Photo by Todd Waterman
Candace Tanner and Waste To Jobs author Dan Firth meet with their Representative Bud Hulsey while Chapter Director, Pat Cupples tags along to win Rep. Hulsey's support for our bills. Rep. Hulsey has signed on as a co-sponsor.
We just wrapped one of the best Conservation Day on the Hill events we've had, and it's hard not to still feel the buzz from an exciting day at the Capitol.
Sixty-three volunteers came to Nashville, walked the halls of the Cordell Hull Building and made their voices heard. Together we held 25+ meetings with lawmakers, attended 3 Senate committee hearings, delivered 15 handwritten letters to legislators and, in more than a few cases, moved the needle with our lawmakers.
Days like this don't happen without a lot of moving parts coming together, so we want to take a moment to say thank you to the people and organizations that made it work.
Thank You to Our Partner Organizations
Conservation Day on the Hill is a coalition effort, and we're proud to work alongside some of the best conservation partners in Tennessee. This year we were joined by the Tennessee Environmental Council, Harpeth Conservancy, Tennessee Interfaith Power and Light, Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association and the League of Women Voters. Each of these organizations brought expertise, relationships and a deep commitment to Tennessee's natural resources to the table. We're grateful to do this work alongside them.
A Special Shoutout to Our Community Sponsors
Advocacy is hungry work. We're sincerely grateful to Crema Coffee Roasters for keeping our volunteers caffeinated and Redheaded Stranger for donating a taco lunch that kept everyone fueled through an afternoon of back-to-back meetings. That kind of community support means more than you know — it's a reminder that conservation day isn't just a political, it's something that brings so many of us together in our commmunity.
What Is This Day All About?
This session, our coalition focused on three bills that get at a question that resonates across party lines: who gets to make decisions about what happens in your own community?
We showed up in support of the TN Waste to Jobs Act (SB0269/HB0600), which would shift the cost of packaging waste disposal off Tennessee taxpayers, while investing in recycling infrastructure and jobs across the state. We also supported the Scenic Rivers bill (SB1590/HB1510), which would expand protections for the Buffalo River, the Duck River and several other waterways in one of the most biodiverse river systems in North America. This bill has already passed in the Senate and we feel great about its prospects.
And we pushed back on a zoning bill (SB2582/HB2068) that would make it harder and more expensive for local governments to manage growth in their own communities and allow endless lawsuits to stand in the way of local goverments ability to look out for their communities.
What Comes Next?
The session is still moving, and your continued engagement matters. If you weren't able to join us this year, there's still time to reach out to your lawmakers. Visit our website to find out how to contact your representative and take action on the bills we're tracking. You can view current actions at https:/
And if you were there with us last week, thank you! You showed up, you spoke up and you represented your community. That's what this is all about.
Stay tuned for more updates as the session continues.