Testimonials from Past Conferences

“The seeds of change are sown when we come together at the annual conference to connect and learn from our experiences. I get inspired and invigorated to go back to my community and stand up for what’s right. The conference is like a giant grassroots harvest!”

-Lori Ehrlich, Healthlink, Salem, MA and now State Representative

“The conference continues to be the ‘fertilizer’ proven to grow your community grassroots group. Year after year, I am re-energized and re-connected with wonderful people from all different neighborhoods united in protecting our health and environment. The sharing and skills training is unique and most importantly, always allows me to be more effective and knowledgeable in my local community.”

-Brent Baeslack, Haverhill Environmental League

“I usually walk into the conference in the morning feeling the weight of what sometimes feels like a perpetual struggle. I leave in the afternoon with a sense of exhilaration, having become intimately reacquainted with the number one underpinning of citizen organizing: the belief that anything is possible.”

-Richard Sherman, Mansfield Common Sense

“The conference was the launching pad for me to protect my family from toxic pollution. I’ve learned to be more effective. And I’ve learned that I’m not alone.”

-Andy Bauer, Middlesex Clean Air Association

“We keep coming back to the conference year after year. It continues to offer new things to learn and the chance to hear inspirational speakers. Skills we’ve learned at the conference have been crucial to the local work we do.”

-Steve Seymour and Sue Phelan, GreenCAPE

“I attended the ‘How to Have a Press Conference’ and ‘How to Get on the Front Page’ workshops at the Toxics Action conference. When I returned to my community, I held a press conference, I was on the front page, and I had the first of many environmental victories. “

-Julie Berberan, Quincy Citizens for Safe Schools

“The chosen guest speaker was electrifying, and a motivational force that helped focus the audience on the core issues affecting us today, and the strength and perseverance that it takes to overcome them."

-Scott Jacobs, Residents of the Last Green Valley