“I look for opportunities to identify problems in municipalities and partner with them to address those issues,” says Currier, who specialized in Environmental Policy and Planning at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability. “Are they thinking about sea-level rise? Are they thinking about how extreme heat and flooding are connected? As an advocate, I get to be innovative and help these communities think outside the box to develop solutions.”
Currier works to ensure that those solutions are not only good for the environment, but also good for people—especially communities that have traditionally been left out of the conversation.
“A lot of environmental justice groups and frontline communities have been raising the alarms about environmental issues for years, but they’re often not prioritized or listened to as much,” says Currier. “It’s important to think about how we’re sharing power and that my ideas are not the best ideas. And that the people who have the best ideas are the ones with lived experience. So, how do I balance the positionality and the power that I have with the solutions that are actually going to help people who are impacted the most?”
Before joining Save the Bay, Currier worked on land use planning policy and advocacy related to transportation, housing, open space and agriculture at Greenbelt Alliance and TransForm.
She stresses that anyone can get involved in environmental advocacy; all it takes is a willingness to act. “Pick an issue that’s important to you and get politically involved, especially at the local level where representatives are so accessible,” says Currier. “It’s their job to listen to us, and I don’t think we use our power enough. But sticking with the issue, becoming informed, building a relationship with your city council member and then getting involved during elections is really impactful.”
