Activism has been a through-line for me having taken my first big step as a college student joining the freedom riders in Selma. This was followed by work in the peace movement with the Berrigan Brothers and finally serving as a conscientious objector at NH State Hospital. I gravitated into the environmental movement in the 70’s often focused on water issues. Participating in political advocacy naturally accompanied activism; I served as a regional coordinator with MoveOn and later with Democrats Abroad in Mexico where I lived for 12 years.

For fourteen years I served as a therapist and a social service administrator after earning degrees in Social Work and Public Health. Mid-career I switched directions, founded a rowing organization, and became the head of the Three Rivers Rowing Association in Pittsburgh, PA.

I recently completed Hopeful Pessimism by Mara Van Der Lugt and agree with her central theme that it may be unlikely that we’ll experience meaningful improvements in the climate crisis in our lives, but that nevertheless we will apply our greatest effort because we believe it is the right thing to do.

Like many others, I’m very discouraged about how terribly polarized our society has become along with disinformation and sensational claims of epic proportions. So one thing I hope to be able to do is help Third Act NH to involve climate skeptics … perhaps through my other involvements including work with Braver Angels.

I am very happy to be back in my native state at this point in my life and enjoy an active lifestyle including hiking, biking, skiing, rowing, and paddling mostly here in the Monadnock Region. I’m an active member of the Peterborough UU Congregation. My wife and I blended our families and have our adult children and four grandchildren.

A meeting report is not always the most exciting thing to write or read but our April 1 meeting was an EXCITING meeting. Seven new folks showed up, coming from Amherst, Loudon, Contoocook, Guilford, and Concord. Along with many of our regular attendees returning, attendance nearly doubled from previous meetings!

Positive energy in the room grew as everyone shared something they had done in the past month that helped to lift their spirits above the crisis that surrounds us. Each participant then talked about their experiences of activism over the past month. A lively period of sharing interests, questions, and networking followed, giving people ideas and inspiration for future activism and next steps.

Bill Coder and Laura Magzis talked about citizen action on the local level and the impact that we can make by working together in our own communities.  Through collaboration with town and municipal Energy Committees and other boards (Planning Boards, School Boards) and committees in our towns we can support local green energy initiatives. Solar roof top installations on municipal buildings, moving school lunch programs away from single use plastics, town composting efforts, solar installations on capped landfills that are not useful for other purposes–these are a few examples of programs that have had success in NH towns. Bill has a wealth of information and contacts with organizations that offer resources for working locally. Laura shared her experience of attending the Concord Energy and Environment Advisory Committee and suggested anyone could join her at the next meeting on May 28, 6:30-8:30 in the Concord City Council Chambers. For more information contact Laura at hippiedoc2@comcast.net.

Martha Mae handed out the Third Act NH Connects Actions and Activities List for April and went over the updated list of Rallies, Protests, Visibilities, Earth Day Events and other opportunities for ongoing activism. New attendees had the opportunity to join Third Act NH before they left using the TA NH website on an available computer.

Martha Mae will be stepping away from guiding the monthly meetings in order to attend to health concerns that require her attention. The group will continue with the excellent guidance of Laura and Olivia. Bevan Tulk will take on the role of Coordinator between the group and the UU Church.

Join us at our next meeting on Tuesday, May 6, 1:30-3, at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 274 Pleasant St., Concord. All are welcome! Please park in the lot on the right beyond the church.

Congratulations to Lena Nirk, member of TA NH and our Democracy and Voting Team, on becoming a board member of the NH Chapter of the Sierra Club!

Third Act is beginning a national push for solar energy adoption, teaming with an organization with model policies that can help expedite homeowner solar projects if/when adopted by municipalities. A majority of NH’s towns haven’t adopted any solar policy, and few actively facilitate solar adoption. As Third Act’s solar program rolls out, grassroots efforts will be needed to make the case for adoption of so-called “instant permitting” by municipalities. Energy Committees provide an obvious place to start.

Many NH towns have already taken steps to incorporate solar into municipal facilities. Has yours? These can be complicated projects but NH Network and Clean Energy NH have experience and resources to help.

Third Act NH now has members in roughly a third of NH municipalities. Your first step is to locate the energy committee in your town. Some volunteers will be investigating how to get an energy committee set up in their towns lacking them. Our efforts may require some time and determination, but energy economics fuels this local climate action, and partners will serve as guides. No special expertise is required. There are enough resources available to fill a couple of pages of resource links even before Third Act ramps up. Contact me: Bill Coder williamcoder1@gmail.com

Trump and Musk think this country belongs to them, but we say NO!

On April 5, national and local organizations are coming together across the country to organize for Hands Off!, a national mass activation in defiance of the Trump-Musk billionaire takeover and the Republican assault on our freedoms and our communities. Hands Off! is an all-in moment for the pro-democracy, pro-worker movement—a demand, a warning, and a rallying cry that responds to:

• Trump and Musk are attempting an illegal power grab, a crisis we must stop.
• Trump, Musk, and congressional Republicans are gutting services, raising prices, and racing towards slashing Medicaid, Social Security, and more.
• Trump, Musk, and congressional Republicans are on this path of destruction for the benefit of their billionaire allies.

Please register for this event here and come to the NH State House, 107 N. Main St., Concord, NH from Noon to 5:00pm on April 5.

Please note: We are required by the permit that we must stay on the sidewalk.  We can’t step into the street, nor stand in crosswalks, parking spaces, medians, etc.

Whether you are mobilized by the attacks on our democracy, the slashing of jobs, the invasion of privacy, or the assault on our services—this moment is for you. Many organizations including Third Act are working together to build a massive, visible, national rejection of this crisis. On April 5, many groups will host events across the country in every state. Our goal is to show that the people—the majority—are taking action to stop the corruption and power grab.

On Saturday, April 5th, we’re taking to the streets to fight back with a clear message: Hands off!

This mass mobilization day is our message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies. Alongside Americans across the country, we are marching, rallying, and protesting to demand the chaos stops, and to build an opposition movement against the looting of our country.

Please come, and stand alongside others from Third Act New Hampshire!

I want to meet the universe in the morning as it is,
the setting moon, the orbiting earth, the sun rising,
the universes beyond the Milky Way,
the vastness of the dark and the hidden
distant stars that shine despite no longer being there.
All that we cannot see, the enormity of space and time.

I want to meet the universe in the morning as it is,
both the infinite and the infinitesimal,
all way beyond what our senses can perceive,
the enormity of an atom with its own orbits, spinning around
a vast nucleus, and with its own vast empty spaces.
How is it that an atom can contain so much emptiness:
how can the insubstantial add up to substance? All that dizzy
energy capable of blowing up a world if we smash just one.

I want to meet the universe in the morning as it is.
The universe of time as well as space.
Earth time, days, seasons, years, for sure,
but also time since our beginning, all that have lived since the beginning of life,
the long genealogy evolving from a yeast cell into every creature that exists.
And the time way back, before that one yeast cell, how long was that?
Not to mention all the years continuing forward from now to who knows how long?
Longer for some animals than others as we know,
as we too may join those stopped in their tracks by extinction,
but the energy still evolving, creeping endlessly forward.

I want to meet the universe in the morning as it is.
Leave the rest to the afternoon, the junk of modern life.
Plastic gathering in the ocean is terrible enough but it also represents the state of my mind.
All that garbage sending me to an inner place where I can not remember a life
Unshadowed by the traces of innumerable ads,
those corpses of modern capitalism working on me
way beyond the moment when I read, hear, or see them,
digging into the ocean of my mind, my own sea of life.
What a thief of consciousness,
intelligence now named artificial,
warping our own precious minds.
Our awareness waylaid, bruised and abandoned,
by a thief waiting in a different sort or darkness,
sabotaging my sense of a mystery that I can now only
find in bits and pieces scattered on the floor.
Give me length beyond a beginning and an ending.
Give me infinite and infinitesimal extent.

I want to meet the universe in the morning as it is.

What does being an “activist” mean to you?

It’s an opportunity to connect with others in ways that amplify my own efforts to make change.  It means being part of a community which helps you center that change in fairness and compassion for all life.

What are some of your most vivid memories and/or successes as an activist?

Definitely it has to be the two times that I was arrested and went to court (repeatedly!) pleading that while I was guilty of trespassing, my actions were justified in defense of the planet and climate action.  It took a whole team of people and lawyers to support those of us who volunteered for arrest.

Why does activism matter? Is it effective?

Well, I sure hope it matters!  It matters to me at least because it gives me something concrete I can do in the face of greed or ignorance when it comes to people and the planet.  I feel better just taking action.

Tell us about the Jaffrey Climate Strike. How did it get started? How long has it been going?

Maddy Springfield was just starting a Masters program at Bennington College in International Climate Policy.  It was late 2020 and the pandemic was in full swing.  Maddy, a graduate of Conant Middle High School in Jaffrey and Bentley College, was unable to join her classmates because of Covid.  Maddy was taking classes online, but was anxious to take IRL action.  She knew about Fridays For Future, so she pulled some of her classmates from Conant and their siblings into standing with her.

A local reporter wrote a story about the young people.  I had just lost my husband in late November and was still too devastated to go to meetings or talk to people.  When I read the article about #FFF, I realized that I could still be useful to the climate fight by holding a sign and being part of a vigil.

Maddy eventually joined her classmates in California and passed the leadership torch to Megan Wheeler.  Megan led the group for another 18 months while she awaited her Peace Corps assignment in the Dominican Republic.

We passed the 4 year mark in December of 2024.  We soldier on without a youth leader, but I hope one will come along to continue our demonstrations until we see climate action on a large scale.  It’s going to take everyone.

What gives you hope? 

My fellow activists and the young people I encounter give me hope.  My own activism gives me hope.  We can’t do everything, but we can all do something and our combined efforts add up.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell the Third Act community?

I’ve been involved in clean energy/energy efficiency efforts since I was in college in the 1970s during the oil embargo. I’m an electrical engineer, so energy efficiency and low power design was my profession and passion. This is a long game.  (I wish it were NOT…it’s an emergency and we’re dragging our feet!)  Keep on protesting!  Keep showing up.  It has made a difference all around the world.  Get arrested while you can if you’re healthy and not caring for someone else.  The optics of arresting white-haired people who may need mobility devices is terrible and heart wrenching.  It WILL have an impact!  We also have a kind of special relationship with the younger generations… who may be the age of our grandchildren or great-grandchildren.  They see us trying and that may give them some hope… which they will need with what they are facing.

Bill McKibben writes The Crucial Years on Substack ; he is the founder of 350.org and Third Act. He writes very well, articulates feelings I believe many of us share, and is absolutely up-to-date on what is happening with our climate. 

Heather Cox Richardson has an impressive talent for putting current events in historical context. This can be illuminating and sometimes reassuring. I find myself saying “Oh, we have emerged from this in the past; perhaps we can do it again.” 

Joyce Vance (Civil Discourse) reviews legal news and sometimes ventures predictions about how cases may turn out. She is also one of four very smart women attorneys on the “Sisters-In-Law” podcast. They dilute the hard stuff with some light humor and chitchat, which I find helpful. 

Robert Reich, an economics professor at UC Berkeley and a former Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton does a daily letter and a Coffee Klatch on Saturdays with Heather Lofthouse, who appears to have been a student of his. Reich makes economics easy to understand, even for someone like me who sometimes struggles with the subject. He understands the way in which the economic divide between working people and the ownership class has widened. He explains the history of this trend and how it impacts us now. He also draws cartoons and asks the audience to provide captions. He then choses first, second, third place winners, which, in my opinion, is fun.

I also like The Contrarian on Substack. It features Jennifer Rubin and Norm Eisen. They emphasize opposition/resistance and use humor in reporting what the oligarchs are up to. Rubin recently quit her opinion column at The Washington Post for political reasons. Norm Eisen is an attorney challenging much of what the current administration is trying to do.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat from Lucid is an expert on authoritarianism. There is much more to know about authoritarianism than I ever imagined. She has a very matter-of-fact way of explaining her subject matter.

On MSNBC, I watch The Rachel Maddow Show and Lawrence O’Donnell’s The Last Word. I also like All In, with Chris Hayes, in part because of his concern about climate change. Unfortunately, MSNBC has laid off Joy Reid, who might be showing up on Substack if she hasn’t already. I watch these folks on Youtube without subscribing, which means I only get the “highlights,” but I have a friend with a paid subscription, so sometimes I see whole programs with him.

On climate, I have listened to Living on Earth.org on NPR for decades. I sometimes also listen to a new podcast called Climate One. They are both highly informative. LOE, and probably Climate One as well, have pieces on climate change, but also matters of interest about various animals, plants and weather phenomena.

I subscribed a while back to The Guardian’s climate articles. They are very good, and this paper does not have a pay wall. They are not owned by an oligarch. I like to give them a contribution.

I hope some of this interests you.

Laura Magzis

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.

It is not typical for me to do something like this, but I felt compelled to go. My personal reason was that I viewed the march as an opportunity to tell Donald Trump that he did not have a mandate, and that I wasn’t afraid. I went by myself, which is not as pathetic as it sounds; it granted me a large amount of freedom, not only to immerse myself in the spectacle, but to move about according to my whim.

We had been instructed to meet in one of three parks depending on our primary issue. I arrived around nine as people were just beginning to congregate. We listened to speeches as the crowd swelled. The speakers riled us up, talking about justice for humans and justice for the planet.

When the time came, our group was directed to go last, which afforded us the privilege of observing the others. The river of people was awe-inspiring, not just in number, but in the imagination and passion on display. Theatrics were omnipresent, some people in costume, and many donning their pink pussy hats. Luckily, I was positioned next to some boisterous drummers, raising the vibration. Finally, our group was allowed to proceed down 17^th Street.

The march moved slowly and rambunctiously past the Eisenhower building, with the Washington Monument looming ahead. Spectators eyed us with various expressions. For some, I suppose, we were dismissed as the lunatic left. For others, we were pure entertainment. The diversity of our messaging may’ve led some to ask what on earth we were trying to say? “This is what democracy looks like,” we chanted, as if to answer this very question.

When we arrived at the Lincoln memorial, we assembled to hear the speeches. I moved about the crowd, too fascinated by the pageant to listen attentively.  A woman in a handmaid’s tale outfit lifted her red robe to wade through the mud past a silent procession of black-clad mourners. A man pestered them, “Why so sad?” he asked. Elsewhere, young activists surged their bodies against counter protestors holding large and gruesome anti-abortion posters. With their signs and with their voices they smothered  them chanting “my body, my choice.”

After the march, I visited the Martin Luther King memorial, the White House, and several other sites. I met Taran, an artist who was exhibiting his enormous inflatable “Chicken Don” on the grounds of the National Mall. It was a sister action to the People’s March, he explained. Go here to learn more about it.

As evening approached, the MAGA supporters, who had arrived to view the inauguration, descended on the city. They were walking the sidewalks, buying and selling Trump memorabilia, or riding in pedicabs blasting YMCA.  When it was time to return to Union Station for my bus ride home, I walked all the way down Pennsylvania avenue, holding my sign high.

Committees schedule a hearing for each bill before it votes.  Members of the public can show up at the hearing and speak about the bill, for or against and why, or they can submit online whether they Support or Oppose the bill, and optionally, they can submit written comment as to why.

The online submission must happen before midnight on the day the bill has its hearing.

At the Jan. 22 Coffee Chat, we discussed some of the bills currently before the NH legislature, how to submit public comment on bills, and the importance of doing so (it does matter!).  We talked about whether Third Act NH should forward news about climate-related bills to its membership, as we receive it from the organizations tracking them.  Sometimes, though, even these organizations only learn the hearing date a few days ahead, leaving only a couple of days to get the word out and for folks to get comment submitted.  So we decided it was better to tell Third Actors how to get these notifications directly.

Sign up to get a weekly email from NH Network, or go to its website.  This group notifies you of upcoming climate-related bills that need public comment, including the links to submit online, some background about the bill, and whether to Support or Oppose.  Writing a comment is not required; you can just submit Support or Oppose.  But if you can put in a few words as to how the bill will impact you, that always helps.

NH Network’s online info on what bills are coming up is here.

Sign up to receive NH Network’s weekly email here.  Scroll down (noting all the cool things happening!) until you get to Join the NH Network (for individuals).

Open Democracy tracks bills related to achieving political equality for all, which is directly related to Third Act NH’s Uplift Democracy campaign.  See here Open Democracy’s weekly actions regarding bills in the legislature.

Thank you for participating in local democracy on behalf of a healthy climate!