We are less than 6 months away from the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day!  We continue to organize for the biggest Earth Day that Boston has ever seen.  Every day more people and organizations are joining this effort to sound the alarm about climate change and demand action to stop it. Mass Audubon, Elders Climate Action and the Babson Sustainability Club are just a few of the groups who have recently joined the effort.  Thank you to all who are working to stand up for the planet.  

Communications

You have already seen our new logo at the top of this email. It is hot off the presses! Thank you to college student Lucas McBath for designing the logo. Our website is still in the testing phase but our web designer Tien-yi Lee has incorporated some great features into the site, including a countdown to Earth Day “clock” and a calendar section to list all the events happening during a week of activities to recognize this important anniversary.  If you know of events we should include between April 18-25, please let me know so they can be listed on our website.  We hope groups from all over New England will take action during this week.

Organizing

We continue to organize in colleges, high schools, churches and communities.  We are looking for both Campus and Neighborhood Captains.  If you are interested in participating, please let me know and I can get you set up.  We want to organize in every neighborhood and on every campus in the Boston area to make this event a diverse and inclusive event. All of this organizing is connected to national and international efforts led by our national partner The Earth Day Network.  

Planning Council

Our top priority is the formation of a of a vibrant, diverse planning council to make crucial decisions about the event’s activities (ie. who will speak and perform on the day).  We are deeply committed to climate justice, and will need co-chairs and participants from throughout the city and metro area representing all those affected by climate change with special emphasis on frontline communities.  For a discussion of frontline communities and climate change, see this post from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Earth Day 2020 Boston will offer an opportunity on April 18 to strengthen our collective voices and reflect on what we need to do to create a just transition to a fossil fuel free world. We are creating this canvas so you can fill in your vision of a more sustainable world.  The broader the range of voices on our council, the stronger we will be. Please consider joining the leadership team!

Board of Directors and 501c3

As part of our incorporation as a 501c3 (nonprofit organization) in the states of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, we are also guided by a Board of Directors to help us make financial and strategic decisions over the next 6 months.  In order to ensure the strength and equitability of our leadership, we are looking to double the size of our board. If you are interested in joining this temporary but important effort, please let me know. (Note: after Earth Day, when all the bills are paid, we will donate any left over funds and the organization will dissolve.) 

Next Meeting

Please save the date for November 20th from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm for the 2nd meeting of Earth Day 2020 Boston. Location TBD.

Other actions

If you can’t wait until April to take action, Extinction Rebellion has rescheduled an event for this coming Friday.  You can find more information here: 6th Extinction Funeral

In solidarity,
Michael Kozuch, Earth Day 2020 Organizer