Climate Crisis Working Group

ORMA members have consistently voted that addressing our existential Climate Crisis is one of their top priorities. The Climate Crisis Working Group (CCWG) was convened in 2021 to give voice to this priority.

The CCWG meets each 2nd and 4rd Wednesday at 7:15pm. Your participation is encouraged by sending us an email with this form to receive a meeting invitation and link.

During the pandemic the WG has focused on online actions such as sending members’ letters to their representatives to urge specific bills and actions, supporting the efforts of allied groups, and producing forums on climate-related topics. One such forum – the Trees as a Public Good forum – led the formation of an ongoing new group, the Trees as a Public Good Network. As pandemic restrictions fade, we’re adding to these online activities a priority of calling for more public in-person participation. Let’s get out and demand real action! Volunteer Here

Trees as a Public Good Network

The Trees as a Public Good Network (TreesPG) is a coalition of organizations and individuals across Massachusetts, committed to both preserving forest and urban tree canopy and also expanding it. TreesPG originated in a Spring 2022 forum sponsored by ORMA’s Climate Crisis working group, A Livable Commonwealth: Trees as a Public Good, that demonstrates the many ways trees mitigate the global warming crisis.

TreesPG advocates for the preservation and expansion of forest and urban trees at state and local levels. We are active in supporting state legislation that furthers our goals. We recognize that tree canopy is an environmental justice issue, and we offer organizing support to community groups and residents anywhere in the Commonwealth seeking to protect local trees.

The TreesPG Network meets on Zoom twice a month and is open to all who support our mission. Join us by filling out this form: Volunteer Here

Alternative Emergency Response Teams

ORMA is a founding member of Massachusetts-Public Equitable Approaches to Community Health (MA-PEACH). Its mission is to increase the health, safety, resiliency, and equity of the people of the Commonwealth by working to make Massachusetts a leading state in the prevalence and efficacy of non-law-enforcement, unarmed community-based response teams for 911 emergency calls. We work with local groups who support efforts to create teams in their cities and towns and individuals across the state who support statewide legislation to support local teams. Volunteer Here

Preserve the Fair Share Victory

ORMA endorsed the Fair Share amendment and continues to work in the coalition, Raise-Up, to protect the spirit of the referendum in the face of efforts by legislators and the governor to reduce taxes on the wealthy.Volunteer Here

Improving our Democracy

ORMA is actively working with partner organizations to help towns and cities adopt Ranked Choice Voting. In Massachusetts where the reelection of incumbents is more frequent than all but 5 other states, this upgrade to our democracy decreases negative campaigning, prevents splitting, and allows for monetary savings by giving towns and cities the option of eliminating primary elections. Volunteer Here

Housing is a right

ORMA is working as part of a broad coalition of tenant groups and progressive organizations producing a virtual educational forum on the nature of the current housing crisis and the steps needed to address it. The forum will cover homelessness, the lack of sufficient housing to meet the needs of low and modest income residents, the lack of tenant protections, the state ban on local rent control, the limited ability of the market economy to provide sufficient low cost housing, the value of social housing as an alternative to both market housing and government controlled housing, and the need to establish the right to adequate housing for all. If you wish to work on this forum complete this form. Volunteer Here