In 2023 we grieved the neighbors we lost in the deadliest storm in Buffalo’s history, along with losses from other climate based disasters nationally and internationally. We adapted, responded, and educated our people on the unprecedented air quality threats from wildfire smoke. Most importantly, we remained steadfastly committed to our core values as a staff, board, and membership as we continue to push our campaigns for justice forward.
This year, the theme of our end of year fundraising efforts and celebration is Building Community Power and Nurturing Collective Hope. We have used our rage and grief to fuel efforts to build power among poor and working class people. We have acted to strengthen our staff, board, and membership in 2023. As bad as it is, we cannot be angry all the time, we need joy, celebration, and, most of all, hope, in order to continue our fight. We need the softer caring side of us to shine through and be ever present. We nurture hope through building long term relationships, helping people see their own power and honoring the work of our ancestors and those that have come before us in this struggle.
This is a small sampling of the ways we have built power and nurtured hope in 2023:
- We grew our membership base by 20% in 2023 along with growing our staff. We were overjoyed to bring on Cindy Stroud, a long time East Side resident, to lead our Delavan Grider Campaign and Gia Spicola to continue our renewed base building efforts!
- We responded to the deadly Buffalo Blizzard with a series of Mutual Aid and political education based emergency preparedness trainings so that we can learn to protect each other from ongoing climate and industrial related disasters.
- In Tonawanda, we’ve spurred additional inspections at sites of concern to residents, pushed for the release of the preliminary draft of the Tonawanda Coke remediation plans, and advocated for codification of environmental justice within the Town’s zoning code.
- In Seneca-Babcock, the owner and operator of a former illegal concrete crushing operation faces over $1 million in court penalties. The owner is also the subject of a contempt of court hearing.
- In Lovejoy, we have spent the year building a strong foundation for our campaign to confront quality of life issues created by a tire shredding operation that have plagued the neighborhood for years.
- Our organizing efforts in Delevan Grider led to the establishment of monthly East Side Environmental Forum meetings, hosted by the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation, where residents can express concerns and receive important project updates, increasing transparency. \
Amidst the challenges we face, hope has been the sturdy companion that keeps us moving forward. At Clean Air, we are dedicated to cultivating a collective sense of purpose within our community, acknowledging the transformative strength that emerges when hope is nurtured together. In the same way wildflowers push through concrete, our community has shown resilience and determination against all odds. Your support has been instrumental in providing the sustenance needed to nurture this hope, allowing it to flourish.
Our theme this year is portrayed by the image of plants and flowers growing out of unexpected places, such as tires and watering cans. In the same way, your support enables us to cultivate growth and resilience in our community, even in the face of adversity. The tire symbolizes the challenges we encounter, and the wildflowers emerging from it represent the strength and beauty that can blossom when we come together.
We are looking toward 2024 as a pivotal year in our movement, a presidential election year which will have broad impacts on the course of the struggle for environmental and racial justice. It is said all the time but it is never more important than right now that Clean Air has the resources to remain strong, hopeful, and independent in this fight. We are asking for your support in helping us meet our $30,000 goal in grassroots donations by Dec. 31. You can send your contribution by mail in the enclosed envelope or by scanning the QR code below with your phone's camera and donating online.