Water: Advocating for Protection
Advocacy Workshop and Banquet
June 26, 2018   Chicago, IL

In June, 2018, we hosted a water advocacy workshop followed by a banquet, both cosponsored with the League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi River Region InterLeague Organization. The workshop featured a lightning round of short presentations from League members in different areas of the United States on local water issues and solutions in their communities. Watch below.

The plenary at the workshop was given by Dr. Emily K. Read of the U.S. Geological Survey on the Internet of Water. The keynote speaker at the banquet was Howard A. Learner, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Chicago, IL with advice on advocating for clean water.

The Water/Climate Nexus:  Leagues Take Actions

LWVLMR worked with many partner Leagues to present a caucus on water issues and climate change at the 2016 National Convention of the LWVUS. Lynn Scarlett, The Nature Conservancy's Global Managing Director of Public Policy, spoke to over 150 League members from across the country in Washington D.C. on June 18, 2016. Watch her presentation and learn about the regional problems caused or exacerbated by climate change, and be inspired by the collaborative solutions she presents.

my.lwv.org/texas/texas-water-resourcesIn conjunction with the program, we asked all Leagues to share information on actions they have taken locally to address water and climate change in their communities. The list below represents all of the submissions in June, 2016.

LVWLMR educates and advocates in four states on water related issues. To see some of our grant-funded work, see the Issues/Projects page.

• League of Women Voters Toolkit for Climate Change
• League of Women Voters Clearinghouse Page on Climate Change
• League of Women Voters Clearinghouse Page on Water
• League of Women Voters of Berkeley Albany Emeryville (CA) shares that their League joined the Berkeley Climate Action Coalition several years ago to help implement the City of Berkeley Climate Action Plan.  Two of our League Climate Change Team members have  joined the steering committee. The Community Choice Energy group effort, a local action, has spread to the region, reaching the entire County of Alameda. Currently the following working groups are active:
  • Advancing Community Choice Energy 
  • Water Conservation and Efficiency
  • Land Use (Transitioning Vacant Lots to Community Gardens)
  • Transportation Infrastructure for Cyclists, Pedestrians, and Public Transit Riders 
• League of Women Voters of Billings (MT) shared activities from the past few years: 
  • Invited Dr. Linda (Diz) Dismore Swift to speak at two events in February, 2016 on Montana's need to comply with the Clean Power Plan.Dr. Swift is a PhD earth scientist, an oil and gas retiree, and a Republican.  A fourth generation Montanan, she is a scientist and manager who worked for over 30 years primarily for Chevron in minerals, oil, and gas exploration and production. In minerals she worked in international exploration and underground mining, including at the Stillwater.  Dr. Swift’s many roles in oil and gar included research, exploration, corporate planning, mergers and acquisitions, and senior management. She’ll be speaking on causes and potential solutions for climate change, including business opportunities. She has lectured at the NYU Stern Business School for the past five years on climate change. 
  • In 2015 we sponsored a workshop to get a Citizens Climate Lobby started in Billings and one of our LWV members is the organizer.
  • LWVBillings cosponsored a film “Coal to China” developed by Sierra Club with ranchers and Native Americans telling how the Tongue River RR and more coal production would hurt their activities.(The coal companies withdrew their interest in the Tongue River area this spring.)
• League of Women Voters of Illinois "Stand Up for Healthy Water" Presentation and handouts:
  • Recent Illinois League Activism
  • Illinois-relevant Watershed Resources
  • Local Activism- What Can I/we do?
  • Combating Nutrient Pollution
  • Government and Industry Addressing Watershed Issues
  • 100 Meetings for 100 Years
  • Coal Tar Sealant Advocacy Project
• League of Women Voters Lake Michigan Region 2015 Report on League Activities in the four-state region
• League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Climate Change and the Environment webpage
• League of Women Voters of New York Committee on Energy, Agriculture and the Environment
• League of Women Voters of Oak Park/River Forest IL shared several links connected to its rain barrel project:
  • Roll Out the Rain Barrels: http://lwvoprf.org/files/barrels1.pdf
  • Rain Barrel Water Facts: http://lwvoprf.org/files/barrels5.pdf
  • Map of Rain Barrel Locations in Oak Park River Forest: http://lwvoprf.org/files/bike_to_barrels.pdf
  • Rain Barrels as Art:
  • http://lwvoprf.org/files/barrel_pictures1.pdf
  • http://lwvoprf.org/files/barrel_pictures2.pdf
  • http://lwvoprf.org/files/barrel_pictures3.pdf
• Leagues of Women Voters of Oregon and Washington Joint Council Program on “The Children’s Climate Crusade: Atmospheric Trust Litigation in the Courts”
• League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund conducted a Water Resources Education Network (WREN) Project, providing grants for grass roots education. See also the former website for the project.
• League of Women Voters of South Hampton Roads (VA) participated in an unique Flood of Voices project and hosted a panel discussion, "How Can We the People Help the Region Adapt to Sea Level Rise?"  at its recent Annual Meeting. Panelists included Delegate Ron Villanueva of Virginia Beach, Ms. Tuere Brown, Chesapeake/Suffolk organizer with Virginia Organizing and Dr. Gail Nicula, Adjunct Professor, Strome College of Business, ODU
• League of Women Voters of Texas Water Resources Page
• League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi Region is a new ILO formed to advocate on environmental issues involving the Mississippi River Region.
  Why leagues from IA, IL, MN and WI got together to start the Upper Mississippi River Region ILO. 
  • Additional resources:
    • Keynote Presentation Video (20 minutes)
    • Map of Upper Mississippi River Region
    • LWV UMMRR Member League registration form.
    • List of additional website resources
• League of Women Voters of Washington Issue Paper on Water, Rivers, and Forests from an Action Workshop
• League of Women Voters of Wilmette (IL)  presentation from a local stormwater study
• League of Women Voters of Wisconsin Water Education Campaign

Resources from Past Annual Conferences

See the 2016 Annual Conference Recap for a summary of the conference held in Porter, IN.

    See the Annual Meeting 2015 page for a recap of the conference held in Glenview, IL.

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     Resources from the 2014 Annual Conference in Traverse City, Michigan, including videos and powerpoint presentations, may be found on the 2014 Annual Conference Recap & Resources page.

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