2019 Northeast Regional Conference, March 29-31

By Iona Lutey, Northeast Regional Coordinator

We held this year’s event in the charming small city of Troy (near Albany, NY) on the lovely campus of Russell Sage College, which generously sponsored the conference. The conference included nearly 215 people who brought really great energy and lots of enthusiasm.

The Green New Deal has recently been a huge topic of discussion in the region, so we had a plenary and a communications breakout. During the plenary, attendees were moved by an impromptu moment when young Sunrise Movement advocates were invited to the stage and were overcome by the warm, standing ovation they received from CCLers (pictured below). Many in the audience were in tears. It was a great example of living CCL values of respect for others.


Another breakthrough session was “Farmers: Allies in Climate Solutions,” led by Jan Storm with a local sustainable farmer and a member of the New York State Farm Bureau. The panel focused on how switching to renewable energy and using more climate-friendly practices, farmers can help solve the climate crisis while also improving their bottom line. The entry of the New York State Farm Bureau into this discussion is a wonderful development.

A local chapter leader, Sean Dague, set the conference off with a short exercise in “Envisioning a decarbonized world,” bringing in all our senses to envision the sensory attributes of the world we are working toward. It was very powerful to see our goal in such a positive way.

Lots of other great breakouts were tailored to address the interests and concerns of Northeast Region volunteers. Smita and Suneira Rana from the World Bank came to Troy from Washington, D.C., to fill us in on what is happening around the world on carbon pricing, and Rob Breen, a wonderful expert  from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation gave us great information on climate impacts in the region. Mark Reynolds and Sam Daley-Harris both provided enormous thoughtfulness and inspiration.

All in all, a great collaboration to put on a fun, informative and inspiring conference!

Still looking for a local conference to attend? State conferences are happening in Wisconsin, Oregon and Idaho this month! See the full lineup here.