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Advocacy Resources

Tools, templates, and guides to help community members engage with environmental policy and organize for change.

Tools for Change

Everything You Need to Advocate

Effective advocacy requires preparation, information, and the right tools. TerraFuture provides comprehensive resources to help community members engage with local environmental policy, contact decision-makers, and organize for change.

All resources are freely available for use by community members, partner organizations, and anyone working toward environmental justice.

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Comprehensive Guides

Policy Toolkits

Structured guidance for understanding and engaging with specific environmental policy areas.

Clean Air Advocacy

Air quality policy overview, monitoring data summaries, AQI interpretation guide, and public comment templates. Updated quarterly.

Green Space Equity

Neighborhood-level green space analysis, per-capita park access data, and strategies for engaging with municipal parks planning.

Community Solar Advocacy

Renewable Energy Access Act explainer, legislator talking points, energy cost savings data, and community solar program details.

Climate Resilience Planning

Guide to advocating for resilience in municipal planning and zoning, with example ordinance language and key metrics.

Write to Decision-Makers

Letter Templates

Customizable templates combining personal experience with data-driven arguments.

Air Quality Concerns

Contact city council about neighborhood air quality. Includes personal observation prompts and pre-formatted data references.

Green Space Funding

Urge increased investment in neighborhood parks with data on local deficits and health benefits of urban nature access.

Community Solar Support

Support state-level solar legislation with talking points on economic benefits, environmental impact, and energy equity.

Climate Resilience in Planning

Public comment template requesting climate resilience measures in development project approval conditions.

General Environmental Concern

Flexible template adaptable to any local environmental issue with guidance on structuring effective advocacy letters.

Know Your Representatives

Contacting Elected Officials

TerraFuture maintains an up-to-date directory of elected officials and key decision-makers relevant to environmental policy. Contact information covers city council members, county commissioners, and state legislators.

Phone calls are often more impactful than emails for time-sensitive issues

Reference specific data points from the Environmental Dashboard

Share personal stories about how environmental issues affect your daily life

Follow up after initial contact — persistence demonstrates commitment

Attend town halls and public hearings for face-to-face engagement

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Need Contact Info?

Contact TerraFuture's advocacy team for an up-to-date directory of representatives and upcoming hearing schedules.

Contact Our Team
Step-by-Step

Advocacy Guides

How to Testify at a Public Hearing

Preparation, registration, testimony structure, delivery tips, and follow-up for both in-person and virtual hearings.

Organizing a Letter-Writing Campaign

Coordinating community letter-writing efforts from message development to collection and delivery.

Reading Environmental Impact Reports

Plain-language guide to understanding impact assessments and submitting effective public comments.

Building a Neighborhood Coalition

Forming and sustaining a local advocacy coalition: structure, facilitation, decision-making, and momentum.

Using Data in Advocacy

Incorporating environmental data into communications, creating visualizations, and presenting to different audiences.

Your Role

Getting Involved in Local Policy

Community voices make a measurable difference. Here are concrete ways to engage with the policy process.

Attend Public Hearings

Monthly calendar of upcoming hearings with testimony preparation materials and advocacy newsletter alerts.

Join a Campaign Committee

Resident-led steering committees meet monthly and welcome new members. No prior experience required.

Serve on an Advisory Board

TerraFuture helps identify relevant municipal citizen advisory boards and guides you through the application process.

Monitor and Report

Become a trained data steward and contribute directly to the evidence base supporting policy advocacy.

Vote and Engage

Nonpartisan environmental voter guides before local elections summarizing candidates' positions on key issues.

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