There’s no shortage of environmental problems – and that’s why Community Action Works (CAW) offers pro bono public campaign support, training and resources to help people confront local environmental threats and the polluters behind them. Based in Boston, CAW has trained and organized over 20,000 people in 1,000 communities across New England and beyond. Their efforts have significantly empowered community organizations, such as Concerned Citizens Against Contamination, which restored clean water to Groton, MA, and the Coalition for Clean Air South Coast, helping retire the Brayton Point coal plant. In 2024, CAW supported Save Our Bay MA in pressuring the state Department of Environmental Protection to stop radioactively and chemically contaminated industrial wastewater from being dumped into Cape Cod Bay. CAW, a 501(c)(3), specializes in providing the tools, resources, experience, and expertise to help local groups across the country to execute efforts like these, whether through its online library of resources, campaign plans and case studies, online and in-person trainings and consultations, or emergency grants.
Save Our Bay MA, a community group that Community Action Works partners with, gathered outside a public meeting regarding the decommissioning of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth. The message “Not One Drop” refers to community members organizing against a permit that would allow 1.1 million gallons of radioactive wastewater to be discharged into Cape Cod Bay. Photo credit: Community Action Works Staff
Community Action Works, founded as the Massachusetts Campaign to Clean Up Hazardous Waste, originated as a community organizing group in 1987, initially focused on water contamination in the state. The organization became known as Toxics Action Center in 1997, and officially changed to Community Action Works in 2020, expanding its geographical scope and its community organizing campaigns in recognition of their broader environmental agenda. With a small paid staff and large cadre of volunteers, CAW provides training on building successful campaigns; resources on fundraising, public hearings, and interpreting test results; and seed money grants to support toxics organizing, clean air, water, and clean energy work initiatives. Community Action Works harnesses the collective strength of local communities, transforming their voices into powerful forces for justice and meaningful environmental change.
Community leaders gathered in Boston, MA for a Grassroots Organizing Summit hosted by Community Action Works and other community groups. With panels on environmental issues and workshops to build organizing skills, the summit was a space to share stories, get support on building campaigns, and inspire each other to continue fighting for health and safety in our communities.Photo credit: Adam Perri