Choose your level of activity…
AN AERIAL VIEW, BRIEFLY
Third Act NH’s work is guided by a “Coordinating Committee” of 9 people who meet regularly on Zoom. We focus on 3 climate-related campaigns, established by central Third Act. Though specific activities can overlap campaigns, it is useful to know they are Democratizing Energy, Fossil Free Finance, and Uplifting Democracy. Very briefly,
Democratizing Energy promotes electrification of homes and increasing the use of renewable energy sources (wind, solar, hydro) in communities.
Advance Fossil Free Finance educates people about the climate impacts of their money. Some financial institutions invest heavily in the fossil fuel industry; by doing so they harm the climate. Changing the bank, investment company, or insurance entity you use reduces the harm your money is causing unbeknownst to you.
Uplifting Democracy supports local involvement in the democratic process, facilitates response to legislation impacting democracy and climate, and collaborates to promote climate education and action statewide.
There is also a Volunteer and Communications team (“VolComm”). VolComms manage the email newsletter, website, FaceBook page (which is connected to Instagram), and publicity, and work on volunteer engagement.
Following is a list of activities you can do to become involved in Third Act NH. You’ll see the 3 campaigns echoed in these activities.
First are simple one-time things you can do to Get Your Feet Wet.
Next are more involved activities, for those ready to Wade In and Swim Some.
Finally are activities at the level of leadership, for those ready to Cannonball Off The Dock!
Don’t get overwhelmed; it’s OK to pick just one thing you’d like to do! Different activities appeal to different people; we hope at least one of these appeals to you.
GET YOUR FEET WET
Take steps toward making your homelife more energy efficient with help from Third Act’s own Rewiring America electrification coach Bill Coder. He can guide you in having a home energy audit to assess air sealing and insulation. (Email him here.) Another prudent step: check if your fuel-burning equipment might be ready for retirement soon. Be ready before your water heater or boiler starts leaking! Driving an aging vehicle? Take a look at EVs; they are very efficient!
Any Tuesday from noon-1:00pm, join other Third Actors at the Bank of America branch in Concord, NH protesting big banks’ funding of fossil fuel development.. Meet us in person!
Make the switch to a more climate-friendly bank and credit card. Begin by watching Rivers and Mountains Greenfaith’s webinars on moving your money; they’re clear and succinct. Later, report progress to us so we can track NH’s overall progress.
Find a climate-smart insurance company and switch your insurance to it. This article by Green America explains how: “Climate Smart Insurance: New 50-state search tool locates home, auto policies from providers that don’t invest billions in fossil fuels”. Report your switch to us so we can track progress.
Attend one meeting of the Fossil Free Finance team (next one is Feb. 17 at 4:00pm by zoom) or the Volunteer & Communications (VolComm) Team (next one is March 5 at 9:00am by zoom). Email us for zoom links.
Attend an in-person monthly meeting with Third Actors about Uplifting Democracy at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord. The next one is March 4 at 1:30pm. Email us for dates after that.
Watch the emails you get from Third Act central for actions to take. Choose an action you’ll take and let us know so we can know TA NH’s impact.
Participate in one of our a bi-weekly Coffee Chats Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. Next date is posted on thirdact.org/new-hampshire.
Invite a friend who is not a Third Act member to attend a coffee chat with you or meet at Bank of America, any Tuesday, noon-1:00pm in Concord, NH.
WADE IN and SWIM SOME
Find out about your local town’s energy committee or commission, or lack thereof (why there isn’t one) and report back to Bill Coder (email him here.) For the steps to take, see A Way Forward: Sustainable Energy in Your Town – New Hampshire. Bill will help with next steps, too.
Help us develop a stronger presence at Bank of America locations around the state.
- Begin by starting a 1-hour weekly visibility at the branch closest to you, at a time you choose. Get people you know to come. Let us know and we’ll publicize it, too!
- Next step: let other Third Actors know how fun this was, and invite them to start one at the branch closest to them.
- We can help you find TA NH members living near you. Just ask (email us).
Share your story of moving your money and credit cards to a better, more climate-friendly bank. Four ways to share: Write a letter to the editor of your local paper about it, or write a short article for the TA NH monthly newsletter (email it with “Newsletter Article” in the subject line), or record a short video about it for our Facebook page (email it with “Short Video for FB Page” in the subject line), or attend a Coffee Chat and share your story there.
Prepare educational materials, posters, or signs to use at visibility events or marches that explain the connection between big banks and climate change.
Invite a TA NH speaker to give a talk at your local library or other group (Rotary, Lions, senior living facility, church/synagogue/mosque, etc.) about how to align your values with your money. Email us to ask for a speaker.
Promote smaller banks and credit unions in the community where you live.
Write a letter to the editor explaining why you switched to a more climate-friendly bank and/or insurance company. Include the how-to links and encourage others to do so, too. (The how-to links are https://www.rivers-mountains-greenfaith.org/divestment-workshops and https://www.greenamerica.org/press-release/50-state-tool-lists-insurance-doesnt-invest-fossil-fuels )
Check with NH Network and Open Democracy on current climate- and democracy-related legislation in NH. Sign up for their weekly email as it will tell you how to submit public comment on bills (online or in person) and when the bill’s public hearing date is set. Submit comment to the bills you care most about, and let us know you did (email us).
- https://www.newhampshirenetwork.org/NH-bills#h.xtzhl334s8m
- https://www.opendemocracyaction.org/weeklyactions
Write a letter to the editor about bills currently before the legislature.
Arrange voter registration near you for high school and college students. Start now to get voters engaged and ready to vote in the midterms. We have the materials you need!
Join your local Democrats committee, or attend a planning board or school board meeting to help your neighbors take actions supporting a clean, healthy, and just community for all.
Help Donna make more dynamic Facebook posts (contact her here).
Support new Third Act NH members in your area by meeting in person for coffee or lunch.
Create art and music to support our values.
Get help electrifying your home with our Rewiring America coach Bill Coder who is ready to help you with your projects. Switch from gas to electric for cooking or drying clothes, from oil-or-gas powered home heating to heat pumps, or install a home solar array to generate your electricity locally. Also, take a look at Electric Vehicles (EVs). Why does home electrification matter? Reports on NH Energy Use by Sector show ⅔ of energy use is by the consumer. One third is commercial or industrial energy use; ⅓ is for consumer transportation; ⅓ is for consumer residences. Most of residential energy use is for heating. So: How we get energy for our homes makes a difference!
CANNONBALL OFF THE DOCK!
Get the Rewiring America electrification coach training. Talk to Bill Coder about applying to become an electrification coach (email him here).
Become a second liaison for Democratizing Energy, with Bill Coder and attend monthly nationwide meetings. Help Bill get local folks active on this campaign.
Become a second liaison for Fossil Free Finance, with Deborah Mahar and attend monthly nationwide meetings. Help Deborah get local folks active on this campaign (email her here).
Become a second liaison for Uplift Democracy, with Sheryl Anderson and attend monthly nationwide meetings. Help Sheryl get local folks active on this campaign (email her here).
Join the “VolComm” team (Volunteer and Communications). We work to get more Third Actors involved in our climate work, and to communicate about TA NH’s climate work to the public (email us here).
Help expand our presence on social media. Record and post reels or short videos about our events; no one’s doing this yet. Provide photos of Third Act NH events. Or, search for, collect, and forward possible posts for our social media outlets. Be on the lookout for positive, sustainability-focused content.
Create additional opportunities for TA NH to get before the public, such as additional visibility (in addition to the weekly bank presence), or manning tables at Earth Day events, farmer’s markets, Old Home Days, etc. (We already have tables, banners, materials, buttons, etc. for this purpose; you won’t be starting from scratch.)
Learn more about the Coordinating Committee by attending a meeting. We meet every other Wednesday at 11:00 am by Zoom. Email us here for the Zoom link.