• Description
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Contact Information
• Join Us
• List of Collaborative Members

The Massachusetts Environmental Collaborative brings together over sixty organizations from around the commonwealth to improve our combined research, advocacy and communication capabilities. The member organizations include local land trusts, coastal protection groups, environmental justice organizations, watershed associations, and other resource conservation and environmental health groups. Our membership spans the state from the Berkshires to Cape Cod, bringing small grassroots organizations together with sizeable regional groups. Participation in this diverse coalition affords organizations and their members the opportunity to dramatically increase their impact on state environmental policy.

Environmental groups are often able to come together to defeat acute threats to the policies and programs we have helped to put in place. However, the next generation of challenges we face, on issues such as growth management, water supply and quality, land protection, environmental justice, and regulatory reform, will require concerted action over a long period of time. By working cooperatively, bringing new resources to bear, and making use of both new technologies and time-tested organizing techniques, the Collaborative will significantly improve our ability to successfully meet these challenges.

The Massachusetts Environmental Collaborative works through ELM to improve both the quantity and quality of participation by environmental groups (and their members) in important public policy decisions.

Some of the activities of the Collaborative include:

• Increasing the multi-way flow of information, ideas, and awareness of pending issues among all member organizations through the use of new technologies including list serves and web sites;
• Operating an "Action Alert" network for Collaborative members, and orchestrating letter/fax/e-mail campaigns and State House lobby days;
• Coordinating a diverse and representative array of testimony, written comments, and expert witnesses for public hearings;
• Hosting information forums with decision-makers and issue experts about timely and important environmental issues;
• Conducting original research as well as collecting and disseminating research reports, studies, articles, and legislative and regulatory materials relating to key environmental issues;
• Serving as a media resource, including developing and delivering a clear and strong message both generally and on specific issues, commenting on current issues, directing reporters to spokespeople from member groups, and placing op-ed pieces and radio and television guests;
• Consulting with individual member groups on how they can improve their advocacy on issues of special concern to them;
• Subscribing to (and sharing with all member groups) selected journals and computerized information services that are too costly for individual organizations;
• Conducting advocacy training sessions so that grassroots environmental activists can learn how to be more effective; and
• Undertaking periodic opinion research to better understand citizens' concerns and to learn how to better communicate and enlist support.

David DeKing, Vice President for Collaboration and Education
14 Beacon Street, Suite 714
Boston, MA 02108
Ph: 617 742-2553
Fax: 617 742-9656
Email: ddeking@environmentalleague.org

If your nonprofit organization would like more information about joining the Massachusetts Environmental Collaborative, please fill out the following form, contact the Environmental League of Massachusetts at the above address or e-mail elm@environmentalleague.org.