Daily Blog
3/2/15 - 8 hours
Today I worked with Cindy Luppi who is the Clean Water Action director for the entire New England department. Elizabeth Saunders who will be my main mentor who is away on vacation, gave me a document explaining what my task was for the day. I started researching flame retardants and the harmful health affects they cause. I looked at how flame retardant industries were able to deceive the public and what campaigns there are to ban flame retardants in children's products and in household furniture nationwide. I was surprised as I began to research because I never knew how dangerous the chemicals in fire retardants could be and how we are in contact with these chemicals in our everyday lives. As I gathered more information for the PowerPoint I am assigned to create, I took notes on these specifics so I could create the PowerPoint efficiently for tomorrow. I also went to a meeting today about carbon taxes at the State House. I was able to see how Clean Water Action, the Environmental League of Massachusetts and many more organizations collaborate to create stronger campaigns. The meeting was extremely interesting as well as overwhelming because I knew little of what they were talking about. However, it was a great first day as I was able to learn about the organization I will be working for over these next three weeks and get a taste of my everyday work.
Today I worked with Cindy Luppi who is the Clean Water Action director for the entire New England department. Elizabeth Saunders who will be my main mentor who is away on vacation, gave me a document explaining what my task was for the day. I started researching flame retardants and the harmful health affects they cause. I looked at how flame retardant industries were able to deceive the public and what campaigns there are to ban flame retardants in children's products and in household furniture nationwide. I was surprised as I began to research because I never knew how dangerous the chemicals in fire retardants could be and how we are in contact with these chemicals in our everyday lives. As I gathered more information for the PowerPoint I am assigned to create, I took notes on these specifics so I could create the PowerPoint efficiently for tomorrow. I also went to a meeting today about carbon taxes at the State House. I was able to see how Clean Water Action, the Environmental League of Massachusetts and many more organizations collaborate to create stronger campaigns. The meeting was extremely interesting as well as overwhelming because I knew little of what they were talking about. However, it was a great first day as I was able to learn about the organization I will be working for over these next three weeks and get a taste of my everyday work.
3/3/15 - 8 hours
Today I finished reading the articles about flame retardants and began working on my PowerPoint. I worked independently with the occasional assistance from Cindy Luppi. I finished three slides that discussed the deception by flame retardant industries, states that have already passed laws to ban Penta, Octa and Deca PBDEs (Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers), and the proposed legislation nationwide and in Massachusetts specifically. I began to reformat a survey for students about personal care products for Clean Water Action's Safe Cosmetics Campaign to help make the survey clear and concise. I also went to a staff meeting for the Clean Water Action Massachusetts department and was able to learn about the campaigns that all the staff are involved in and the progress of those campaigns. I was also able to meet more staff members that were gone on Monday. I am enjoying being able to learn more about the organization and the staff. I have realized that they are constantly working to get bills passed and create awareness around the specific issues that are highlighted in their campaigns. I hope that by tomorrow, I can finish the PowerPoint and work to completely reformat the survey as well as help with any other work that needs to be done.
Today I finished reading the articles about flame retardants and began working on my PowerPoint. I worked independently with the occasional assistance from Cindy Luppi. I finished three slides that discussed the deception by flame retardant industries, states that have already passed laws to ban Penta, Octa and Deca PBDEs (Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers), and the proposed legislation nationwide and in Massachusetts specifically. I began to reformat a survey for students about personal care products for Clean Water Action's Safe Cosmetics Campaign to help make the survey clear and concise. I also went to a staff meeting for the Clean Water Action Massachusetts department and was able to learn about the campaigns that all the staff are involved in and the progress of those campaigns. I was also able to meet more staff members that were gone on Monday. I am enjoying being able to learn more about the organization and the staff. I have realized that they are constantly working to get bills passed and create awareness around the specific issues that are highlighted in their campaigns. I hope that by tomorrow, I can finish the PowerPoint and work to completely reformat the survey as well as help with any other work that needs to be done.
3/4/15 - 8 hours
Today I met Amanda who is working on the Safe Cosmetics Campaign. After working on the PowerPoint about flame retardants for a few hours, I was able to reformat the survey and get feedback from Amanda. She also helped to simplify the wording of the previous survey and cut out a portion that wasn't necessary. I then edited it more with the refinements from her feedback and our collaboration. I then began looking at example Action Alerts that would help me to write my own on flame retardants. I took notes on specifics I wanted to include and tips for layout. After reading a few examples, I began to read through the specific Massachusetts bills that have been proposed. This helped me get a sense of what content would be in my Action Alert. I am surprised at how little I knew of these bills and the overall problem concerning flame retardants. It has made me more aware of what other issues there are concerning the health of the environment and humans.
Today I met Amanda who is working on the Safe Cosmetics Campaign. After working on the PowerPoint about flame retardants for a few hours, I was able to reformat the survey and get feedback from Amanda. She also helped to simplify the wording of the previous survey and cut out a portion that wasn't necessary. I then edited it more with the refinements from her feedback and our collaboration. I then began looking at example Action Alerts that would help me to write my own on flame retardants. I took notes on specifics I wanted to include and tips for layout. After reading a few examples, I began to read through the specific Massachusetts bills that have been proposed. This helped me get a sense of what content would be in my Action Alert. I am surprised at how little I knew of these bills and the overall problem concerning flame retardants. It has made me more aware of what other issues there are concerning the health of the environment and humans.
3/5/15 - 8 hours
Today I read two more Action Alert examples written by Elizabeth Saunders and The Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow. I then drafted my Alert Action. This required more research on the health risks of flame retardants and what individuals can do to help bills get backed by legislators. I then went to a meeting about carbon taxes which was a follow up on the first meeting I attended. I was able to understand more of their concrete plans, which included using the revenue from carbon taxes to create new programs that would help to make renewable energy sources a reality in the near future. For example, they discussed creating a green infrastructure bank, creating public transportation efficiency, and community solar programs. What I also found to be interesting was what was mentioned about needing a political lever to make this happen as well as millions in funding. I have realized that these campaigns need so much support especially when it affects an entire city. They have to have political support, citizen support and support from other organizations. I also did some yoga led by Becky to relax at the end of the day :).
Today I read two more Action Alert examples written by Elizabeth Saunders and The Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow. I then drafted my Alert Action. This required more research on the health risks of flame retardants and what individuals can do to help bills get backed by legislators. I then went to a meeting about carbon taxes which was a follow up on the first meeting I attended. I was able to understand more of their concrete plans, which included using the revenue from carbon taxes to create new programs that would help to make renewable energy sources a reality in the near future. For example, they discussed creating a green infrastructure bank, creating public transportation efficiency, and community solar programs. What I also found to be interesting was what was mentioned about needing a political lever to make this happen as well as millions in funding. I have realized that these campaigns need so much support especially when it affects an entire city. They have to have political support, citizen support and support from other organizations. I also did some yoga led by Becky to relax at the end of the day :).
First Week - 32 hours
This week was amazing! I came in wanting to learn more about renewable energy as well as learn about something new and gain more knowledge about how Clean Water Action is able to create meaningful campaigns. I have been able to do all of this by attending the meeting about carbon taxing in Massachusetts, by learn about flame retardants and by hearing about all the campaigns that the organization is involved in. I have enjoyed meeting the Clean Water Action team and learning about their passions and their roles in the organization. I have realized that there is still so much to learn about what is needed to create policies and pass laws to support the health of the environment and people. I have also realized that what the organization focuses on is on the planet and the people which I think helps to make their campaigns successful. I have been so focused on how to improve the environment, but not on how to improve the health of the environment while improving the health of the people. I am glad that I have learned that we need to do both to make the greatest impact. In a world in which humans are often the center of decisions, it is important to create campaigns that are focused around people, but also support the environment as a whole. For example, the flame retardants campaign is focused on the health of people which is extremely important and helps to get policies in place. It also is supporting the environment, which is my main goal as an aspiring environmental activist. I have also realized how many different environmental issues there are and am excited what other campaigns I will learn about in the upcoming weeks. It has been a great learning experience and has made me even more passionate about creating positive change for the planet and the people.
This week was amazing! I came in wanting to learn more about renewable energy as well as learn about something new and gain more knowledge about how Clean Water Action is able to create meaningful campaigns. I have been able to do all of this by attending the meeting about carbon taxing in Massachusetts, by learn about flame retardants and by hearing about all the campaigns that the organization is involved in. I have enjoyed meeting the Clean Water Action team and learning about their passions and their roles in the organization. I have realized that there is still so much to learn about what is needed to create policies and pass laws to support the health of the environment and people. I have also realized that what the organization focuses on is on the planet and the people which I think helps to make their campaigns successful. I have been so focused on how to improve the environment, but not on how to improve the health of the environment while improving the health of the people. I am glad that I have learned that we need to do both to make the greatest impact. In a world in which humans are often the center of decisions, it is important to create campaigns that are focused around people, but also support the environment as a whole. For example, the flame retardants campaign is focused on the health of people which is extremely important and helps to get policies in place. It also is supporting the environment, which is my main goal as an aspiring environmental activist. I have also realized how many different environmental issues there are and am excited what other campaigns I will learn about in the upcoming weeks. It has been a great learning experience and has made me even more passionate about creating positive change for the planet and the people.
3/9/15 - 8 hours
Today I finally met Elizabeth who will me my mentor for the next two weeks. We were able to go over the work I have done so far and she was able to clarify her expectations in more detail than what was given to me in her outline. She gave me great feedback on my Action Alert and PowerPoint and we worked together to make the slides more clear and add slides that would add to the presentation. I realized that the PowerPoint and Action Alert postcard I am making is for this Sunday's (3/15) Local Environmental Action event. The PowerPoint will be used by Elizabeth for her presentation about chemicals in our products, specifically flame retardants. I then went to a meeting going over logistics for Sunday's events which helped Elizabeth and I to revise the presentation more. I am excited to continue to work on this presentation and work with Elizabeth to make it usable for the event. I am also excited to see my Action Alerts being used to get
legislators in Massachusetts to support the Bills #627 and#758 that will ban the use of many flame retardants in consumer products.
Today I finally met Elizabeth who will me my mentor for the next two weeks. We were able to go over the work I have done so far and she was able to clarify her expectations in more detail than what was given to me in her outline. She gave me great feedback on my Action Alert and PowerPoint and we worked together to make the slides more clear and add slides that would add to the presentation. I realized that the PowerPoint and Action Alert postcard I am making is for this Sunday's (3/15) Local Environmental Action event. The PowerPoint will be used by Elizabeth for her presentation about chemicals in our products, specifically flame retardants. I then went to a meeting going over logistics for Sunday's events which helped Elizabeth and I to revise the presentation more. I am excited to continue to work on this presentation and work with Elizabeth to make it usable for the event. I am also excited to see my Action Alerts being used to get
legislators in Massachusetts to support the Bills #627 and#758 that will ban the use of many flame retardants in consumer products.
3/10/15 - 8 hours
Today I created the final draft of my PowerPoint that I will have Elizabeth look over. I also finished my Action Alert that explains the Senate Bill and House Bill that are being proposed in Massachusetts and why it is important that they are passed. SB 627 and HB 758 are similar in the sense that they want to ban flame retardants from children's products and residential upholstered furniture however, HB 758 has a larger list of chemicals that will be banned if the bill passes unlike SB 627 that will only ban Chlorinated Tris and PBDEs (Polybronimated diphenyl ethers), which include PentaBDEs OctaBDEs and DecaBDEs. It has been extremely exciting to learn about these bills and how getting them passed can create a large positive impact for the people and the planet. I also went to the Court House in Boston to hear Phil, a Clean Water Action staff member from the North Hampton office, give testimony on residential energy efficiency. Alex who is also a Clean Water Action staff member pulled us aside from the meeting and gave us background on the issue that the meeting was addressing. It had to do with the Energy Efficiency Advisory Council that works to make a plan on how Massachusetts will spend money on energy efficiency for the next three years (it is a three year plan and every three years they have to go over logistics again and rework the plan). There are billions of dollars used for energy efficiency in Massachusetts. Alex told us what Phil was addressing, which was about the energy efficiency fees renters have to pay along with their energy bills that are supposed to be used to fix an issue that will help create better energy efficiency within the home like sealing windows. However, landlords get to decide whether or not the issue should be fixed and so what often happens is the renters pay this mandatory energy efficiency fee and landlords don't feel a need to fix these issues, so they don't. I found this super interesting and quite confusing as well, but I was able to get the gist. They rest of the meeting was just the policy piece that involved a lot of lawyers so we left, but it was a great experience.
Today I created the final draft of my PowerPoint that I will have Elizabeth look over. I also finished my Action Alert that explains the Senate Bill and House Bill that are being proposed in Massachusetts and why it is important that they are passed. SB 627 and HB 758 are similar in the sense that they want to ban flame retardants from children's products and residential upholstered furniture however, HB 758 has a larger list of chemicals that will be banned if the bill passes unlike SB 627 that will only ban Chlorinated Tris and PBDEs (Polybronimated diphenyl ethers), which include PentaBDEs OctaBDEs and DecaBDEs. It has been extremely exciting to learn about these bills and how getting them passed can create a large positive impact for the people and the planet. I also went to the Court House in Boston to hear Phil, a Clean Water Action staff member from the North Hampton office, give testimony on residential energy efficiency. Alex who is also a Clean Water Action staff member pulled us aside from the meeting and gave us background on the issue that the meeting was addressing. It had to do with the Energy Efficiency Advisory Council that works to make a plan on how Massachusetts will spend money on energy efficiency for the next three years (it is a three year plan and every three years they have to go over logistics again and rework the plan). There are billions of dollars used for energy efficiency in Massachusetts. Alex told us what Phil was addressing, which was about the energy efficiency fees renters have to pay along with their energy bills that are supposed to be used to fix an issue that will help create better energy efficiency within the home like sealing windows. However, landlords get to decide whether or not the issue should be fixed and so what often happens is the renters pay this mandatory energy efficiency fee and landlords don't feel a need to fix these issues, so they don't. I found this super interesting and quite confusing as well, but I was able to get the gist. They rest of the meeting was just the policy piece that involved a lot of lawyers so we left, but it was a great experience.
3/11/15 - 8 hours
Today I went to Burlington, MA with Clean Water Action intern Ayanna and Director Cindy to meet up with blogger Lori Popkewitz Alper who is the writer of Groovy Green Living. We went to talk to the store manager of the local Ethan Allen furniture store to find out if there were flame retardants in their products. We were curious to know what the store would say and recommend to someone was looking for a safe couch for their family. Earlier this year, Ethan Allen announced that they would be phasing out the use of all flame retardants in their products. We were curious to know if it had been implemented and what the local store employees knew about it. We were able to talk to the manager who told us it was something she had only just recently learned about, but she too feels that it is an important issue and concern. She did not know about the store policy on fire retardants and whether or not they have stop using flame retardants but recommended we talk to the higher management for more answers. We then interviewed Lori about her concerns as a mom and consumer and what she hopes to see happen in the future. When I got back to the Clean Water office, I worked to finish my final version of my PowerPoint and began to edit the fact sheet on flame retardants so that it includes both bills (HB 758, SB 627).
Today I went to Burlington, MA with Clean Water Action intern Ayanna and Director Cindy to meet up with blogger Lori Popkewitz Alper who is the writer of Groovy Green Living. We went to talk to the store manager of the local Ethan Allen furniture store to find out if there were flame retardants in their products. We were curious to know what the store would say and recommend to someone was looking for a safe couch for their family. Earlier this year, Ethan Allen announced that they would be phasing out the use of all flame retardants in their products. We were curious to know if it had been implemented and what the local store employees knew about it. We were able to talk to the manager who told us it was something she had only just recently learned about, but she too feels that it is an important issue and concern. She did not know about the store policy on fire retardants and whether or not they have stop using flame retardants but recommended we talk to the higher management for more answers. We then interviewed Lori about her concerns as a mom and consumer and what she hopes to see happen in the future. When I got back to the Clean Water office, I worked to finish my final version of my PowerPoint and began to edit the fact sheet on flame retardants so that it includes both bills (HB 758, SB 627).
3/12/15 - 8 hours
Today I came into the office and found out that my mentor Elizabeth was not going to be there all day. This was a small set back, as I had planned to look over my PowerPoint, fact sheet, and Action Alert with her. However, I was able to do this over the phone. We talked for about an hour on how to improve the PowerPoint, which was mainly adding slides that explained what consumers could do to protect themselves from these toxic flame retardants. We also talked about adding a few sentences about firefighters in the fact sheet and condense some of the wording. For the rest of the day, I finished these three projects and printed out 40 Action Alerts for the Sunday conference. Today I realized how important it is to spell check and look over grammar because Elizabeth had edited the Action Alerts, but she didn't add an apostrophe where it needed to be added and I didn't catch it before we printed them out. This caused me to have to write in an apostrophe for the 40 pages. I was also able to watch Toxic Hot Seat last night which is a documentary on flame retardants and the deception by chemical companies that Elizabeth gave me to watch. It goes into even more depth about chemical companies pushing to eliminate policies from being created that would ban flame retardants. I have gained so much knowledge about flame retardants and the harms that I never knew were an issue. I know that I will be able to use this knowledge when I get home and can start shopping for safer products and can continue to push to have flame retardants banned.
Today I came into the office and found out that my mentor Elizabeth was not going to be there all day. This was a small set back, as I had planned to look over my PowerPoint, fact sheet, and Action Alert with her. However, I was able to do this over the phone. We talked for about an hour on how to improve the PowerPoint, which was mainly adding slides that explained what consumers could do to protect themselves from these toxic flame retardants. We also talked about adding a few sentences about firefighters in the fact sheet and condense some of the wording. For the rest of the day, I finished these three projects and printed out 40 Action Alerts for the Sunday conference. Today I realized how important it is to spell check and look over grammar because Elizabeth had edited the Action Alerts, but she didn't add an apostrophe where it needed to be added and I didn't catch it before we printed them out. This caused me to have to write in an apostrophe for the 40 pages. I was also able to watch Toxic Hot Seat last night which is a documentary on flame retardants and the deception by chemical companies that Elizabeth gave me to watch. It goes into even more depth about chemical companies pushing to eliminate policies from being created that would ban flame retardants. I have gained so much knowledge about flame retardants and the harms that I never knew were an issue. I know that I will be able to use this knowledge when I get home and can start shopping for safer products and can continue to push to have flame retardants banned.
Second Week: 40 hours
This week was a very experiential week. I was able to get great feedback on my project and was also able to see it come to life during the 25th annual Local Environmental Action conference. Not only did I get to see my mentor Elizabeth present with my PowerPoint and hand out my Action Alert and the fact sheet I helped with, but I also was able to attend a couple other workshops including a presentation about zero waste. I realized I knew more than I thought about some of these topics, but I was also able to learn more from the diverse ideas and perspectives of the speakers and audience. There were so many involved and passionate people at the conference was extremely fun to see. I have learned that the campaigns of organizations including Clean Water Action, are very important in creating change and change that will not only support local communities but the entire nation. I have also learned that what I was able to help Clean Water Action with is something they actually use and have to do often. I am excited to have learned that this is truly my passion. I have been exposed to so many different people, organizations, and campaigns and have been thoroughly surprised, impressed and inspired. It has been a great week and now that I have finished the bulk of my project, I am excited to see what comes next for this following week!
This week was a very experiential week. I was able to get great feedback on my project and was also able to see it come to life during the 25th annual Local Environmental Action conference. Not only did I get to see my mentor Elizabeth present with my PowerPoint and hand out my Action Alert and the fact sheet I helped with, but I also was able to attend a couple other workshops including a presentation about zero waste. I realized I knew more than I thought about some of these topics, but I was also able to learn more from the diverse ideas and perspectives of the speakers and audience. There were so many involved and passionate people at the conference was extremely fun to see. I have learned that the campaigns of organizations including Clean Water Action, are very important in creating change and change that will not only support local communities but the entire nation. I have also learned that what I was able to help Clean Water Action with is something they actually use and have to do often. I am excited to have learned that this is truly my passion. I have been exposed to so many different people, organizations, and campaigns and have been thoroughly surprised, impressed and inspired. It has been a great week and now that I have finished the bulk of my project, I am excited to see what comes next for this following week!
3/16/15 - 8 hours
Today I came into the office and found out that Elizabeth is still not feeling well and was taking off Monday and Tuesday of this week. Cindy was also not in the office until around 12:30. Without much guidance in the beginning of the day, I chose to write out my interview questions for my interview with Elizabeth this week. I also started to draft the Clean Water Action handout on how to protect yourself as a consumer. However, I wasn't exactly sure what Elizabeth wanted included on that so I waited until Cindy came in to give me some ideas and support. She gave me several websites to draw from which helped me finish the rough draft of the handout. She also had me look over a letter that addresses a bad bill that Vitter and Udall are proposing. My day was relatively relaxed, but I was able to get work done and debrief with the staff on the Local Environmental conference some of us attended on Sunday. It was extremely interesting to learn about their individual interests and hear what others thought. I feel that I have gotten into the swing of things here and I am sad that I only have 3 more days left of working with this great organization.
Today I came into the office and found out that Elizabeth is still not feeling well and was taking off Monday and Tuesday of this week. Cindy was also not in the office until around 12:30. Without much guidance in the beginning of the day, I chose to write out my interview questions for my interview with Elizabeth this week. I also started to draft the Clean Water Action handout on how to protect yourself as a consumer. However, I wasn't exactly sure what Elizabeth wanted included on that so I waited until Cindy came in to give me some ideas and support. She gave me several websites to draw from which helped me finish the rough draft of the handout. She also had me look over a letter that addresses a bad bill that Vitter and Udall are proposing. My day was relatively relaxed, but I was able to get work done and debrief with the staff on the Local Environmental conference some of us attended on Sunday. It was extremely interesting to learn about their individual interests and hear what others thought. I feel that I have gotten into the swing of things here and I am sad that I only have 3 more days left of working with this great organization.
3/17/15 - 8 hours
Today started out slow. I wasn't sure exactly what to do because Elizabeth and Cindy were not in until lunch. However, Elizabeth emailed me and Amanda about gathering and consolidating sign-ons to a letter about the Udall-Vitter bill on toxic chemicals. I wasn't sure what to do and Amanda knew she could do it quickly and organize it, so she took over that part. I then reviewed my handout and got prepared for my interview with Elizabeth. After lunch, I interviewed Elizabeth and learned more about how she got interested in environmental policy. It was great to hear what she had to say about the organization and her hopes for the future in regards to Clean Water Action and younger generations. Afterwards, Cindy asked if I had finished organizing and gathering the sign-ons for the letter. I had only briefly talked to Cindy about consolidating them yesterday and wasn't sure what that meant and when that needed to be done, so I planned to talk to her when she got in the office today. So there was quite a bit of confusion, but it ended up working itself out. However, I have learned that I need to ask more questions when I am given something to work on even though it wasn't directly explained to me. I also started writing a press release for the Toxic Hot Seat film screening in Cape Cod. One thing I found interesting was that most of these press releases have drafted quotes. I wrote a quote about how harmful flame retardants are to female firefighters and then will pass it to the director of Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition and ask her if the quote would be something she would say; if so, then we use that quote. There are small things like this that I learn everyday that constantly surprise me.
Today started out slow. I wasn't sure exactly what to do because Elizabeth and Cindy were not in until lunch. However, Elizabeth emailed me and Amanda about gathering and consolidating sign-ons to a letter about the Udall-Vitter bill on toxic chemicals. I wasn't sure what to do and Amanda knew she could do it quickly and organize it, so she took over that part. I then reviewed my handout and got prepared for my interview with Elizabeth. After lunch, I interviewed Elizabeth and learned more about how she got interested in environmental policy. It was great to hear what she had to say about the organization and her hopes for the future in regards to Clean Water Action and younger generations. Afterwards, Cindy asked if I had finished organizing and gathering the sign-ons for the letter. I had only briefly talked to Cindy about consolidating them yesterday and wasn't sure what that meant and when that needed to be done, so I planned to talk to her when she got in the office today. So there was quite a bit of confusion, but it ended up working itself out. However, I have learned that I need to ask more questions when I am given something to work on even though it wasn't directly explained to me. I also started writing a press release for the Toxic Hot Seat film screening in Cape Cod. One thing I found interesting was that most of these press releases have drafted quotes. I wrote a quote about how harmful flame retardants are to female firefighters and then will pass it to the director of Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition and ask her if the quote would be something she would say; if so, then we use that quote. There are small things like this that I learn everyday that constantly surprise me.
3/18/15 - 8 hours
Today Elizabeth worked from home, but I was able to talk to her and she assigned a few things for me to do. I made a factsheet on BPA which talks about what BPA is why it is harmful, what has been done to try and ban it, and what legislation is in the process to make sure that we are not exposed to this toxic chemical. I also finished my flame retardants handout about how to protect yourself as a consumer, as well as updated a factsheet on bills by changing the docket numbers to actual bill numbers and adding the Decker bill and BPA bill to the factsheet. It was great to be assigned something and know that I could do it independently based on what I have learned over the past two weeks. I was able to use the skills I have gained and create products that I am proud of. Amanda also told me that I may be writing a blog tomorrow which I think will be fun but also new. I can already tell that I will be using these skills when I get back to Durango, and I hope that I can create some of these products like factsheets and Action Alerts that relate to Colorado.
Today Elizabeth worked from home, but I was able to talk to her and she assigned a few things for me to do. I made a factsheet on BPA which talks about what BPA is why it is harmful, what has been done to try and ban it, and what legislation is in the process to make sure that we are not exposed to this toxic chemical. I also finished my flame retardants handout about how to protect yourself as a consumer, as well as updated a factsheet on bills by changing the docket numbers to actual bill numbers and adding the Decker bill and BPA bill to the factsheet. It was great to be assigned something and know that I could do it independently based on what I have learned over the past two weeks. I was able to use the skills I have gained and create products that I am proud of. Amanda also told me that I may be writing a blog tomorrow which I think will be fun but also new. I can already tell that I will be using these skills when I get back to Durango, and I hope that I can create some of these products like factsheets and Action Alerts that relate to Colorado.
3/19/15 - 7 1/2 hours
Today was my last day! It was bittersweet because I am happy that I can take what I have learned back with me and help make a difference in my own community, but I am sad that I am leaving such an amazing organization and the amazing people I have gotten to know. I was able to finish up all the work I have been doing for the last few days and hand it into Elizabeth. I also was able to listen on to a conference call about supporting bills and adding new bills to support, including the Decker bill on flame retardants and the BPA bill. I knew a lot about the call because they used the factsheet that I had helped create/update. Clean Water had a little lunch celebration for me which was extremely nice and I gave the Clean Water crew chocolate covered strawberries as a thank you for this amazing experience. I am proud at what I have been able to accomplish and proud that I have been able to positively impact Massachusetts Clean Water Action.
Today was my last day! It was bittersweet because I am happy that I can take what I have learned back with me and help make a difference in my own community, but I am sad that I am leaving such an amazing organization and the amazing people I have gotten to know. I was able to finish up all the work I have been doing for the last few days and hand it into Elizabeth. I also was able to listen on to a conference call about supporting bills and adding new bills to support, including the Decker bill on flame retardants and the BPA bill. I knew a lot about the call because they used the factsheet that I had helped create/update. Clean Water had a little lunch celebration for me which was extremely nice and I gave the Clean Water crew chocolate covered strawberries as a thank you for this amazing experience. I am proud at what I have been able to accomplish and proud that I have been able to positively impact Massachusetts Clean Water Action.
Third Week: 31 1/2
My internship was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I was able to learn what a job in this field really looks like and I was able to be a part of an amazing organization. Going in I was unsure on what to expect, but I jumped in and immediately started working on a topic I knew nothing about. I was able to create a project that had purpose for the organization and overall learned how non-profit organizations like Clean Water Action fight to support the health of the environment and the people. Looking back I have realized how valuable it was to take on a new topic that expanded my knowledge of environmental issues as a whole. I also now understand that we are not just fighting for the health of the environment, but the health of the people and this mind shift can make a much stronger and effective campaign. I realized the importance of policy and campaigning and how much effort, time, and patience it takes to create meaningful change. I was overwhelmed when I listened to meeting about carbon taxes and realized how long these projects take. I was so happy that I could help to create change by creating a powerpoint that informed the public along with several fact sheets about flame retardants and BPA and could create a postcard that was sent to the state house demanding change. I also learned a lot about the policy part in regards to bills and why they are so important. I know that this is the kind of work I want to do in my future. It is so satisfying when you can be the one to help make positive change. I loved hearing what Elizabeth had to say about why she continues to do what she does and how she stays hopeful, "It is a lot more interesting to be hopeful and see about how you can figure out the solution, than it is to get discouraged about it and kind of wallow in that." I am still shocked that I was able to work with these amazing people and learn as much as I did in these three weeks!
My internship was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I was able to learn what a job in this field really looks like and I was able to be a part of an amazing organization. Going in I was unsure on what to expect, but I jumped in and immediately started working on a topic I knew nothing about. I was able to create a project that had purpose for the organization and overall learned how non-profit organizations like Clean Water Action fight to support the health of the environment and the people. Looking back I have realized how valuable it was to take on a new topic that expanded my knowledge of environmental issues as a whole. I also now understand that we are not just fighting for the health of the environment, but the health of the people and this mind shift can make a much stronger and effective campaign. I realized the importance of policy and campaigning and how much effort, time, and patience it takes to create meaningful change. I was overwhelmed when I listened to meeting about carbon taxes and realized how long these projects take. I was so happy that I could help to create change by creating a powerpoint that informed the public along with several fact sheets about flame retardants and BPA and could create a postcard that was sent to the state house demanding change. I also learned a lot about the policy part in regards to bills and why they are so important. I know that this is the kind of work I want to do in my future. It is so satisfying when you can be the one to help make positive change. I loved hearing what Elizabeth had to say about why she continues to do what she does and how she stays hopeful, "It is a lot more interesting to be hopeful and see about how you can figure out the solution, than it is to get discouraged about it and kind of wallow in that." I am still shocked that I was able to work with these amazing people and learn as much as I did in these three weeks!