On Valentine’s Day, MA showed some love for the Environmental Protection Agency. A “pop-up” morning of appreciation took place with about 50 grateful citizens showing up in front of EPA Region 1 headquarters in Boston with signs of thanks, valentine cookies and thank you notes that we handed to EPA employees as they came to work.
The idea was conceived by Beth Tener, an ELM friend and colleague. In a statement Beth said “This is a rally of appreciation for the incredibly valuable work of EPA. At a time when people are activated to protest and resist what we don’t want, we need to bring visible support to what we value. We are here to show support to public institutions and their employees who are dedicated to protecting our air, water, land and health.”
Nancy Goodman, ELM’s Vice President for Policy added, “We gather today to thank EPA staff for all their work over decades to make sure we have clean air, clean water, and our health is protected. We shouldn’t take a clean environment for granted. It’s important that we recognize and appreciate our public servants and that we insist that sound science guides our decisions.”
EPA staff were very grateful for the support and recognition. Responses from two long-time EPA employees:
“It felt so good to have some type of support for the work we do. It was really appreciated, a lot of people here were thrilled and it upped our spirits.”
“It really made my day during a time of great uncertainty. I’m going to hang the thank you note on my refrigerator to remind me every day of the reason I get up and go to work. Happy Valentine’s Day and thank you!”
