A Day In The Life Of An Equitable Decarbonization Advocate At Natural Resources Defense Council
A typical day for an Equitable Decarbonization Advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council involves extensive communication—"a lot of emails and a lot of video conference calls"—coordinating with diverse partners, such as Los Angeles-based tenant rights groups and community-based organizations, to strategize advocacy efforts targeting "elected officials or city staff." The role also includes direct advocacy, such as "giving testimony at a city council meeting," showcasing the multifaceted nature of this impactful position.
Communication, Advocacy, Environmental Justice, Political Engagement, Collaboration
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
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Traits
Olivia Walker
Equitable Decarbonization Advocate
Natural Resources Defense Council
Yale University, 2016
UCLA FEMBA
Environmental & Related Sciences
Climate, Environment, Sustainability & Waste Management, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Climate, Environment and Sustainability
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. A large portion of the job includes networking and collaboration with various organizations and stakeholders to strategize and coordinate advocacy efforts.
2. Advocates spend a significant amount of time communicating, whether through emails, calls, or in-person meetings, to align priorities and plan actions.
3. The role involves direct engagement in advocacy, such as giving testimony at city council or board meetings and participating in stakeholder events to influence decision-makers and advance policy changes
Transcript
What does a day in the life of an equitable building carbonization advocate look like?
It's a lot of emails and video conference calls, and talking to other people to hash out what you're going to say and what your advocacy points will be. First thing in the morning, I go through emails and try to reply to as many as I can.
Many of those emails ask to review talking points, a sign-on letter for an advocacy priority, or to look at a partner's priorities and decide if we want to join them in a specific advocacy effort. For meetings, most of mine are external.
I work with many partners across different social issues. NRDC is an environmental organization, but I work directly with mostly LA-based groups, like a tenants' rights group, a labor justice group, and a social and racial justice group. I also work with community-based organizations focused on area-specific environmental justice.
Those meetings are about coordinating mutual priorities and strategizing how to communicate them to elected officials, city staff, or decision-makers at LADWP. On an exciting day, it also involves doing advocacy directly. This could be giving testimony at a city council or LADWP Board of Commissioners meeting, or attending a stakeholder engagement event where NRDC would be a stakeholder.