An essential part of Defend Our Future’s structure is our regional organizers. They create authentic relationships with local partners and use their lived experiences to translate our priorities to a community setting.
Morgan takes on methane
Morgan Brown is our regional organizer in Colorado and a former campus ambassador! On top of mentoring students in Colorado, Iowa, and Pennsylvania, Morgan has been deeply embedded in state climate priorities. For the last year, Morgan has been the Campaign Coordinator for the Colorado Methane Coalition, made up of EDF, Earthjustice, Sierra Club, Moms Clean Air Force, GreenLatinos, Earthworks, 350 Colorado, and more, to implement stronger methane safeguards and standards within the oil and gas industry.
“While Colorado is ranked as having the sixth worst air quality in the country,” Morgan shared. “With the lives and livelihoods of me and my fellow community members at stake, it is essential that the drafting of these regulations is more than just a paperwork exercise. Instead, oil and gas companies must be held accountable for the ways in which their inaction around methane emission has perpetuated environmental injustices that threaten our health and safety.”
From technical to accessible
Morgan’s focus with the coalition has been to break down this incredibly technical rule to the public. She has done tons of community outreach and hosted educational webinars to encourage the public to see this rule in terms of personal impact and to take it further and share those stories with the state’s Air Pollution Control Division. They are now in the final push, with the public comment period closing on October 20.
Connecting youth with climate
Beyond methane, Morgan has been in close contact with our partner Colorado Rising and other Colorado community and EJ organizations. She regularly plans events with these partners, demonstrating Defend Our Future’s commitment to emphasizing local needs in climate solutions. Later this month, Morgan will be at a Colorado Youth Summit. The summit, aimed at high school students beginning climate advocacy work, will consist of educational workshops, grounding spaces, networking opportunities, and stewardship projects to protect our environment & participate in community healing.
“This summit is so important in a place like Denver, where we are surrounded by nature and climate impacts but many young people don’t learn about them until they go away to college,” Morgan said. “To build climate leaders, we need to teach people how to care for their communities from a young age.”
Keep an eye out for updates on these initiatives, and if you are in Colorado we hope to see you there!
