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.

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. 

By Peter Aronson We are thrilled to announce that the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF) will be out on the streets helping New Yorkers celebrate Earth Month in April and Earth Day on April 22. “Every day is essentially Earth Day at the League, but there is no doubt that April…

We welcomed Jessica Wang from World Resources Institute and Ian Fried from CalStart to explore the future of clean school transportation and to discuss the benefits of electric school buses, from reducing emissions to fostering a sustainable learning environment.

As part of our ongoing series of webinars and in-person events on the IRA, NYLCVEF President Julie Tighe and federal campaigns manager Matt Salton recently joined with New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey for an informational webinar to share details about the IRA and how households and our communities can benefit.

By Peter Aronson While a school bus’s roaring ignition and noxious gasoline smell may bring a wisp of nostalgia to some of us, it comes at a steep cost in the form of emergency room visits, school absenteeism, and an overheating planet. The state’s fiscal year 2023 budget, passed in April 2022, established New York…

As New York transitions to electrifying its transportation and buildings sectors, we must consider grid readiness and infrastructure resiliency. This event featured a panel of cross-sector experts who discussed our transmission infrastructure needs. They addressed what they’re currently doing to achieve New York City’s clean energy goals, and more.

By Alexis Hidalgo The Save Our Compost coalition held a press conference and rally at City Hall Park on Wednesday to advocate for community composting. Aligning forces with over a dozen council members, we advocated passionately for Mayor Adams and the Department of Sanitation to reinstate vital funding. Under proposed budget cuts, community compost organizations…

As the New York state parks system prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2024, it’s worthwhile to continuously remind ourselves that the state has one of the best public park systems in the world, open to all.

The growth of offshore wind infrastructure, an affordable renewable energy source which harnesses power from ocean winds, is leading the path towards a future of green electricity in New York.  [Register for “Why Wind Works,”  a Lunch and Learn presented by NYLCVEF and Citizens Campaign for the Environment on November 30 at noon.] Offshore wind…

Spring is the perfect time to start your own garden! Gardening has many health and environmental benefits, such as the reduction of greenhouse gases, and the creation of habitats for small animals and insects. Gardening will help keep you active and has been known to reduce stress.

In an age where the internet is becoming easier for everyone to access, our ability to use this medium as a tool for reducing waste is also becoming much more convenient. Here are some ways you can use the internet to reduce paper and waste.

As we celebrate Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week, we remember the environmental, ecological, and economic significance of the estuary and how its conservation is imperative to the United States as a whole. Obstacles facing conservation in the Chesapeake Bay are made clear once one understands the many watersheds in New York. Here are some interesting facts about New York’s watersheds, including the Susquehanna River Watershed and its relevance to the Chesapeake Bay.

About one-third of what New Yorkers throw away can be composted. Food scraps and other organics do not break down in landfills the same way they do in compost piles. Not only does composting reduce waste, it also helps enrich soil used for growing trees and grass, improving our vital greenspaces. Anyone can compost, whether you live in a house or apartment.

It’s spring, and that means it’s wedding season. Show the planet some love by checking out our cheap and easy tips for having a sustainable wedding.

From reducing your use of products with harmful chemicals to decreasing the amount of waste you generate, give these simple lifestyle changes a try.

Spring cleaning is a great way to clear out clutter, but rather than throw your old stuff away, give it a second life by “upcycling,” or reusing it for something else.

Look up in the sky! It’s a songbird. It’s a sandhill crane. It’s bird watching!

We’ve put together this simple list of tips that will better prepare you for owning an electric vehicle.

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