Advocacy in Action: 2022 Annual Meeting Recap

What does advocacy in action look like?

It looks like securing the strongest climate legislation in U.S. history… Building a movement to protect Ohio’s wild and wonderful forests… Strengthening critical drinking water protections for Ohio families… Taking bold legal action to ensure Ohioans’ right to fair representation at the Statehouse and on Capitol Hill… Adopting innovative policies at the local level to ensure healthier environments for our neighbors and friends… and SO much more. 

Watch our 2022 Annual Meeting below for a recap from our experts on recent environmental wins all across Ohio as we work to secure healthy air, vibrant public lands, clean water, and a strong democracy for all who call Ohio home. Or if written content is easier for you to consume, check out our 2022 Annual Report.

Looking for resources we shared during the meeting? Check out the links below to dig deeper into our projects, programs, and publications from 2022.

Democracy

• Read about The Reynoldsburg Climate Campaign, a project created for community members to come together for climate action and increase voter engagement.
• Learn more about the ongoing fight for fair statehouse and congressional maps
• Our voting rights are under attack right now from Sub. HB 294. This bill would call for…
  • The elimination of Early Voting on the Monday before Election Day 
  • The explicit prohibition of the payment of prepaid postage for absentee ballots 
  • The prohibition upon Boards of Elections from counting a ballot if it is not included in the specific envelopes sent to voters 
  • A three-tiered voter ID system for absentee ballots that may confuse voters and deter them from casting their ballot 
  • Other proposed changes, including potential shifts to Ohio’s Voter ID laws
• Another attack on democracy comes from HJR 6 which would make constitutional amendments take 60% of the vote, rather than the current 50%.

Energy

• Learn more about House Bill 429, the Energy Jobs and Justice Act
• This summer, we released a Costs of Climate Change report with our partners at Power A Clean Future Ohio that talks about the costs of some of the climate vulnerabilities you mentioned.

Public Lands

• Read about our legal case to protect the Wayne National Forest
• We called upon the Ohio EPA to deny a wastewater discharge permit that threatens the ecological health of Big Darby Creek
• The OEC is advocating for the creation of an Ohio State Wilderness System that would include a backcountry designation in Wayne National Forest

Water

• Learn more about the OEC’s water policy priorities
• The OEC has been working hard to accelerate the replacement of lead water lines through submitted comments to the Ohio EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule and advocating for funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
• Read more about our fight against “forever chemicals” 

Regions

• Southwest
  • Visit the 2023 Green Cincinnati Plan CitizenLab website and the 2018 Green Cincinnati plan to learn how Cincinnati is making environmental progress
• Cleveland
  • We have continued our work this year with Mayor Bibb through advocating for the Urban Forestry Commission and other climate priorities.
• Northeast
  • We have focused on the distribution of decision making power in our Building a Better Table events, as well as advocating for dam removals on the Mahoning River and cleaning up brownfields in Trumbull County.
• Southeast
  • Be on the lookout for Stories from the forest, a series of audio interviews and a short film highlighting the history of the land and surrounding communities.
  • Check out our white paper on an Ohio State Wilderness System that would include a backcountry designation in Wayne National Forest
• Northwest
  • We worked with Toledo City Council to pass a budget amendment known as “1% for the Environment” that requires at least 1% of the annual capital improvement budget to go to environmental protection, sustainability, and climate resilience, and created a full-time position in the mayor’s office dedicated to climate action.