In the fight to protect the environment, offices and conference rooms may seem like an unlikely battle front. But on Wednesday, representatives from state and local Leagues of Conservation Voter s (including NYLCV) descended on our nation's Capitol to lead the charge head-on.

NYLCv's Legislative Director Ricardo Gotla played a key role in advocating for sustainability policies in Washington.This impressive force for the environment set our sights on four very important bills concerning renewable energy, clean air, chemical exposure and transportation policy. While much of this legislation presents a step forward, in certain cases amendments have been attached to the bills that -- unless defeated -- may seriously compromise our nation's environment and public health.

In order to educate our leaders and policy makers about what is at stake, and to persuade them to act in our best interests, the national League of Conservation Voters helped organize the state leagues for the event. Our very own Ricardo Gotla, NYLCV's Policy Director, sat down with nine representatives over the course of the day, including Sen. Charles Schumer and U.S. Rep. Bill Owens.

"While not everyone we meet is persuaded about every issue, I think that it is very important for representatives from states to go to DC to make their case on policies that they care about," Gotla said. "The fact that we go there, take time out of our day and out of our week, to deliver that message in person is powerful. It goes a long way."