Seaside Advocacy Initiatives & Legislation

LEGISLATION AND ADVOCACY

Focusing on Advocacy Initiatives and Legislation at all levels of Government and Society

The Legislation and Advocacy Program emphasize Seaside’s Mission and promotes education, advocacy, initiatives and cooperation with legislative bodies across the nation, states and local municipalities to support new legislative proposals and to ask for change in existing laws/regulations/rules as the climate crisis intensifies.

How We're Organized

We follow the Seaside all-volunteer model - our department is supervised by Fellows (generally college graduates and post-graduate students and graduates) who all share expertise in different phases of environmental studies and who work closely with our Department Managers (DM’s). The DM’s are college students who have a demonstrated interest and passion for environmental issues. The DM’s work closely with our Interns (college or select high school students) who come forward to devote considerable amounts of their time to investigate, research, develop and produce different pieces that are circulated outside of Seaside. The work of our four teams (one to each DM) comes from ideas and suggestions primarily from the Interns, the DM’s and the Fellows.

Our Reach Is Wide

We address environmental issues on a nationwide basis, by individual states or state compacts and down to the county and local level. Our initial geographic area of concentration has been Massachusetts where Seaside is headquartered. However, we reach well beyond the Bay State as we identify environmental issues that bear upon the oceans, waterways, lakes, marshes and any environment relating to marine life. Environmental and climate problems (dilemmas, threats etc.) do not respect geographic boundaries and while endangering marine life, they adversely affect all forms of life on this planet.

We're Engaging

We communicate with legislators on all levels to work with other like-minded environmental organizations to have our voices heard and to address legislation that is being considered - whether it fits our Mission or does not. We have engaged in letter writing campaigns, email campaigns, letters to editors and the like to get that message out. Some of this outreach has involved legislative proposals and action on state bottle bills, single use plastics bans (as all levels) and the removal of PFAS class of chemicals from everyday use where those chemicals are unsafe to humans and to all life forms.

Zero Waste

Addressing the circular economy, non-reusable and non-biodegradable products.

Preventable Marine Pollution

Recognizing that all forms of pollution in the waters harm marine life, can migrate to harm our lives and can lead to the los of life forms and a healthy world.

Safe Sustainable Products

Originally focusing on Enhanced Product Responsibility, now enlarged to address the threat of chemicals that pollute our environment and represent health dangers to all life.

Climate Mitigation

Focusing on the problem of carbon in the atmosphere and acidification of the oceans. This sub-team investigates different potential or floated "solutions" to carbon pollution such as a carbon tax and carbon cap and trade.

Letters to the Editor

The Letters to the Editor sub team researches and advocates for legislation pertaining to a broad range of sustainability issues including climate change, marine environments, energy, and sustainable development goals. They craft persuasive letters for municipal, regional, and national news publications that entail fact-based current topics that are of interest to readers.

Our Five Teams

Our Expanded Approach

We devote our work to include examining aspects of environmental justice, economic justice, fairness and non-discrimination. For every suggested environmental remedy to address climate damage, there is the risk of indirect and unintended allocation of costs and burdens which can be unfair to different individuals. We take a benefit and burden approach to examine the potential effects of environmental change.

Seaside Sustainability Restaurant Initiative

We aim to help restaurants create a more sustainable practice by choosing to be greener. We can positively impact marine life and reduce the waste created by the restaurant industry. Our initiative is an educational guide for making sustainable swaps based on established criteria points, and restaurants are awarded promotional resources and social recognition

Click here to learn more!