The Environmental Studies Program (ESP) students ventured into a new classroom for the day at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) annual clean water lobby day.
On Jan. 14, 2025, over 15 ESP students gathered at the General Assembly building in Richmond, Va., to meet with legislators and lobby for seven clean water policies. Meetings began around 9 a.m. and lasted until about 11 a.m.
“We’re so excited to be up talking to legislators because that’s where the difference is made,” CBF CEO Hilary Falk said.
Students held meetings with their district delegates and senators to advocate for bills they were passionate about. These bills spanned from pushing for environmental education to funding for oyster and microplastic studies.
“The biggest bill for me was House Bill 2034 which was [advocating] for creating a wetlands policy task force,” junior Miles Pullman said. “This is really important to me because I live right next to a wetland that is not very well protected.”
In preparation for the event, students were encouraged to educate themselves on the bills and on the representatives they were going to speak with. Sharing personal stories and connecting on a personal level with legislators helped advocates get their messages across.
“I prepared beforehand by reading through all of the bills that were up for vote and picking out a few that I cared about most,” Miles said.
After lobby day, ESP stayed to participate in the Virginia Resilience Reception where environmental organizations from Virginia attended to hear more about the program and how they could incorporate similar programs into their work.
“Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia attended, as well as state agencies such as the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation,” Miles said.
Overall, events such as clean water lobby day help ESP students get a grasp on real world environmental issues and provide opportunities that can give them experience for future careers and professions.
“My favorite part of lobby day was getting to meet new people and getting my voice heard,” senior Caylin Szilagyi said.
