Issue: Lab-sponsored Research

Salem Alliance for the Environment is a volunteer organization fighting the climate crisis and working for a sustainable future for Salem, MA. This resource documents the development of Offshore Wind and a Community Benefits Agreements (CBA) in Salem.

How do we accelerate climate action? This session provides you with the skills to motivate the public to accelerate climate action and reduce climate health risk. The goal of our virtual master class is to boost your outreach skills and accelerate climate action, using evidence-based behavioral science. This trans-disciplinary training includes short talks, exercises, and discussion. Expected outcomes are increased understanding of how to effectively apply behavior change to climate outreach. The presentations focus on the behavior science tools of Social norms, Social identify, Efficacy, Legacy motivation, and Framing for different audiences. View slides here.

From our July 2025 study with The Alliance for Climate Transition (ACT), we found that residents in the US Northeast have little familiarity with Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), but are intrigued by the technology when it is framed around improved electricity reliability and lower utility bills. However, those perceptions are endangered by concerns that BESS may endanger their homes or entail high upfront installation costs.

A case study of the investments and strategy to build an inclusive and powerful climate movement in Minnesota that resulted in wins such as the state’s 2023 100% clean energy law. Identifies a number of funding strategies that contributed to growing the movement and a range of policy victories, which funders elsewhere may wish to employ. This case study holds lessons for climate funders seeking to expand their giving to non-traditional climate grantees; non-partisan civic engagement funders wishing to enable favorable policy environments; and movement strategists and community organizers seeking to build coalitions and secure durable policy wins.