When Cheatham County passed the Jackson Law this year, giving local communities a voice in landfill decisions, it was a victory years in the making. At the heart of this community effort was Shirley Moulton, who spent countless hours alongside her neighbors, building relationships with representatives and mayors, and keeping the momentum going even when progress felt slow.
Middle Tennessee Group's decision to nominate Shirley as our 2025 Volunteer of the Year recognizes not just her individual dedication, but her ability to bring people together. From advocating for the Tennessee Waste to Jobs Act to joining the community fight against TVA's proposed methane gas plant in Cheatham County, Shirley exemplifies how environmental victories happen when neighbors organize together.
What makes Shirley's approach so effective is how she embodies a truth we're learning across Tennessee: while state legislators might be swayed by big money and out-of-state corporate interests, lasting change happens through the relationships we build in our communities. Shirley connects people – whether at recycling roundups with coalition partner TEC, at our Sierra Club retreats, or in meetings with local officials. She's now helping the Chickasaw group coordinate this fall's gathering at Natchez Trace, sharing what she's learned with groups across the state.
I got to know Shirley better during a walk at Natchez Trace recently, where we found ourselves discussing the No Kings rallies and current political tensions. Out there on the trail, surrounded by Tennessee's natural beauty, we had the kind of measured, thoughtful conversation that seems impossible on social media or in news comment sections. We could actually hear each other, consider different viewpoints, and remember what we're all fighting to protect. That moment captured something essential about how Shirley works – she creates space for real dialogue, the kind that builds understanding and brings communities together.
This is what environmental activism looks like at its best. Not waiting for someone famous to take up the cause, not hoping for viral moments, but neighbors working together, building trust, and organizing their communities. When the methane plant was stopped, when the Jackson Law passed, these victories belonged to everyone who showed up to meetings, made phone calls, and refused to give up on their community. Shirley helped keep that energy focused and moving forward.
The success in Cheatham County has created a template other Tennessee communities can follow. The Waste to Jobs movement is gaining ground across the state. And through the connections being built at retreats and committee meetings, our chapter is stronger and more connected than ever.
What Shirley and her fellow advocates prove is that every one of us can start where we are, with the representatives we have, with the neighbors we know. While corporate interests might have money, we have something more powerful – genuine relationships and a shared love for the places we call home. That's how communities win, one conversation, one county commission meeting, one local victory at a time.
If you want to bring the Jackson Law to your county or join the Waste to Jobs movement, take a page from Shirley's playbook: start with a conversation. Find your allies. Show up consistently. The path to protecting Tennessee's environment runs right through our own communities, and volunteers like Shirley Moulton are lighting the way.