2023 Sierra Club Connecticut Year in Activism
Samantha Dynowski
Winter 2023
In the final month of the year, I like to look back at the last 12 months and remember all the gatherings, events, rallies, and outings brought to you by our Chapter. Every year, it amazes me how much we have done! I want to thank all of our Sierra Club Connecticut Chapter volunteers, members, donors, and staff for the tremendous effort put into our common goal of protecting our environment for all. Here’s some of the highlights of 2023:
4,300 grassroots actions!
We asked you to call, email, or write decision makers, and you responded with 4,300 actions. Every action makes a difference.
53 educational events, trainings, and gatherings
Almost every week of the year, Sierra Club Connecticut offers an in-person or online opportunity to get together to learn about a topic and how to make a difference. In 2023, our volunteers and staff covered a wide range of topics including: forest bathing, pollinator pathways, compressor stations, pipeline expansion proposals, heat pumps, and more. We had a book club that read “Consumed.” We’ve also trained folks on leading outings, writing letters to the editor, writing testimony, and lobbying.
8 lobbying events
We asked you to come to the Capitol to lobby legislators or show up to hearings at our state agencies at least 8 times. And you showed up, thank you!
8 rallies
Marching in the street or rallying in front of a dirty power plant are actions that get attention, and they are also fun. Our volunteers organized monthly Honk for Climate Action in West Hartford, and marches in Hartford, Brookfield, West Hartford and NYC to end fossil fuels, stop pipeline proposals, stop dirty banking, pressure insurance companies, and transition the Capitol Area System to 100% clean and renewable energy.
28 tabling events to connect with community
At Earth Day events, farmers’ markets, veteran’s events, and community celebrations around the state, our Chapter volunteers and staff set up a table and share information about the Sierra Club, climate solutions, land protection, outings, and more. This year, we’ve been to Storrs, Manchester, Woodbury, Glastonbury, South Windsor, Westport, Chester, Deep River, Ellington, Hartford, Milford, Windsor, Niantic, Branford, and Uncasville.
18 outings
Our outings team of volunteers and staff have walked, hiked, kayaked, and paddle boarded in every part of the state.
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Samantha Dynowski is State Director of Sierra Club Connecticut.