oil and gas facility

A new dawn for oil and gas protections in Colorado

Two wins in Colorado show how grassroots organizing has led to strongest-in-the-nation oil and gas protections. These stories have been republished from Western Colorado Alliance’s website. Grassroots organizing leads to better bonding and reclamation Thanks to the hard work of … Continued

MMIWG rally

No More Stolen Relatives – Taking Action to Resolve the MMIP Crisis

Demanding Accountability on the Inaction of Federal Government toward Missing and Murdered Indigenous People  Written by WORC intern Marena “Bright Eyes” Mahto (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara) As an Indigenous Two-Spirit person, hearing about someone’s family member going missing, unfortunately, isn’t uncommon. … Continued

clean energy jobs

Whatever Happened to Build Back Better?

Above: The Build Back Better Act offered one of the best opportunities in decades to put people to work building renewable energy projects, installing energy efficiency upgrades, and reclaiming abandoned fossil fuel infrastructure. Is the Build Back Better Act Dead? … Continued

apportionment of the US house of representatives 2021

Drawing Fair Maps is Crucial for WORC Region

Above: Western states’ populations grew faster than much of the U.S., adding representation in the House and political power in national decisions. Image: US Census WORC Region Gains Congressional Seats and Political Power. Now we must ensure that the districting … Continued

western native voice

Western Native Voice Community Spotlight: Alissa Snow

Alissa got her start in Montana politics registering voters as a community organizer for Western Native Voice. She soon after became the State Field Director and Montana’s first full-time Native woman lobbyist. Alissa helped to create, pass, and implement state law that protects the culture of Montana’s Indigenous people.

How to Recruit Candidates to Run for Office

Why recruit candidates?  Community organizing is about building enough power to win tangible improvements in people’s lives and bring about a more just and sustainable society. There are three important components in bringing about change: good public policy, community organizing, … Continued

How to Promote Your Cause on Youtube

Grassroots groups around the world use video, particularly over the internet, to communicate with members and the public, encourage action, recruit members, and raise money. Organizations put self-produced videos on their websites, YouTube, Facebook, and other sites, and they send … Continued

How to Hold a Press Conference

PREPARING FOR A PRESS CONFERENCE  DEFINE YOUR GOALS  Before you plan a press conference you should be very clear about your goals. This will help you do a better job of planning the press conference.   Some good reasons for holding … Continued

How to Have a Successful Lobby Meeting

WHY LOBBY?  There’s a lot of skepticism about getting involved in the legislative process today. Many people think that “money talks” and little else matters. Campaign contributions are important to politicians, and special interests do have significant influence, but they … Continued

How to Have an Impact on Your Rural Electric Co-op

“My co-op says electricity rates will rise 50% in the next two years. What can I do?”  “Can I interconnect a wind generator to the electrical lines? Will the co-op buy excess power from me and, if so, at what … Continued