There is a grassroots environmental issue affecting New York right now. An organization called United for Action and various other groups and residents in the West Village have filed a Notice of Appeal against Spectra Energy and ConEd regarding the introduction of a new, 30-inch high-pressure gas pipeline into their densely populated neighborhood.

Here is what they are doing:

They created this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av_opE1-Lpk&feature=player_embedded ) and have asked that it be shared.
Asked that you donate to the legal fund for the lawsuit against Spectra Energy.
If you live in or near New York City, you can get tickets for a film screening and fundraiser on May 8, 2013. There's a free talk about radon and public health on May 14, 2013.
If you live in New York City, you can also write, email, call, tweet, or send a Facebook message to your elected officials.

You can ask the mayor.

In Boston we have an Experience Corp affiliate. The local Boston based organization is called Generations Incorporated. While attending a neighborhood community meeting for work back in 2011, another guest speaker was Katie Klister, Director of Volunteer Management at Generations, Inc. After listening to her presentation, I took her business card and invited her to come on the Sheriff's Department cable show as a guest to promote what it is that the organization does. On March 10, 2011, she brought a site team leader with her on the show to talk about the program and the valuable connections they make with the kids in the City of Boston schools. By making this connection with her in the community, I was able to help her expand the organizations outreach to thousands of people across Boston, Chelsea, Winthrop and Revere that watch our cable TV show. You can watch program by visiting this link on our website: http://www.scsdma.org/videos/cable/2011/110310a.shtml

http://www.dotnews.com/2013/play-ball-overwhelming-response-news-little-league-theft

This story goes to show the power media outlets have. Thousands of dollars worth of baseball equipment was stolen from the Savin Hill Little League organization equipment locker by vandals in Dorchester. After the media reported the story on television and in the local papers, thousands of dollars are pouring into the organization from all over the country in support of their plight.

http://thejusticeconference.com

On February 21 & 22, 2014, attendees from 44 states and over two dozen countries, will visit Los Angeles, California to attend LA 2014: The Voice of Justice conference. The Justice Conference has become one of the largest international biblical and social justice conferences and an annual pilgrimage for justice workers, students and learners from all over the world.
Since 2009, this event has become an annual pilgrimage for thousands, has given rise to scores of similar local and regional conferences by churches, schools and organizations and is helping to clarify the relationship between theology and justice. Over 30 artists and speakers will present at the 2014 two-day conference.

website: http://mydorchester.org/

Social Capital Inc. (SCI) was founded in 2002 in Woburn, MA. After initial success in Woburn, SCI developed plans to expand to other local communities. In 2004, SCI partnered with DotWell, a Health Services Partnership of Codman Square Health Center and Dorchester House Multi-Service Center, to develop Dorchester as the second flagship site. SCI Dorchester spent months going through a needs assessment and planning process to determine how it could best serve the community. SCI Dorchester held three brainstorming sessions in 2004 in Codman Square and Field's Corner to allow community members to discuss community issues and their ideas on how SCI Dorchester could address them. SCI Dorchester programming began in October 2004 with the Dorchester Youth Council and the development of a Community Resource Guide. Since MyDorchester.org first launched in 2007, it has been replicated in Lynn and Fall River.



At the time SCI came to Boston, I was working for the Dorchester House Multi-Service Center and attended some of the planning and brainstorming sessions. I was a guest speaker at the community unveiling of the MyDorchester.org website, which believe it or not, took place at UMass Boston. The My Dorchester website is a great place to connect the community together while increasing civic engagement.

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/scituate/2013/03/state_grant_to_help_scituate_i.html

A state grant is being used to help Scituate improve fish runs. The grant will do three things: restore fish ladders downstream, study the fish ladder upstream, and create educational signage. In the article it is clear to see that the organization pushing for this funding was the North and South River Watershed Association and they were able to garnish support from State Senator Robert Hedlund who wrote a release. It is hard to tell if State Representative Jim Cantwell was a strong supporter because of the generic quote he was credited with in the article.

On February 21st there was an editorial in my local paper about a new group designed to bring the community together.
Web link: http://www.dotnews.com/columns/2013/building-community-street-street