Connecticut

Events

RootSkills In-Person Training (Wethersfield, CT)

Friday, April 27, 2018 - 12:00am

Join fellow Grassroots Fund grantees, community organizers, nonprofit leaders, and passionate students on April 27, 2018 at the Keeney Memorial Cultural Center (Wethersfield, CT) for the RootSkills In-Person Training, as part of the Grassroots Fund's 2018 Environmental Justice Month. We welcome you to learn, share, & work together to develop actionable, holistic strategies that create more inclusive communities & programs. Workshop tracks offered: Equity (exploring implicit bias and personal relationship to privilege and oppression), Innovation (exploring co-benefits and regional strategies); and a Young Adult Leader forum.

RootSkills Conference (Manchester, NH)

Thursday, November 30, 2017 - 12:00pm to Saturday, December 2, 2017 - 3:00pm

Join fellow community organizers, nonprofit leaders, Grassroots Fund grantees, and passionate students on November 30 - December 2 at Radisson Hotel in Manchester, NH for the annual RootSkills Conference, as part of the Grassroots Fund's 2017 RootSkills Training Series. This year's series theme is "Building Resilient Communities". We welcome you to learn, share, & work together to develop actionable, holistic strategies that create more inclusive communities & programs. At this event, we’ll be grappling with tough questions, sharing inspiring solutions, and looking to hear from YOU!

Perfecting Your Pitch

Tuesday, May 9, 2017 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm

During this webinar, participants will learn step-by-step where to look for major donors, how to get a meeting, and how to make a compelling pitch to build money for your movement.

Equity in the food system - how what we are building and what we are fighting are inseparable in resistance

Tuesday, March 14, 2017 - 12:00pm

As the Northeast coordinates to build a regional food system, a central focus is on racial equity.  In communities all across the region, groups are working on food justice.  In this webinar, we will hear from 2 organizers: Isa Mujahid (CTCORE-Organize Now!, Bridgeport CT) and Heather Foran (Portland ME). Through their grassroots efforts in their communities, Heather and Isa both are actively transforming the New England food system and raising and reflecting on struggles, challenges and questions to guide future work. This webinar creates space to share some of the questions and reflections.  

Red Warrior & MAMA Ride For Resistance

Friday, February 3, 2017 - 7:00pm to Wednesday, February 8, 2017 - 9:00pm

The Red Warrior Society is made up of indigenous water protectors who were part of the Red Warrior Camp at Standing Rock, the first camp to utilize direct action to resist construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The Mothers Against Meth Alliance has been fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline from the very beginning, while also fighting meth addiction on the Pine Ridge reservation. 

FANG is honored to be partnering with these groups, and grassroots groups across the region, to bring this tour to the Northeast. This is an amazing opportunity to hear from frontline water protectors who continuously put their bodies on the line to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Protecting People & Places: The Community Bill of Rights

Tuesday, February 21, 2017 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm

RESIST WEBINAR -- This presentation will be a brief journey looking at how our current system of government and law have evolved to protect wealth and privilege over community self-government; we'll look at how corporations have received more rights and protections than those of you living in your community; and we'll look at how communities have pushed back against these oppressive structures to reclaim democratic self-government in the their communities.

Grassroots Funds: 2018 Resources and Funding Opportunities

Tuesday, January 9, 2018 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Are you a nonprofit or volunteer group who is interested in taking a more holistic approach to your community-based work? Or someone who is interested in receiving financial support for your community event, tool, or program? The New England Grassroots Environment Fund invites you to join our Executive Director, Julia Dundorf, on January 9, 2018, to learn about our Guiding Principles for strong community organizing that increases your impact and revenue. Julia will be joined by Program Director, Nakia Navarro and Program Manager, Ally Philip, who will share available opportunities for support from the Grassroots Fund, from grants to stipends to sponsorship. 

Become a HERS Rater with the NEHERS Alliance!

Monday, January 23, 2017 - 12:00am

The training includes: a brand new module to prepare students to take the Practical Simulation Exam;  all four RESNET Exam Fees- including the new Practical Simulation Exam ($600 total value); the Northeast HERS Training and Reference Manual ($100 value); a one-year Associate Membership in the Alliance ($50 value); 30 hours of online study; 5 days of classroom/field study; a thorough review of basic energy concepts; field experience with blower door testing and duct blasting; two of the five supervised ratings required by RESNET; and training on the latest version of rating software. Both online and classroom components are required for rater certification. Final registration deadline is January 13, 2017. For more information contact Betsy Ames at betsy@nehers.org or call/text 978-633-3013 or register online at http://www.nehers.org/event?EventID=1376. Follow us on Facebook! Follow us on Linked In

Using Social Media to Build Community Power

Tuesday, January 17, 2017 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm

RESIST WEBINAR -- During this webinar, participants will learn how grassroots groups can use online organizing tactics to boost their campaign and build community power. We’ll learn how to think about online organizing as a simple extension of what you already do on the ground, and walk through which tools and tactics to use in different campaign scenarios. Toxics Action Center’s Communications Directorm Katelyn Parady, and 350NH Interim Coordinator, Griffin Sinclair-Wingate, will lead this webinar using recent examples from community groups organizing to create safer and more sustainable communities in New England. 

Farm to Institution Summit 2017 #F2ISummit

Thursday, October 13, 2016 - 8:15am

The 2017 New England Farm to Institution Summit will bring together more than 500 people who are leveraging the power of schools, colleges and hospitals to transform our food system.

ReuseConex 2016

Monday, October 17, 2016 - 8:00am to Wednesday, October 19, 2016 - 2:30pm

The Greater Boston Region (Massachusetts, USA) has been selected as the host for ReuseConex 2016, the fourth International Reuse Conference and Expo. The event, taking place October 17-19, 2016 at the Holiday Inn Boston-Bunker Hill, will feature professional training opportunities with experts from the reuse industry as well reuse-based exhibitors, a reuse documentary film screening, and tours of local reuse organizations. This year’s conference theme is Leveraging REUSE in a Circular Economy,  which will focus on bringing real-world reuse practices to life.

NESAWG It Takes a Region Conference - 2016

Thursday, November 10, 2016 - 10:00am to Saturday, November 12, 2016 - 12:15pm

NESAWG's annual It Takes a Region Conference brings together farm and food systems practitioners across the 12-state Northeast region to learn, debate, collaborate, and innovate solutions to critical food systems issues. Each year, we look at the trajectory of the food and farm movement and the role our network can play in shaping its future. We offer in-depth working sessions that tackle important questions about our regional food system and how to strengthen it, drawing from the collective expertise and wisdom of conference attendees.

Strategic Nonprofit Communications

Thursday, October 6, 2016 - 9:30am to 4:00pm

This Third Sector New England session will offer participants a Communications Strategy and Timeline, a draft of an Editorial Calendar for content creation and promotion, and multiple real-world examples from nonprofits kicking butt in their communications and marketing.

NOFA Summer Conference – August 12-14, Amherst, MA

Monday, July 18, 2016 - 12:15pm

Join people from across the Northeast and beyond for a three-day celebration of the grassroots organic movement. Here learning is a community action – with amazing farmers, presenters, seminars, workshops, food and fun. Immerse yourself with like-minded practitioners and curious learners eager to share their inspiration and ideas for organic food, farming, health, activism, and beyond.

For more information, visit www.nofasummerconference.org

2016 Cooperative Design Lab

Saturday, April 9, 2016 - 12:30pm to Sunday, January 8, 2017 - 12:30pm

Cooperative Design Lab (CDL) is 9-month cooperative development program serving cooperative projects in any stage of formation. Originally a collaborative between the Resilience Hub, Cooperative Fermentation, and Cooperative Development Institute, Design Lab is now in its second year running and is the only program of its kind offered in the Northeast.

In CDL, participants will gain the knowledge, skills and capacity to start, operate, lead, and enliven a cooperative project. Through the course, participants will:

  • Go through a step-by-step process to make a cooperative project happen
  • Discern appropriate organizational structures for their project
  • Learn tools for cooperative leadership and management
  • Connect to mentors, coaching and technical assistance
  • Explore the role of cooperatives in building a resilient economy

2016 Spring Networking & Training Retreat

Friday, May 6, 2016 - 7:00pm to Saturday, May 7, 2016 - 4:30pm

Join fellow community volunteers, farmers, fisherpeople, teachers, and interested individuals for a day of trainings, designed especially for communtiy groups! Join us on May 7th for our Keynote Speaker, Leah Penniman, three food-focused workshops, and an afternoon of volunteering and connecting at Galego Community Farm.

Northeast Jam 2016

Wednesday, April 20, 2016 - 12:00am to Monday, April 25, 2016 - 12:00am

It is with great excitement that we invite you to apply for the second annual Northeast Jam - a five day gathering of 30 dynamic and diverse changemakers for deep listening, learing, storytelling, systemic inquiry, and community building. 

Local Environmental Action Conference

Sunday, March 13, 2016 - 12:00am

Local Environmental Action 2016 is a great opportunity to join community leaders, environmental advocates and activists from across New England for an exciting day of skills training, networking, and inspiration. Whether you have been to every conference or are attending for the first time, be sure not to miss this amazing opportunity to connect and grow our grassroots movement.

Creating an Inclusive Food Movement

Thursday, January 28, 2016 - 12:00pm to 1:15pm

“What could an inclusive community garden, food forest, or permaculture project look like?" 
“How can we attract and retain members from different class, race, and gender backgrounds?”
“Why should we focus on creating a more just, equitable food system?”

This webinar is targeted towards community groups across New England that have asked themselves one or more of these questions. Facilitated by Shane Lloyd of Class Action, this webinar will help groups address the above questions, identify barriers that diminish their work and offer tools to build alliances for social change. We will also hear from groups working on the ground and learn from their first-hand experiences in this movement. 

This webinar is brought to you in partnership with our friends at the Vermont Community Garden Network.

Cooperative Economics and Movement Building

Monday, October 26, 2015 - 2:00pm

In this webinar we’ll explore strategies to connect and integrate cooperative economics with grassroots political power-building for a more just and sustainable economy. The panelists explore connections between community organizing and building models for the future that meet our own needs.

Co-ops 101

Thursday, September 24, 2015 - 12:00pm

In Co-ops 101 we’ll hear stories from two inspiring worker-owned co-ops, CERO and Toxic Soil Busters, and a resident-owned housing co-op, RAISE-Op about their work, background and reasons for forming a co-op. Facilitator Jonathan Rosenthal, Executive Director of the New Economy Coalition and Co-founder of Equal Exchange will lead a discussion about the basic principles of cooperative ownership—what it entails and how it works, as well as an overview of different cooperative models, such as worker, consumer, and housing co-ops.

Northeast Climate Ride

Thursday, September 17, 2015 - 12:00am to Monday, September 21, 2015 - 12:00am

Join us on the Northeast Climate Ride and help us raise funds for grassroots sustainability initiatives throughout New England! From September 17th - 21st we'll be riding 390 miles along the beautiful North Atlantic coastline from Bar Harbor, ME to Boston, MA.

Building a Stronger Cross-Class, Multiracial Grassroots Movement

Saturday, September 12, 2015 - 9:30am to 4:00pm

"Does your group struggle with recruiting and retaining members from different class & race backgrounds?"
Co-sponsors: New England Resilience & Transition (NERT) networkVital CommunitiesVT Community Garden Network
This workshop builds on insights from the groundbreaking new book, "Missing Class: Strengthening Social Movement Groups by Seeing Class Cultures," this highly participatory workshops, created by activists for activists, enables participants to look through a class lens at their own community work, and offers tools to build  alliances for change across race and class. 

Through this process, activists and community organizers can learn how to address class barriers that hamper their effectiveness and come together to win more gains. Participants will leave knowing how to:

  • Identify activist class culture differences;

  • Gain cultural competence to draw from the strengths of all class cultures;

  • Create an organizational culture that is fully welcoming and respectful of all race and class backgrounds;

  • Amplify the voices of people of color, working-class and poor activists to build stronger a stronger movement.

Launching a Solarize Campaign - Double the solar in your town in just 15 weeks

Wednesday, June 17, 2015 - 12:00pm

Solarize Upper Valley has helped residents in 24 towns go solar - over 300 residents to date and over 450 expected by the end of the year. What's the secret to their success? Join us to find out. We'll hear from Vital Communities, the nonprofit responsible for coordinating Solarize Upper Valley, as well as the volunteer-installer team who brought Solarize to Randolph, Brookfield, and Braintree last winter. Many communities are launching Solarize campaigns across the Northeast, yours could be next.

Presenters:

Sarah Simonds, Vital Communities

Kevin McCollister, Catamount Solar

Pete Thoenen, Randolph Energy Committee

Community Resilience Organizations (CROs) - A Pilot Program

Friday, June 26, 2015 - 12:00pm

Climate change. Superstorms. Power outages. Toxic spills. Fire. Our communities face ever-worsening disasters. Most towns have emergency response and hazard mitigation plans, but it’s impossible to anticipate everything. The best solution is to build resilience – the ability for community members to come together and solve whatever problems come their way. That involves work projects to lessen the impact of disasters, while also building self-reliance and stronger community connections.
 

Community Resilience Organizations (CROs) are local teams, appointed by the town legislative body, that engage residents and town leaders in tasks aimed to lessen losses via climate adaptation, disaster preparedness and hazard mitigation, while strengthening local collaboration and social cohesion. CROs build connections between the silos of passionate volunteers in conservation, emergency response and social services, bringing them together to build collaborative projects.  By  leveraging resources and gaining wider community participation, the impact is magnified. Through an annual Day for CROing, teams engage youth and the broader community to collaborate on critical projects that will make the town stronger and safer, while simultaneously including celebration to add fun and build community.

Join us to learn about this Vermont pilot project begun in six towns this year, and how it's working across a range of very different communities.

2015 Fall Networking & Training Retreat

Saturday, October 31, 2015 - 12:00am

Co-sponsor: New England Resilience & Transition (NERT) network
Join fellow community innovators & activists for a day of skills-sharpening, designed especially for the grassroots! Come celebrate community action, share stories, learn and reflect on different skills that make us successful. The RootSkills Networking & Training retreat is intended to re-invigorate us all, gives us a chance to reflect on our work, and work on the skills we need to be successful. It is also a great chance to connect with other community leaders, share ideas, and relax.

NESAWG's Annual Conferece

Friday, November 13, 2015 - 12:00am to Saturday, November 14, 2015 - 12:00am

The North-East Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG)'s annual It Takes a Region Conference takes on the 12-state Northeast region from Maine to West Virginia. By taking a regional approach, we can grow our thinking and our work to develop a truly sustainable and resilient food system.

Connecting for Change

Friday, October 23, 2015 - 12:00am to Saturday, October 24, 2015 - 12:00am

Connecting for Change presented by the Marion Institute is an annual solutions based gathering that brings together a diverse audience to create deep and positive change in their communities.

Slow Living Summit 2015 - Food, Mindfully

Wednesday, June 3, 2015 - 12:00am to Friday, June 5, 2015 - 12:00am

A mindful exploration of the journey of food, from farming and food entrepreneurship to food systems to nourishment to food justice and policy.

Building Consensus for Local Clean Energy Projects

Wednesday, February 18, 2015 - 6:00pm to 8:30pm

Clean Water Action and the New England Grassroots Environment Fund are teaming up with the Consensus Building Institute to offer an important workshop on Building Consensus for Local Clean Energy Projects with CBI Senior Associate Ona Ferguson.

Working Together: A Workshop to Build Your Skills in Participatory Leadership

Saturday, November 1, 2014 - 12:00am

In this interactive workshop, join peers working in local energy, food, and other community-based initiatives in New Hampshire to learn practical, powerful techniques to: Develop shared vision and strategic clarity; Gather the input and ideas of many people; Connect and empower people working for change; and Learn together and adapt.

New England Environmental Justice Summit 2014

Friday, October 17, 2014 - 5:00pm to Sunday, October 19, 2014 - 12:30pm

The Summit is a multi-day event where people from across New England working to achieve environmental justice will come together to share stories, build the regional environmental justice movement, and celebrate victories.

People's Climate March

Sunday, September 21, 2014 - 12:00am

With the whole world watching, people are taking a stand to bend the course of history. They’ll take to the streets to demand the world we know is within reach: a world with an economy that works for people and the planet; a world safe from the ravages of climate change; a world with good jobs, clean air and water, and healthy communities.

Seeds & Songs of Change

Saturday, November 15, 2014 - 6:00pm

Seeds & Songs of Change - A musical event to illustrate the intersection of music and social change; an opportunity to honor all the local groups the Fund has partnered with over the past 18 years; a good bye to Founding Director, Cheryl King Fischer; and a welcome to the Fund’s next ED.

Local Solutions: Northeast Climate Change Preparedness Conference

Monday, May 19, 2014 - 12:00am to Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - 12:00am

Antioch University New England and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Regions 1 and 2 are hosting a regional conference for local planners, decision-makers and educators to understand how to create healthy resilient communities that are better prepared to handle severe weather and climate impacts.

Community Stories

PEP Talks

CROs Take Flight

Community Resilience Organizations (CROs) are local teams that engage residents and town leaders in climate adaptation, disaster preparedness and hazard mitigation, while strengthening local collaboration and social cohesion.

The Strategic Energy Action Toolkit

The Strategic Energy Action Toolkit is an open-source resource developed by the New England Grassroots Environment Fund and Vital Communities, in collaboration with the New Hampshire Local Energy Solutions Work Group and the New England Local Energy Network, with funding support from Jane&r

Resources

Community Resilience Self-Assessment Tool

This self-assessment was designed to help community members, local leaders and volunteers to think and talk deeply about their community’s resilience strengths, challenges and priorities. It is also designed to help communities learn about different aspects of resilience and track their progress over time. 

Food Solutions New England

Food Solutions New England (FSNE) is a regional, collaborative network organized around a single goal: to transform the New England food system into a resilient driver of racial equity and food justice, health, sustainable farming and fishing, and thriving communities.

Localcatch.org

A community-of-practice that is made up of fisherman, organizers, researchers, and consumers from across North America that are committed to providing local, healthful, low-impact, and economy sustainable seafood via community supported fisheries (CSFs) and other direct marketing arrangements.

50 by 60 - A New England Food Vision

A bold vision, put forth by members of Food Solutions New England, that calls for the New England region to build the capacity to produce at least 50% of clean, fair, just and accessible food for all New Englanders by 2060. Grassroots groups have used the food vision to provide context for their local work and to replicate some of the research pieces at the micro-level as the inform their own planning efforts. 

Ron Finley - guerilla gardener TED Talk

Grassroots groups have used this video as a starting point for meetings and as inspiration to show how local food activity can spark deep impact a the local level. Ron Finley’s vision for a healthy, accessible “food forest” started with the curbside veggie garden he planted in the strip of dirt in front of his own house. When the city tried to shut it down, Finley’s fight gave voice to a larger movement that provides nourishment, empowerment, education - and healthy, hopeful futures - one urban garden at a time.

Repair Cafe

Repair Cafés are free meeting places and they’re all about repairing things (together). The website offers tools and tips as well as a world map of communities who have started their own repair cafes

Putting the Community Back in Community Shared Solar

Putting the Community Back in Community Shared Solar is a guide document outlining the different options for community shared solar and their associated costs and benefits. This guide was created by the NELEN Community Shared Solar Task Force in order to address the lack of public information and understanding about the different models available for community shared solar projects.

Community Resilience 101

On Thursday, October 16, 2014 the Grassroots Fund co-produced a webinar with New England New Economy Transition about “community resilience.” We discussed how we can all live well now and into the future, given the challenges of a hurting economy, climate change, resource shortages, and political paralysis.

Slow Money Maine

Slow Money Maine is building a network of individuals, philanthropists, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government entities who are focused on investing in farms and fisheries, and the ecosystems that sustain them as a means of growing local food systems, economies and community.  SMM is a chapter of Slow Money National.  Resources are available for groups interested in peer-to-peer lending, investment clubs and creative financing.

Safe Routes to School

The National Center for Safe Routes to School programs are sustained efforts by parents, schools, community leaders and local, state, and federal governments to improve the health and well-being of children by enabling and encouraging them to walk and bicycle to school. Program tools offer direct steps to help improve the walkabilty of a community.

New England Solar Challenge

The foundation of SmartPower's New England Solar Challenge is the Solarize model utilizing key elements that include: 1) town-supported outreach and education, 2) pre-selected solar installer, 3) discount pricing, and 4) a clear end date.

Anti-Idling Campaign

The goal of the CT DEEP is to achieve idling reduction through voluntary compliance. 
 

EVConnecticut

EVConnecticut provides information on state and federal incentive programs to install publicly available charging stations as well as information Workplace Charging and Owning an Electronic Vehicle.

Co-op Power

Co-op Power has created an innovative structure that enables communities to create community-owned clean energy products and services, businesses and jobs. All Community Scale business developments are created, decided upon, and supported by members in a Local Organizing Council.

Community Action Works (formally Toxics Action Center)

At Community Action Works (formally known as Toxic Action Center), we believe that environmental threats are big, but the power of well-organized community groups is bigger.

That’s why we work side by side with everyday people to confront those who are polluting and harming the health of our communities. We partner with the people who are most impacted by environmental problems—which are Black, Indigenous, People of Color and poor communities—training them with the know-how anyone would need to make change in their own backyard.

Neighboring Food Co-op Association

The Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) includes over 30 food co-ops and start-up initiatives in New England that are working together toward a shared vision of a thriving regional economy, rooted in a healthy, just and sustainable food system and a vibrant community of co-operative enterprise.

Salvation Farms

Salvation Farms utilizes local resources, skills and knowledge to create strong partnerships across industries and sectors and effectively move surplus food from farms to those who need it. The organization is available to assist community gleaning efforts in Vermont and across New England.

League of American Bicyclists

The League is blazing the trail for bicycle transportation law and education nationally. Folks who are going to be leading kids, large group rides, or are just trying to be confident riders individually can get training from The League. They also offer liability insurance and board/officer insurance for bicycle education organizations.

Guide to Going Local

The Center for a New American Dream and the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) have joined forces to publish this Guide to Going Local. It's full of ideas and advice on how to strengthen the local economy in your town: through buying local, highlighting new entrepreneurs, instilling local pride, investing locally, and more.

Stages and Challenges of Group Development

This PDF describes one model of the way that many groups develop and the problems and challenges that are likely to arise at various stages. It encourages leaders to assess where their own organizations stand, among the stages and helps them judge which of the challenges they’re currently facing are “developmentally determined,” as it were, and what challenges they may expect in the future.

Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance

NAMA is a fishermen-led organization working at the intersection of marine conservation and social, economic, and environmental justice.
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