Making Waves: A Citizen’s Guide to Influencing Environmental Policy

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Shameless plug up front: if you want practice putting a few of the steps below into action, head over to The Nature Conservancy to read about the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act – then use their easy link to urge your representatives to support. This bipartisan legislation would allocate much-needed funds to conservation of fish and wildlife species and their habitats throughout the United States. Follow this link: https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/how-we-work/policy/recovering-americas-wildlife

Policy – you know it’s an important piece of the puzzle, but it can feel…overwhelming, better left to experts, certainly less fun than a The Next Swell beach clean-up with your friends.   We are here to help you navigate these waters and even see where you can make some waves yourself! Am I going overboard with the ocean puns? Probably…. but the good news is that there are multiple ways to approach policy influence depending on your strengths and comfort zone – and a lot of them are much easier than you might think.  I’ve used my own experience and called on one of my trusted voices in policy to put together a few pointers for those eager to...test the waters (last one, I promise):

Step 1. Staying informed on the issues

Environmental policy doesn't always make headlines, even locally, but fortunately, we don't have to dig too deep to fill this information gap – there are several widely-respected organizations who make it part of their mission to keep citizens up-to-date on environmental policy that is currently being considered by local and federal government.  Even better, many have community chapters or partners that are likely to be your best source for staying informed on issues close-to-home. As always though, we need to be careful when choosing which organizations to rely on for information.  A few questions I ask myself: Does this organization include or regularly consult with a range of experts in the fields they are advocating in? Do they cite scientific research to back up their claims? Do they have clear, achievable goals? As a starting point, here are a few of my go-to organizations for staying informed:

Surfrider Foundation:  An international network of activists, scientists and recreational ocean users, Surfrider Foundation is dedicated to the causes of ocean protection, coastal preservation, clean water, and fair beach access. SF has 176 local chapters and includes programs such as Ocean Friendly Restaurants, which encourages & incentivizes restaurants to reduce their use of single-use plastic.

Website: https://www.surfrider.org

The Nature Conservancy: A global environmental nonprofit with a vast partner network, The Nature Conservancy’s priorities include tackling climate change, protecting land and water, providing food and water sustainably, and building healthy cities. 

Website: https://www.nature.org

Monterey Bay Aquarium: More than just an aquarium, the Monterey Bay Aquarium supports numerous conservation & research efforts and is a wealth of information on environmental issues and policy.

https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/act-for-the-ocean

Once you’ve identified a few good sources, I can’t recommend enough…

Step 1.b. Automating your information flow

Life gets busy, and it’s easy for a new project – like following environmental issues – to fall off the radar.  Help yourself out by signing up for a newsletter through one of these organizations (or better yet, one of their local partners) or following them on social media.  You’ll find it much easier to stay up to speed, and as we’ll discuss in a moment, they will often let you know when your voice is needed.

Remember that if you have a little more time and/or money, you can also make an impact by volunteering with or donating to one of your source organizations.  But if, as for many, time & money are a limited resource for you….

Ok, you've got a nice information flow going, and you know a bit about the environmental policy issues currently on the table in your area.   Now, what to do with this information? Here in the U.S., we are lucky to have a political system that includes built-in tools for public input on policy; however, in my opinion, these tools are vastly underutilized by the general public.  This means that the opinions of those who do weigh in carry disproportionally more weight than of those who don't.  Put another way, it means that your voice can really matter here! In the beginning, you can use your trusty sources established in step 1 to keep you up to speed on when and how to weigh in.  The following are a few opportunities that may arise to put your knowledge to use in influencing both local and federal legislation:

Step/option 2. Submitting public comments and written testimony

If the written word is your forte, you can put your skills to use in a couple ways:

When federal agencies propose new policy, they are required to seek public input via a Public Comment Period. You may think this sounds like a formality but note that agencies are not only required to receive comments, but also to read, consider, and respond to comments in the final regulation.  These comments can and do influence policymaking. Bookmark regulations.gov to easily access new agency policy proposals.

At the state level, new bills or policy being considered is subject to a Legislative Hearing, and if you can’t attend in person or virtually, you can often submit written testimony before the hearing as well. Bookmark your state legislature’s website to make it easy to testify on new legislation.

Step/option 3. Engaging with your representatives

For policy that is voted on by congress, we need to let our representatives know how we’d like them to vote! Many times, your trusty sources will provide a form and/or sample script to use to contact your representatives on specific issues.  Alternatively, many representatives have a contact form on their website, and it’s always a good idea to have their emails & phone numbers saved as well. You can find your representatives’ contact information here: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

Note: if you’d like to give this option a try right now, check out my “shameless plug” at the beginning of this blog!

Step/option 4. Attending a State Legislature, Council, or Public Meeting

If you prefer the energy of an in-person or virtual meeting and are comfortable with public speaking (or want to be) that’s great! This can be one of the most effective ways to be heard.  You can attend one of the State Legislative Hearings mentioned above, a city council meeting, or an agency’s Public Meeting, depending on the level of policy being considered.  For policy related to fisheries management, the U.S. even has eight regional councils which meet regularly to discuss plans and management strategies in a transparent, public process.  I’ve never been to one of these particular meetings, so I called my friend Monica Thom, who has worked in fisheries management for eight years and studies at the University of Washington’s School of Marine & Environmental Affairs, to get an insider’s perspective:

Regional Fisheries Management Council meetings are regularly attended by fishery managers, scientists and stakeholders (i.e. fishermen and others in the fishing industry) and, like any of the meetings mentioned above, are open to the public as well.  However, Monica says that in her experience, attendance & input from the general public is generally very low to nonexistent.  She urges people not to be intimidated, though, as part of the purpose of the meetings is to explain the policy being proposed and the science behind it: “It’s the job of the scientists [who present at the meetings] to educate the public that is attendant so that they can have a voice.  At the council meetings, the stock assessors and the management strategy teams will give presentations to the council and to the public. So you can speak up really easily about topics…. you don’t have to have a doctorate to understand fisheries.”  She also points out that it’s never been easier to attend, with meetings now held virtually due to the pandemic.  If you’re nonetheless feeling a little bit intimidated, remember that you can always attend a “practice” meeting or two just to listen (this goes for any public or legislative meeting).  Or, if you’re feeling a little more ambitious, try out an assignment suggested by Monica: use the archives to follow a previous policy proposal from start to finish – you can view meetings, presentations, both oral and written testimony, and track any amendments made throughout the process (if you’d like to practice with one of the Regional Fisheries Management Councils that drive Monica’s work, you can start here: http://www.fisherycouncils.org/).

If you’re new to speaking up on policy, I encourage you to start with whichever of the strategies above feels most within your comfort zone, and let your repertoire expand as your knowledge and confidence grows.  And remember, even the smallest action is better than nothing!

Corrina