Please email North Country Earth Action through the [email protected] email if you would like information on how to participate in area lobbying, being a presence at town, city and council board meetings, circulating or signing current state and national petitions and engagement in direct action.
What NCEA does locally:
Farmers Market NCEA's Earth Action Squad members display their large "PROTECT OUR EARTH" banner weekly at local Farmers' Markets in the North Country along with handing out information about lobbying for important State and Federal Climate Action Bills.
We write Letters to the Editor and sign and circulate related petitions (see links below for copies)
We initiate and partner in area actions (see marches, Light Brigade) (please use button below to navigate to Light Brigade page)
We attend municipal meetings, speak up during privilege of the floor. We attend Town workshops related to our requests (initiation of a Climate Action Plan Town of Queensbury).
We sit on the Climate Smart Community committees of Glens Falls, Queensbury and keep in touch with Lake George and Warren County committees (please use button below to link to CSC pages)
We engage our representatives/ candidates on local, state and federal levels to support climate legislation (see Earth Bill)
Twice a month we send out an e blast with climate news updates
Queensbury Town Board NCEA's Earth Action Squad member(s) attend Board meetings at least monthly to share and comment on Climate Crisis action news.
Glens Falls Common Council NCEA's Earth Action Squad member(s) attend Common Council meetings at least monthly to share and comment on Climate Crisis action news.
STATEMENT by Earth Action Squad member , Diane Collins, to City of Glens Falls, Mayor and Sustainability Committee 2-23-2021 "Thank you, council members, for hearing my proposal for you to comment on climate warming at each council meeting. We are in a world-wide worsening climate crisis that is not talked about very much in our city. Climate warming was not mentioned at my zoom church service Sunday, or at the last...... " please open the document below for the full statement: AND March 23 letter summarizing thoughts delivered to the Glens Falls Common Council by Diane Collins:
Preaching to the Choir
I spoke last night at the Glens Falls Common Council meeting. At first I pushed against my own resistance to speak. I pushed against my thought "It won't do any good". But speaking about the climate crisis and the urgency of action won out. And so I spoke about the noted author Rebecca Solnit who wrote an essay called "Preaching to the Choir" in which she described that in trying to influence people, the proper audience is actually allies and not enemies. Her reasoning is that the preaching may move allies into action. Glens Falls is privileged to have council members who consistently demonstrate caring about our Glens Falls community. I consider them my allies. They already know about the climate crisis. They already support actions that reduce greenhouse gases and more efficient energy use. They already include Green Initiatives on the Glens Falls website. But using the words "Climate Crisis" during Common Council meetings has not been happening. And as we face calamitous events, I requested that they do. I spoke of the Climate Emergency bill now in the state legislature. Strong powerful words that promote action. I urged the council to find a way to use "Climate Crisis" words in ways to encourage residents to take actions. The Climate Emergency Bill S2835 declares (a) a climate emergency exists that threatens the New York, the nation, and the world; (b) irrevocable damage to the environment has been caused by global warming of approximately one degree Celsius demonstrating that the earth is already too hot for safety and justice, as attested by increased and intensifying wildfires, floods, rising seas, diseases, droughts, and extreme weather. Yes, we can all play our part in responding to the Climate Crisis with our elected leaders speaking out.
NCEA: Lisa Adamson, Earth Squad presented talking points to the Town of Queensbury Board at a workshop meeting on 2/17 and at privilege of the Floor Town of Queensbury Town meeting 1/18 requesting a climate report as a standing agenda item and requesting an environmental office or department. Request denied. Earth Action Squad Bernice Mennis and Lisa Adamson lobbied Representative Stefanik office in Dec. 2020 review the 10 bills in the Climate Crisis.org bill package noted on this website, seeking endorsements from the Congresswoman for inclusion in a late 2021 or early 2020 Earth Bill. One of the bills, relating to Hydroflurocarbons has in fact already been passed. please click the button below to review the content of the bill package and open the files on that page to see sponsors and details of each bill:
The Assembly Point Water Quality Coalition in partnership with lake advocacy groups "attended" 2 lobby days organized by Adirondack advocacy groups in late Feb. They met by zoom with Assemblyman Matt Simpson and Senator Spec's office and spoke about an initiative they are working on to instate a Lake George wide septic inspection program. Matt Simpson welcomed their engagement on this initiative. They have discussed this with the Lake George Park Commission and Deputy Commissioner Jim Tierney and corresponded with Governor Cuomo. Please see the file below outlining priority talking points for the Adirondack Park, climate issues and water quality issues. Please click on the bill package above for specific waterbody issues in bills relating to wetlands and toxins.
This team has also formatted a letter to Governor Cuomo expressing the overdue need for a lakeside Septic Inspection program. www.assemblypt.com for links to the letter, a white paper on the history of septic regulation or lack there of around Lake George and upstate waterbodies
Lisa Adamson and Lale Davidson joined Youth Activists from Action Network in Jan 2020 on a zoom lobby day with Congressman Ron Kim to request support for progressive taxation and elimination of fossil fuel subsidies in the NYS 2021 budget to release monies needed for just transtion in the Climate initiatives this year.
Bernice Mennis initiated NYSERDA and Washington County discussions about Climate Smart Community participation and she will attend an end of March meeting to follow up.
LINKS to Letters to the editor 2020-2021 relating to the climate crisis:
Jan 27, 2019 — Editorial: Follow Queensbury, switch to green energy, save the world ... As Queensbury Town Board member Catherine Atherden said, “We will not do ... Local editorials represent the opinion of the Post-Star editorial board, which ... Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!
Jun 3, 2017 — Letter to the editor: Plastic bags are bad for environment. Jun 3, 2017 ... Catherine Atherden, TriCounty NY Transition, Queensbury. Love. 65.