Last week, Organizing Director Kazi Wilkins had the pleasure of visiting several SOCM chapters in an effort to meet leaders, check in on issue work and do a few trainings.

At the Cumberland Chapter meeting on April 9th, Kazi had the opportunity to see how members are working together to push forward on their issue work even without an organizer!  In addition to other issue work, there was an excellent discussion about the need to regroup after the Crab Orchard win and consider how to harness some of the energy generated by that victory.  Members also stated their desire to stay flexible about issue work in an effort to respond to issues as they come up in the community.

The Bedford County chapter meeting on April 10th was exciting because several old members returned and there were a few new faces around the table, as well! In an effort to continue issue work, members brainstormed which community members and leaders the chapter should have a relationship with, and made a plan to begin reaching out to those individuals and organizations.

At the Maury County chapter meeting on April 11th, leaders did serious strategy work around an issue of great concern to community members in Columbia, and made a decision to hold a SOCM chapter meeting in that community in an effort to bring the people directly affected to the table. 

Thank you to all SOCM leaders for their time in conversation with Kazi over these past several weeks and months. She is already looking forward to the next round of trips and trainings. 

On April 2nd, SOCM organizer Katie Greer and director Amelia Parker travelled to Boston to attend the Beyond Business as Usual: Realizing an American Renewable Energy Future by 2050 conference hosted by the Civil Society Institute and the Environmental Working Group. The trip was a great opportunity to spend time with strong partners and allies of SOCM and meet the staff of organizations that SOCM has partnered with over its 40-year history such as the Western Organization of Resource Councils, KFTC (Kentuckians for the Commonwealth), MACED (Mountain Association for Community Economic Development), OVEC (Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition), and others.  

Over the two days, groups discussed how we can work together to build a clean, healthy and sustainable energy future for our country.  We look forward to participating in future discussions with our partners and creating an action plan that will protect public health, promote energy independence, and the economic well being of all Americans. To get involved with SOCM's work to create a new energy future for our communities, contact Katie Greer at katie@socm.org or call 865.249.7488.