Before Sylvia Foster learned about 350NH through a friend, her activism revolved around the Office of Community, Equity, and Diversity at UNH and her experience as a teacher in the women’s studies classroom. During her time at UNH, Foster worked to build awareness of the status of women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities on campus. The mission was to build equity and inclusion by advocating for policy changes and practices so that everyone may grow to full potential.
Even though Foster finds advocacy work rewarding, she finds it disheartening when there’s resistance and pushback to progress. Thus, she finds that she stays motivated by working with a group, with youth, and with people who are most proximate to and affected by the systems and structures that she’s working to revolutionize.
Further, Foster recognizes that every day we need to choose hope over fear. Together we can push for change inspired by a love that brings justice with the commitment of a group backing us. She finds success in that choice, our dedication to having the courage to imagine and build a world with justice for all beings at its center.
350NH had an opportunity to talk with Sylvia Foster about climate activism recently.
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350NH: What do you do at 350NH, what specific projects have you worked on, and what have you accomplished?
Foster: I work for the 350NH Action Board and the Dover Node. Both of these groups are making long-term plans. And the Dover Node is making on-the-ground plans as well. We’re working to elect climate candidates, stopping the Granite Bridge Pipeline, and staying visible in the media. We were developing a campaign for libraries, just as the Coronavirus hit. Eventually, the initiative will educate on sustainable energy and the Granite Bridge Pipeline. We plan, and we put our feet on the pavement. As a group we often say, “Let’s go to a community meeting at UNH on sustainable energy, or let’s show up at Town Hall for an action on sustainable energy or a rally for clean energy.”
350NH: What are you most proud of in your 350NH work?
Foster: I’m proud of our efforts to stop the Granite Bridge Pipeline. We strategized on how we would approach one of our state senators. It was inspiring, even to the very end when we analyzed what we could have done better and what went well. I’m so impressed with the way we process things. We listen when people might not be thinking the same way. I am inspired by the process because really this is all a process - and one of which I’m proud. This is all a journey.
350NH: Listening is everything, isn’t it?
Foster: It is. The only way we’re going to make progress is to think of all of this action as a process because we can’t depend on everything working the way we want it to. I love Lila’s (the 350NH director’s) attitude. If we don’t win on a direct action, the powers that be may still be saying, “Maybe we won’t start another one of these initiatives; we get too much pushback from the climate people.” They’re going to keep hearing from us, and they know it. It makes me proud to think that we’re not going to give up even if we don’t have closure. We always keep our courage and go on.
350NH: What kind of impact do you hope to have with your 350NH work or with the other things that you do?
Foster: I want to keep finding new ways to apply my skills. I love the way Transition Town works. They don’t attempt to get you on board by saying, “Everything’s falling apart, you’ve got to help.” They don’t come from a place of desperation; they come from a place of “what do you have to give to this?” What are your special gifts, your best skills? It’s not a draining ask: it’s an invitation to you to help fill the well. I want to help to build a better world. I hope we elect climate candidates to office for a positive force in our state and on local ecosystems. Our ecosystems are depending on us to be a voice for this beautiful planet.
350NH: Would you explain what climate justice means to you?
Foster: People are hurt by climate change and especially the people who are living in toxic waste areas and where air and water quality is unacceptable. We need to create new structures so that we do not disproportionately hurt black and brown people’s health by our unethical actions in using the earth’s resources. I want to see everyone be able to share the planet’s resources and live healthy lives. And I'm also concerned for our fellow creatures on earth, our kin. It’s all for the common good that we all have access to what is needed for a healthy life. It is an injustice to destroy any creature’s habitat.
350 NH: What actions can each of us take to assist in stopping a climate disaster?
Foster: We need to gather in numbers. Acting alone is ineffective. Just as with problems of race, we can’t just sit at home and improve ourselves. We need to step up and work together to change systems. People need to explore organizations for change because our status quo structures are deadly. We need to help change corporate policies and state and local policies. We have to learn how to get along, we need to stop warring one another, and begin negotiating peaceably. It’s a great frustration to me that we would be fighting over something we cannot and should not want to change. Diverse people and ideas are what make the best possible life for all of us. We can put our diverse ideas to work towards our biggest threat. This planet is in distress.
350NH: What is your greatest hope and greatest fear?
Foster: I hope that we can, starting locally, make a difference by stopping the Granite Bridge Pipeline and make that an impetus to produce more alternative energy. That would be my greatest hope, that people will see, especially people who work in our government, that we are serious. We’re organized, and we are demanding the clean air, water, and soil that come with a reasoned approach to energy production. My greatest fear is that we will remain in the status quo, which would mean death to what we have left. I feel so lucky that I work at 350NH because working with these brave people gives me hope.
