Citizen's Toolkit

Our mission is to educate New Yorkers and help them become engaged and empowered advocates for the environment. The resources listed here can help you learn about environmental issues across the state and take advantage of the ways you can protect environment in your personal life and by getting involved in policy and political processes at the local and state levels. From contacting your representatives to the appropriate avenues to report environmental hazards to how to register to vote, these pages can help you protect the interests that are most important to you. As part of the Citizen’s Toolkit, we also provide weekly “Green Tips” so that you can make sustainable lifestyle choices. In the fight against climate change, every little effort can help to reduce carbon emissions and protect our planet from the worst.

The updated Lead and Copper Rules issued by the EPA also requires increased communication about the risks families face as well as more rigorous testing of drinking water and a lower threshold for communities to take action. The EPA also announced $2.6 billion in newly available drinking water infrastructure funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

National Drive Electric Week comes at an important time in our effort to drastically increase the number of electric vehicles on the road. We hope that the annual event, running from September 27 to October 6, with scores of events planned nationwide, in every state except Georgia and North Dakota, will spark plug everyone’s interest in going electric.

By Peter Aronson Providing clean drinking water for New York State’s 19 million residents is of paramount concern for New York state officials. It is a complex process, given that 95 percent of all New Yorkers receive their drinking water from almost 9,000 different public water systems in the state. This ranges from the smallest…

Here is our list of important and obtainable sustainability goals for your own life – goals the average person can strive for in our collective effort to reduce our carbon footprints. While you may be thinking I am only one person, the truth is, if we act together, it will make a difference. 

The area encompasses Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and the Great Lakes region and has a population of a little more than 3.5 million people. Our overall environmental goals for the region are to increase renewable energy, decarbonize buildings, clean up toxic waste, provide safe drinking water for all residents, and reduce waste going to landfills. 

It is essential that we learn to cut back and eliminate unnecessary plastic use. This week, our Green Tips will help you begin your plastic-free journey.

As the primary election season kicks into gear, the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF) continues their mission of educating voters through environmental candidate forums, conducting two in recent weeks, one in southern Westchester County for New York’s 16th Congressional District, and one in Albany for New York’s 109th Assembly District.  

Buying locally produced food and dining at farm-to-table restaurants is one way we can all work together to fight climate change. You can start out by visiting one of the many urban farms in New York City or elsewhere in the state, and then you can dine at one of the many farm-to-table restaurants.

Approval of multiple new projects, new multi-state leases and agreements, and the nation’s first commercial scale offshore wind project coming online with the completion of South Fork wind, mark the success of President Biden’s Clean Energy Agenda. 

As the holiday gift-buying season continues, New Yorkers may be replacing batteries in new electronics. Do you know how to recycle your batteries? If batteries are improperly disposed of, toxins will seep into the soil, air, and groundwater, heavily polluting the environment. To learn how to properly recycle your old batteries, read this week’s Green Tips.

E-waste includes dangerous chemicals that can have devastating effects on our health and the environment. Learn how to properly care for old electronics in this week’s Green Tips.

The holiday season has begun, and it’s a good time to green our shopping habits. Check out some of our tips below for shopping smart for the holidays.

We’ve outlined a number of ways to cut down on unnecessary waste ahead of, during, and after the big meal this year.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Check out our tips for making the holiday more eco-friendly.

It may not feel like it lately, but winter is right around the corner, which means frigid temperatures and probable snow storms. Winter coats are a must to keep warm during the frosty season but did you know that not all materials used to keep you warm are so eco-friendly? Check out our Green Tips on which winter coats are less harmful choices for our planet.

Autumn is now in full swing, and that means brilliant leaves of various shapes and colors are falling to the ground. Although they can be a nuisance, they can serve as great art materials. There are endless possibilities for art projects with leaves! Invite the children in your life to join in on the fun,…

This Halloween, we encourage you to follow our environmentally friendly tips to make your celebration “spooktacular.”

Together with our partners, we launched the NYC Clean School Bus Coalition to fight to phase out all school buses running on fossil fuels and transition to all-electric buses by 2040.

Get Involved

THANK YOU TO OUR PLATINUM CORPORATE PARTNERS