This Week’s Actions
Featured Action: Help plant 200 fruit trees in an underserved neighborhood.
Thank you to the 112 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
5 minutes
Jacksonville, IL’s Eastside neighborhood plans to transform a vacant lot into a vibrant community orchard of 200 fruit trees to counter the area’s limited access to fresh food and decades of disinvestment. Unfortunately, their federal grant has been frozen, leaving the project $30,000 shy of the necessary funding for this innovative solution to food insecurity. Cultivate community, nourish neighbors, and grow a greener future—one $50 fruit tree at a time. Can we raise enough to purchase 20 trees?
Donate: To the Orchard of Grace GoFundMe or mail a check to Jacksonville Park Foundation, 225 South Clay Avenue, Jacksonville IL 62650. Report your contribution here so AoCC can match it (up to the first $500). Project organizers will share photos and updates for their public fall planting event.
Source: Jacksonville Park Foundation
Action 1: Tell EPA leadership about your climate priorities.
2 minutes
Dear Mr. Zeldin, EPA Administrator, Increasing carbon dioxide output worsens climate change, and mercury is linked to developmental issues, and the presence of lead at any level harms children, pregnant people, and people of color disproportionately. I also oppose your efforts to halt a Biden-era program to replace lead pipes in the U.S. The anti-planet agenda under Lee Zeldin violates the EPA’s mission statement to protect human health and the environment. Your anti-planet agenda violates the EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. Take immediate action to ensure the EPA continues its funding and protecting our communities.
Add your name to our petition below. We will send a petition to Lee Zeldin in four weeks. If you’d like to write Zeldin, his email address is Zeldin.Lee@epa.gov.
Bonus: Contact your two senators and one House representative using a modified version of the above script (call, write, or email).
Source: AoCC
Thank you to the 642 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Action 2: Support Indigenous climate journalism.
Thank you to the 159 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
2 minutes
Explainer: For over 500 years, Indigenous ways of living in harmony with the Earth have been dismissed or ignored, yet these cultural and spiritual practices offer powerful solutions to today’s climate crisis. The Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) provides not only action alerts, but reporting on climate solutions and how climate injustice impacts Indigenous communities. Their leadership can guide us toward a just and sustainable future.
Subscribe: To IEN’s newsletter to take action alongside Indigenous communities.
Source: Indigenous Environmental Network
Action 3: Keep tabs on the EPA’s agenda and changes.
Thank you to the 52 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
4 minutes
In most cases, the EPA must undergo a lengthy public comment process and develop environmental and economic justifications for proposed changes. But they don’t necessarily have to announce when public comments are open.
Schedule: Be an informed citizen by setting a reminder in your own calendar to regularly visit the EPA’s Open Dockets and Regulatory Agenda and Plans.
Source: AoCC
Action 4: Support funding for the Environmental Protection Agency.
Thank you to the 198 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
7 minutes
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, my name is _____, and I’m contacting you from [ZIP] in support of the EPA and to oppose Lee Zeldin’s efforts to repeal EPA rules that protect our kids and planet from danger. Increasing carbon dioxide worsens climate change, and mercury is linked to developmental issues in children. Zeldin’s agenda violates the agency’s mission statement to protect human health and the environment. What will Sen./Rep. [NAME] do to stop this?
Source: AoCC
Action 5: Urge the restoration of funding to climate agencies.
Thank you to the 149 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
7 minutes
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, my name is _____, and I’m a taxpayer from [ZIP], expressing my desire to restore funding to climate agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of the Interior, and the Department of Agriculture. The president’s sweeping cuts set back decades of progress and harm our communities. What is [Sen./Rep. NAME] doing to restore federal workers’ jobs and fund these essential agencies?
Source: Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Action 6: Take our climate quiz.
Thank you to the 155 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
10 minutes
Think you know your way around climate justice? This 10-question quiz is designed to test your knowledge, bust common myths, and even surprise you. Score up to 100 points and see how you compare with your peers.
Take our quiz: What on Earth do You Know?
Source: AoCC
Action 7: Deepen your understanding of Indigenous values.
Thank you to the 104 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
10 minutes – 5 hours
Robin Wall Kimmerer is an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Her book Braiding Sweetgrass is renowned for its deeply moving blend of Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and poetic storytelling that reconnects readers with the natural world. Her new book, The Serviceberry, offers a bold, tender vision for reimagining our economy grounded in care, reciprocity, and gratitude—not extraction. Allow her gentle, powerful writing to rekindle your hope and commitment to climate justice, rooted in respect for all life.
Read: Braiding Sweetgrass and/or The Serviceberry. We especially recommended her audiobooks to enjoy her serene, lyrical voice.
Bonus: Share her two books for young adults and children.
Source: AoCC
Action 8: Practice joy as an act of climate resilience and justice.
Thank you to the 87 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
10 minutes
In the face of climate anxiety and injustice, joy is a powerful form of resistance, healing, and survival. The Black Joy movement reminds us that nurturing joy isn’t escapism, but a strategy to sustain activism. In the climate justice space, centering joy reconnects us with what’s essential. By celebrating nature, we generate inner energy and affirm our collective future.
Enjoy: Alexis Nikole Nelson, “The Black Forager,” and her fun videos about eating wild plants.
Bonus: Take time this week to honor and enjoy the planet.
Source: AoCC
Action 9: Track your carbon impact and make more sustainable purchases.
Thank you to the 57 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
20 minutes
Consumer spending drives 65% of global emissions, but it can also drive change. The award-winning app Commons helps you track the carbon impact of your purchases, rewards you for taking action, and offers personalized suggestions for buying less and choosing more sustainable brands. Founded by AAPI and women climate leaders, the Commons team is helping people factor carbon into their everyday purchasing decisions the same way they consider cost.
Get the Commons app: Learn more and align your spending with your climate values.
Source: Commons
Action 10: Be an ally in the Just Transition.
Thank you to the 24 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
30 minutes
In the U.S., many of the untapped metals needed for electric cars and green technologies are located in or near native lands. Indigenous communities are leading the emerging green energy economy with a movement called Just Transition that ensures Indigenous communities are not only involved in all decision-making regarding the use of these lands, but share in the benefits.
Be an ally: Read about the Just Transition model and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), then choose the next step you want to take.
Source: Indigenous Environmental Network
Action 11: Ask your local leaders about just climate action planning.
Thank you to the 16 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
30 minutes
Search: Choose at least one person to contact: your city council, mayor, county commissioner(s), and/or planning department (look for departments like Sustainability, Environmental Services, or Zoning, which are usually in charge of climate and resilience plans).
Script: Hi, my name is_____, and I’m reaching out from [City/County/Tribal land] because our community needs powerful and local solutions that respond to the climate crisis and repair historic harms. I’m asking you to support—or create—a strong climate resilience plan that:
- Centers justice and equity for all marginalized communities.
- Brings all impacted communities to the table to give input.
- Creates local green jobs without placing toxic industries in Black, Indigenous, Latine, or low-income neighborhoods.
- Improves transportation and commerce without increasing air pollution for people with health risks.
- Reduces climate risks without displacing longtime residents through gentrification or displacement.
The U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit provides excellent guidance. Could you reply and share the steps [NAME/COUNCIL/DEPARTMENT] is taking to make climate resilience possible in our locality?
Bonus: Check your local government website for upcoming public meetings, and show up in person to ask representatives to create or improve a just climate plan.
Source: AoCC
Action 12: Deepen your understanding of climate justice.
Thank you to the 12 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
40 minutes
Indigenous, Black, Latine communities are leaders in climate solutions. The following articles can help you open your mindset and worldview to centuries-old wisdom and practice.
Read:
- Understanding the origins of Turtle Island
- Relatives, Not Resources
- Protect our Future
- The Politics of Black Joy
- The Climate Crisis is a Latino Rights Issue
- Why the Climate Crisis is Inherently Racist
Source: AoCC
Action 13: Advocate for Land Back.
Thank you to the 21 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
45 minutes
It is indisputable that colonizers have, over centuries, stolen an incalculable mass of wealth and land from Indigenous people in the Americas. The Land Back movement seeks to return stewardship of ancestral lands to Indigenous people. Lands under Indigenous stewardship often have higher biodiversity and lower deforestation rates. Many communities in the U.S. and around the world are finding ways to restore not just land but sovereignty and justice to the original inhabitants.
Review: The Land Reparations and Indigenous Solidarity Toolkit.
Learn: Use this map to familiarize yourself with the Indigenous peoples who historically and currently inhabit your area.
Look up: Type the tribe name into an online encyclopedia to learn its history and how their land was stolen.
Support: Google “How to support [tribe name].”
Source: Resource Generation
Action 14: Divest and invest to keep oil in the ground.
Thank you to the 27 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
120 minutes
Since the 2015 Paris Agreement, the world’s 60 largest banks have provided $6.9 trillion in financing for fossil fuel corporations. Collective consumer power can motivate financial institutions to invest better or divest from financial institutions that support oil development and ”natural” and methane gas. Moving your money to greener institutions can and does make a difference.
Note: This is not financial advice. We recommend you talk to a financial expert to decide what’s right for you.
Look up: Banking on Climate Chaos’ “dirty dozen” to see if your bank is listed there.
Check out: Options for greener banking.
Source: Third Act
Action 15: Support community gardens to grow climate and food justice.
Thank you to the 11 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Ongoing
Climate change, food insecurity, and poor health outcomes are deeply connected—often impacting marginalized communities the hardest. Community gardens address these challenges by reducing food deserts, improving physical and mental health, and cooling urban heat islands. They’re also a powerful way to build local resilience and restore hope. You can be part of the solution by supporting or joining a local garden in your community.
Volunteer: Find a community garden near you and offer your time.
Source: AoCC, American Community Garden Association
Action 16: Get involved with a local climate group.
Thank you to the 17 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Ongoing
Climate change is an overwhelming and often anxiety-producing subject. One of the best antidotes to fear is action. Another is fostering community. We’re not alone in our worries for the future, or in the search for solutions. In our research for this issue, we were excited to find hundreds of local organizations across the country working on climate issues both big and small.
Find local organizations: Check out the links below (you can sort by location) and let us know if you get involved.
Source: AoCC
Action 17: Have an open, brave conversation about the climate.
Thank you to the 4 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
40 minutes
Get a primer on talking about climate from the Nature Conservancy and/or University of Michigan’s Environmental Psychology Lab. Choose a person you want to talk with. Then check this box if you’ll commit to have an open, uplifting conversation about our climate realities with that person.
Source: AoCC
Action 18: Already taking climate action in your community?
Thank you to the 44 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
1 minute
We want to count your current and ongoing efforts to support a sustainable future. If you’re already involved in a formal way and have done service in the last two weeks (e.g. advocated, supported a local or state climate action, etc.), please check the box to let us know!
Source: AoCC
Acts of Gratitude
We believe in gratitude as a tool for change. We will print a letter of thanks from Americans of Conscience with your signature and mail it to the recipient. Your information will be removed from this website no later than four weeks after the Checklist’s publication date.
Thank Georgia Clinicians for Climate Change for advocating for climate action and community health through education, patient conversations, and civic engagement.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: 701 S. Columbia Dr., Campus Box 326, Decatur, Georgia 30030
Thank you to the 110 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Good News
If you find good news for democracy, equality, and the planet, share it with us here!
- A partnership between the Miccosukee Tribe and Pinecrest, FL converts food scraps into compost for the tribe’s community garden, improving soil and reducing landfill waste.
- The Iñupiat community of Elim, AK protests a proposed uranium mine during the Iditarod dogsled race to protect their subsistence way of life and the biodiversity of Norton Sound.
- A federal appeals court revives a civil rights lawsuit challenging polluting industries in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley,” opening the door for justice in historically harmed Black communities.
- Climate activists are increasingly suing governments and companies to take action against climate change—and winning.
- In 2024, a record 112 million Americans rode bikes, the highest participation rate since 2014, with youth ridership jumping from 49% to 56%.
- The U.S. and China both show significant growth in renewable energy, outpacing traditional power sources.
- Despite budget cuts, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center continues to provide critical climate information.
- Attorneys general in four states—CA, IL, ME, and MN—sue the EPA and Citibank for unlawfully withholding funds from state green banks meant to support climate solutions.
- In response to federal funding cuts, seven states—CA, IL, MD, MI, MN, NY, and PA—form the Clean Rides Network to advance green transportation projects like public transit, bike lanes, and trails.
- CA is developing technology rules to cut aviation pollution by 2027.
- California installs over 26,000 EV chargers in six months, accelerating the state’s transition to electric vehicles.
- CA launches a public-private plan to install six million heat pumps by 2030 to cut building emissions and advance its 2045 carbon neutrality goal.
- NY passes the Climate Change Superfund Act, which holds fossil fuel producers financially accountable for past emissions.
- TX: In the first week of March, the ERCOT power grid set three records for the most wind production, most solar production, and greatest battery discharge.
- UT passes a bipartisan law allowing small balcony solar systems without permits or utility approval—residents only need certified equipment, safe wiring, and a shutoff switch.
- Boston, MA: Boston Metal produces over a ton of steel using clean electricity instead of coal, a major step toward decarbonizing the steel industry.
- The Chicago River now supports over 60 fish species and the return of otters, beavers, turtles, and minks, thanks to major clean-up efforts.
- New York City’s congestion pricing plan reduces vehicle emissions and funds public transit improvements.
- NYC public schools expand their solar energy capacity with over 100 installations, promoting clean energy and sustainability education.
- NYC invests over $1 billion to reduce pollution, create green jobs, and lower energy costs.
- Manistee, MI’s Great Lakes Environmental Festival focuses on climate change, water issues, and community resilience.
- NRDC’s “Issue with Tissue” report can help you find earth-friendly brands of toilet paper to address deforestation at home.
- A new satellite, launched in March 2025, will detect and monitor wildfires globally, providing near-real-time data to improve wildfire response and management.
- Chicago, IL: Thousands of Midwest youth gather for a Global Climate Strike demanding urgent action on climate policy.
- Atlanta, GA: During routine visits, doctors are talking about climate change to depolarize the issue and counter misinformation.
- Yellowstone’s bison herds reunite into a single group for the first time in a century due to successful conservation efforts.
- The Bank Black and Green campaign aims for all Black-owned banks to commit to divesting from fossil fuels and shift millions of dollars of green lending and capital to the communities they serve.
- In 2024, global renewable energy capacity grew by 50%, the fastest rate in two decades.
- Over 400 Olympic athletes urge the next IOC president to prioritize climate action, calling it a growing threat to the future of sports.
- Copenhagen, Denmark: The redesigned Enghaveparken manages extreme rainfall and demonstrates innovative climate resilience.
Need inspiration?
- The Most Powerful Climate Tool: Read this week’s message from Jennifer Hofmann, AoCC’s Executive Director
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The Americans of Conscience Checklist features clear, well-researched actions for Americans who value democracy, equality, voting, and decency. We are a big tent for all people who want a kinder, flourishing nation.