Across Georgia, community-based organizations are advancing climate solutions in meaningful, people-centered ways, from neighborhood composting hubs and home weatherization projects to clinician-led health advocacy and clean energy workforce training. These grassroots efforts are improving public health, lowering energy burdens, creating new economic pathways, and equipping communities with the knowledge and tools to lead.
Over the past few months, representatives from the foundations that support the Drawdown Georgia Climate Solutions & Equity Grants visited four grantees whose work is dedicated to scaling climate solutions through education and advocacy initiatives. What they found were stories of resilience, creativity, and deep local impact: work that strengthens communities today while also scaling several of the proven 20 Drawdown Georgia Climate Solutions, like electric transportation, energy efficiency, and green job training.
At a time when federal support for climate programs is becoming less reliable, this locally driven work is especially vital. Grounded in trust, lived experience, and long-term relationships, Georgia’s advocacy and education leaders are ensuring that climate solutions continue to move forward, rooted in community needs and shaped by the people most affected by climate change.
ECO-Action: Building Climate Knowledge Where People Live
Atlanta’s Proctor Creek, Intrenchment Creek, and Peoplestown neighborhoods are all communities long shaped by disinvestment and environmental injustice. This is where ECO-Action is stepping up to help residents connect the dots between climate change, health, and everyday life.
ECO-Action is leveraging their Climate Solutions & Equity grant to deliver monthly, community-wide training events on energy efficiency, weatherization, composting, and plant-based diets. These gatherings are designed not only to share information but to build practical skills that reduce household energy burdens, divert food waste from landfills, and improve quality of life.
The grant has also enabled ECO-Action to establish neighborhood-based composting programs serving urban farms and households, and to pair adult volunteers with young apprentices through YouthBuild and other workforce pathways. Residents are learning how to weatherize aging homes, reduce utility bills, and address heat island impacts, often by working side-by-side across generations.
During a recent site visit, funders saw this work in action at community gardens, neighborhood compost hubs, and at homes that received weatherization upgrades. From the thousands of pounds of food scraps their efforts have diverted from landfills to the young adults gaining new job skills, ECO-Action’s approach shows how education and hands-on action reinforce one another. By meeting people where they are, ECO-Action is cultivating both climate resilience and lasting community relationships.
Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund: Empowering Utility Members Across the State
Electric membership corporations (EMCs) serve nearly half of Georgia’s population, yet many member-owners remain unaware of how these cooperatives are governed—or how much influence they can have over energy decisions that affect their bills and communities.
Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund (GCVEF) is working to change that. Through its statewide EMC Organizing Campaign, GCVEF is educating and mobilizing EMC members to advocate for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and more equitable utility governance.
With support from Drawdown Georgia, GCVEF expanded the work of the Georgia EMCs Steering Committee, a statewide network of historically underrepresented EMC member-owners. The Committee has developed accessible educational materials, hosted webinars and in-person meetings, and launched digital tools, such as the EMC Scorecard, to help Georgians understand how their local EMCs are performing.
This education-first approach has already led to tangible outcomes. Members are gaining clarity on voting processes, board elections, and the cooperative principles that should guide EMC decision-making. In some communities, residents have even stepped forward to run for EMC boards, helping elevate issues like energy burdens, clean energy access, and transparency.
At a time when federal energy programs face uncertainty, GCVEF’s work ensures that Georgians are equipped to advocate locally for a cleaner, fairer energy system, one cooperative at a time.
Mothers & Others for Clean Air: Health Voices at the Center of Climate Advocacy
For Mothers & Others for Clean Air (MOCA), climate change is fundamentally a public health issue, especially for children. Through their partnership with Georgia Clinicians for Climate Action and the Georgia State Medical Association, MOCA is leveraging trusted healthcare voices to advocate for cleaner air and healthier communities.
Initially, the Drawdown Georgia grant supported education and advocacy around electric school buses, helping clinicians engage school districts, parents, and policymakers on the health benefits of reducing diesel emissions. Georgia emerged as a national leader in electric school bus adoption, with dozens of districts securing funding for a total of 344 electric school buses.
When federal clean transportation programs were paused or closed, MOCA and its partners adapted. The project pivoted toward broader public education about Georgia’s energy system, the role of the Public Service Commission, and the intersection of climate pollution, health, and utility decision-making.
Through webinars, community engagement, and a multi-city resilience tour, MOCA continues to connect climate action to everyday health outcomes. The organization’s ability to adapt underscores the importance of strong local advocacy when national pathways narrow.
>> Learn how electric school buses are driving progress on climate solutions in Georgia.
Sustainable Georgia Futures: Education as a Pathway to Economic Power
Sustainable Georgia Futures (SGF) approaches climate advocacy through an economic justice lens, focusing on workforce development and education that open doors to Georgia’s growing clean energy economy.
With support from their grant, SGF expanded its WeatheRISE energy-efficiency work while launching a solar pre-apprenticeship program designed specifically for residents of historically marginalized communities. The program removes common barriers to participation by paying apprentices for their time, providing meals and childcare, and covering certification costs.
During a site visit, funders met members of the first pre-apprentice cohort, who are gaining hands-on experience with solar installers while preparing for industry-recognized credentials. These education and training efforts ensure that the benefits of Georgia’s clean energy transition are shared equitably, and that communities most affected by climate change can also help lead the solutions.
By combining education, advocacy, and workforce pathways, SGF is helping build long-term community power in a rapidly changing policy landscape.
A Shared Lesson: Local Action Is the Backbone of Climate Progress
Taken together, these four organizations tell a powerful story about where climate progress is happening in Georgia today. When federal funding becomes uncertain, local advocacy, education, and organizing help solutions scale locally. They build trust, adapt quickly, and ensure that climate action reflects the lived realities of the communities it serves.
As you plan your giving for 2026, we encourage you to remember ECO-Action, Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund, Mothers & Others for Clean Air, Georgia Clinicians for Climate Action, Georgia State Medical Association, and Sustainable Georgia Futures. Your support helps sustain the momentum of local climate action and ensures that these proven, equitable solutions continue to thrive.
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