lobbied Legislators Over Pollution Concerns

When lead and arsenic levels threatened the communities in Southeastern Colorado, the Environmental Protection Agency was asked to step in. In order to have a seat at the table when decisions were being made, community members in the city of Pueblo created a Community Advisory Group. This allowed them to not only increase their understanding of possible decisions, but also offer feedback. It has also offered a model for surrounding communities that are facing similar situations.

Indigenous peoples in Thailand's Nan province, in collaboration with researchers from five institutions, launched a citizen-science program using soil, hair, and fish sampling alongside computer modelling to document transboundary pollution from Laos's Hongsa coal plant. This work produced evidence of acidic soils and mercury contamination that has empowered environmental advocacy actions.

After decades of failed legislation, over 17,000 acres of public land was finally restored to the Umpqua Tribe with the passage of the Western Oregon Tribal Fairness Act. The land was a constant source of tension between the tribe, the government, and environmental conservation groups, “under the pretext that Native peoples didn’t know how to manage them.” But in December 2018, with the passage of the Act and the return of 3% of the land that was originally seized, a sense of justice was felt.

TARU, an Indian thinktank, has found that Indians cities have combined decentralized action and "multi-stakeholder engagement" in public policy to respond to problems of scarcity in water and power as well as climate change-related natural disasters. Municipalities are putting responsibility for improving local lives at the grassroots level; integrating disruptive technologies from the private sector; and fostering collaboration between government and citizens.

Air pollution is a huge problem for China, but surprisingly, the Air Quality Index in several cities is improving because of a variety of experimental projects that are being rolled out and a number of clever pollution solutions from around the country.

Costa Rica has pioneered a methodology that has resulted in getting most of its electricity from hydroelectric plants, reversing deforestation through implementing financial incentives and achieving a 99 percent fossil-fuel free year. This progressive approach has put the country in the running to become the first carbon-neutral country by 2021.

Around the globe, countries have taken actions that have helped reduce carbon emissions and increase the use of renewable energy. Although the state of Florida feels the effects of climate change, its state representatives have not produced policy addressing it. Local policy makers and organizers have made the biggest difference in the state.

The Friends of Coyote Hills led a 30-year community campaign that successfully protected 24 acres of threatened habitat from development. Alongside voter mobilization, strategic fundraising, and federal wildlife protections, they secured $70 million toward the purchase of land.

Indigenous and Italian American activists in Rochester, N.Y. built on an interfaith model to campaign for a resolution replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day. The committee focused on centering Indigenous perspectives, involving Italian Americans in the process, and encouraging community dialogue through mediated conversation circles.

Canvassers with Down Home North Carolina approach conversations with voters not as an opportunity to promote their cause or ideology, but as a chance to learn about voters' personal experiences and how those experiences shape their approach to political issues. The strategy, called deep canvassing, is based on active listening and nonjudgmental discussion and was found in one study to be more effective than traditional canvassing in winning over rural swing voters.