April 2025
By: Ty McFarland, Director of Communications for NCLCVF, city of Raleigh, NC & 2024 Fellow
Threats to Our Environment are Threats to Our Health
As the Director of Communications for the NC League of Conservation Voters Foundation, I often get to meet with community members and advocates. In these meetings, I get small glimpses into North Carolinians’ lives. I meet their families, and I get to hear their stories. Each of these stories is tied to someone’s safety and health.
Some of these stories include folks evacuating their family from their home due to climate disasters. Some of the stories include the uncommon cancers (and sometimes deaths) caused by pollution. These stories and these advocates touch our hearts, but too often as a society, we write off these advocates because “what doesn’t cause cancer these days,” or “what can I do about such a big problem like climate change.” But we can’t let ourselves think that way. That sort of thinking is a terrible sign we as a society have given up on fighting for our health, our communities, and our environment.
So how do we keep standing up for our health and environment?
Sharing Our Stories
The Boards + Commission’s program is full of talented, smart, and capable advocates, not just for the environment, but for many societal problems. We are equipping leaders with the knowledge they will need to address these problems and stand up for their communities.
If you have a story about your health and the environment, we invite you to share it with us!
Our Stories Make a Difference
Last year, Crystal Barnes bravely shared her story about lowering her energy consumption, lowering her bills, and protecting the environment for her kids. We helped put together a short video of her sharing her story, and it caught the attention of a national legislator. Representative Rosa DeLauro watched the video, and highlighted Crystal’s bravery to share her story. Check out what Rep. DeLauro said about Crystal and PowerUp’s work.
Crystal’s video: https://youtu.be/rLKCurB7AzU?feature=shared
Representative DeLauro’s response: https://youtu.be/ehkeBGk18ec?feature=shared
If you would like to support this work, we ask you to become a donor today! Even $5 can make a difference.
