Tagged In: Annual Report
Emily Bacha, Vice President of Public Affairs, December 31, 2019
Click here to read the 2019 Annual Report.
For 50 years, the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) has taken on the biggest challenges facing our neighbors as we have fought for a healthier environment for all Ohioans. We’ve seen many ups and downs, wins and losses. You’ve been by our side through it all.
One thing remains true no matter what: we succeed when we work together.
Today, we face our most daunting challenge yet. Our climate is changing and the dangerous impacts on our health, our economy, and our environment are growing. We cannot protect Ohio’s air, land, and water without addressing climate change. If we are going to stop climate change and its most devastating effects, we must work together.
At the OEC, we’re doing just that. We have placed a healthy climate at the center of all our efforts. Our new Director of Climate Programs continues to help us connect the dots between climate change and our work on water, energy, land, and democracy. This collaborative approach ensures that we are working together to mitigate root causes and subsequent impacts.
We are also working together with communities across Ohio. The health of our planet hinges on the OEC being just one part of a much larger, more diverse, active, and inclusive movement. This is why we have committed to building a more “leaderfull” movement with Ohioans of all races, incomes, and backgrounds, and working to understand and correct past injustices. We’re at the beginning of the path towards a movement that includes and involves more Ohioans than ever before. We must ensure more voices are at the table pressuring decision makers to take bold action at all levels of government. We need climate champions of all shapes and sizes, in every community across our state. And we need to make sure that we continue working together to build the strongest movement ever.
As a result of this commitment, we have seen success on many of our initiatives this year. By bringing together farmers, environmentalists, and policy experts, we secured major investments to ensure clean, healthy water through the H2Ohio program. Across the state, we’re supporting local leaders and frontline communities as they push forward on investments in renewable energy sources. We continue to work with Appalachian public lands activists to prevent clearcutting and fracking in their backyard, the Wayne National Forest.
None of this would be possible without generous support from OEC members and allies like you. You’re deepening our understanding of climate change, expanding the environmental movement, and ensuring a healthier future for ALL Ohioans.
This works takes all of us. We’re glad you’re by our side as we walk this path. From the whole OEC team, thank you for all your support!
For a printed copy of this year’s report, contact us at OEC@theOEC.org or (614) 487-7506.