Just some of the 120 volunteer lobbyists who met with 85 legislators on Conservation Day 2025.
Conservation Day on the Hill (CDH) is held each year in late winter. CDH is your chance to meet with your State legislators in Nashville to promote the passage of bills that preserve and protect our water, air and land, and to block those bills that would do it harm. CDH has been a joint effort of the Tennessee Environmental Council, the Tennessee Sierra Club, Harpeth Conservancy, Tennessee Interfaith Power and Light and the Tennessee Conservation Voters for many years.
Organizers get to work as soon the legislature convenes, providing updates on what bills are pending, so that you can have advance preparation for your meetings. Due to the dynamics of the legislature, the final issue list won't be known until the week before CDH.
Lobbying training and "ask" education happens the evening before CDH, both in-person in Nashville and on Zoom for those who can't attend.
All meetings with legislators are held in the Cordell Hull building, 425 5th Ave North, Nashville, the location of the Tennessee State legislative offices and hearing rooms. Coordinators will schedule meetings with legislators between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm to fit participants' travel schedules.
Meetings with legislators last 10-15 minutes, with three people at each meeting. One person takes the lead and one person takes notes. The members of many of the key committees for our bills of interest are dominated by legislators from rural districts. Since a constituent must be present, you might make the difference in your legislator's door being open to us.
Despite the hostile political climate in DC, the Tennessee legislators are friendly and engage in real conversations. Even though they don't always agree, the exchange of ideas is valuable, and that is the purpose of our day on the Hill.
Please plan to be in Nashville for the next Conservation Day on the Hill. Once you establish a relationship with your legislator, if you don't already have one, you will have their ear when important issues arise.
For more information, questions or suggestions, or if you would like to help organize Conservation Day, contact: Bill Moll - Conservation Education Day Coordinator whmoll@aol.com 404-401-7899
We will be contacting members, so please don't hang up or ghost us. This is an important event and it is effective and satisfying.