Resource Type: Case Studies

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.

This report includes case studies of farmers, township officials, and county leaders who have navigated the challenges of siting and permitting issues for clean energy projects, and provides a path forward to improve permitting processes, respect landowner rights, and expand rural economic opportunity.

Dear ,
I’m headed to my 3rd New York City Climate Week in just a few days. This time around it seems that the question on everyone’s (and by “everyone” I mean frontline advocates) mind is how we message on climate change and clean energy in the current political climate. T

Clean Air Task Force (CATF) developed a series of case studies exploring real-world community engagement efforts across a range of technologies, geographies, and communities. These case studies are based on interviews with project developers, local leaders, and community organizations.

Finding “bright spots”, or models of success, can inspire and inform change. Today we’re sharing highlights from a Lab case study about how funders and local organizers and advocates built an inclusive and powerful climate movement in Minnesota that resulted in wins such as the state’s 2023 100% clean energy law.

Generation180 and Climate Advocacy Lab hosted a one-hour virtual event – “Trusted Messengers: Growing your network of climate advocates” – to discuss how organizations are mainstreaming clean energy and changing the narrative by tapping the power of local leaders and creatives.

The coalition cohort comes out of the learnings from the Blueprint for a Multiracial, Cross-Class Movement, a report on what works – and what doesn’t – in coalition work. The Lab’s indepth guide to building stronger, more equitable coalitions that support coalitions in winning bold climate policy. Drawing from case studies, organizers interviews, the Blueprint Report identified key practices that help coalitions thrive, like shared decision making, mutual accountability and healthy conflict resolutions. It included research backed report and a hands on workbook to support colations navigating internal dynamics across power, race and class.
This spring, the findings from the Blueprint report didn’t just sit on paper, they sparked action. In response to overwhelming interest from the ground, the LAB launched the Coalitions Training Cohort, a 5 month intensive program designed to put the Blueprint into practice. This cohort included leaders from nearly two dozen environmental justice coalitions, clean energy campaigns, local climate tables, and transit equity fights.
From the very beginning, the cohort surfaced the real, often unspoken challenges facing today’s colations. How do we share power without replicating the systems we’re trying to dismantle? How do we move beyond report-outs and disengagement and instead spark meaningful participation? How do we speak honestly, especially when the truth might cause tension? Coalition leaders named what many have felt but rarely had space to share: decision-making processes are often murky, conflict feels risky, and burnout is quietly draining our movement’s capacity. Most striking of all was the collective realization that many coalitions haven’t paused to reflect on how we’re making decisions or why. These questions weren’t just theoretical, they were live challenges shaping coalition life every day. In this newsletter, we’re sharing some of the powerful learnings and reflections we took away from the Coalition cohort.

Successful public power campaigns need to build strong coalitions, find
a winning message, and use legal and political savvy to overcome utility
opposition.