February 27-28, 2024
Conservation Education Day (CED) is your chance to join with other environmentalists to meet with your state legislators in Nashville to promote the passage of bills which preserve and protect our water, air and land, and to block those which would do it harm. This is 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.
Wednesday, February 28, has been chosen for CED - after the key bills are known, but before crucial votes are taken. All meetings with legislators will be in the Cordell Hull building, 425 5th Ave N, Nashville, the location of the state legislative offices and hearing rooms.
There will be lobbying training and "ask" education on Tuesday evening, February 27, 6-8:00 pm in-person in Nashville and via zoom. Due to the dynamics of the legislature, the final issue list won't be known until the week before CED.
The members of many of the key committees for our bills of interest are dominated by legislators from rural districts. Since we can’t make an appointment unless there will be a constituent at the meeting, we need more Sierra club members from non-urban areas to participate in CED.
Last year, 50 or so of us met with about 50 of the 132 total legislators. Despite the hostile political climate in DC, the Tennessee legislators are friendly and engage in real conversations. They don't always agree, but there is an exchange of ideas, and that is the purpose of our day on the hill.
Please schedule some time in Nashville on February 27 and 28 so that we can increase the number of legislators with whom we meet in 2024. One of our goals is for you to establish a relationship with your legislator, if you don't already have one. The intention is to develop a state-wide program to support building these relationships. That is the best way to ensure that they will listen to you when an important issue arises.
Come joins us! To register, go to https://act.sierraclub.org/events/details.... You will then be on the email list for the weekly call to discuss legislation.
