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By Molly Cleary, Environmental Advocate, Clean Water Action

On January 3rd, 2025, the United States swore in its first Korean American Senator, New Jersey’s own Andy Kim. As the NJ Clean Water Action staff person who interacted with then-candidate Kim’s team the most, I was extended an invitation to his celebration dinner in our nation’s capital city, Washington DC. I love this part of my job - celebrating successes on our issues and at the ballot box.

My job title at Clean Water Action, “Environmental Advocate”, may seem vague; but one of my duties is reaching out to candidates, sending and reviewing their questionnaires, and working with our Board to determine whether a candidate should be endorsed or not based on their environmental record and/or commitments. While this is a simplified version of the process, you get the picture. U.S. Senator Andy Kim was one such candidate who got the Clean Water Action stamp of approval and was officially endorsed.  

I decided the best way to start this adventure south of my NJ home was to try something new: taking a trip on Amtrak! When I told my co-workers that this was indeed my first trip using the train for something other than in-state travel, they were shocked. Mass transit is not something that is readily available or typically used in my home state of Georgia. Even NJ Transit was a foreign concept to me when I first moved to New Jersey. While parking at the train station was brutal, the trip overall was far more pleasant and environmentally friendly than if I had driven my own vehicle. The train ride was also better for gathering my thoughts before attending the dinner event that evening.

While we know Senator Andy Kim agrees with us on many issues (per his endorsement), reminders do not hurt! A large portion of my position at Clean Water Action includes having the projects of our organizers at the forefront of my mind and able to share key details at the drop of a hat. This way I can garner both attention and advocate for our premier initiatives including: X Braithwaite’s Clean Beauty Campaign, Marta Young’s Skip the Stuff, Tolani Taylor and Kelli Koontz-Wilson’s advocacy for Advanced Clean Trucks, and my own pet project, the Climate Superfund Act, which we co-lead within a broader state-wide coalition.  

Going into this event, I knew that I was not just going to say hello to the Senator, take a quick selfie, then leave. This was an opportunity for those in power to hear about the great initiatives being led by our Clean Water team back in New Jersey. Part of what makes my position so exciting is having the ability to match people in power up with our project leaders and community advocates. If someone’s child has asthma, maybe they would be more interested in Tolani and Kelli’s zero emissions work. Perhaps someone is on a town council and has seen rising costs due to climate disasters, advocating for a Climate Superfund might better suit their policy interests. Connecting these dots and then putting them in touch with others creates a beautiful network that makes me appreciate my job even more. Helps to foster the Action in Clean Water Action!

After the quick 3-hour train ride to D.C. that settled my mind and left me with many new levels of Candy Crush completed, I rushed to my hotel and prepared for the main event. Once I arrived at Senator Kim’s dinner reception, I realized that I recognized more folks from my everyday life than I thought I would. Along with the pleasure of meeting Senator Kim, his wife, and the amazing staff that put together the event, there were advocates who I connected with on our shared key issues.

Senator Kim spoke of fighting back against the incoming administration, continuing to hope for better, and actually doing better. Although there was the looming dark energy of the Inauguration, folks were readying themselves, as we all should be, with empathy and a wish for a cleaner, greener future. We hope you will join us - you can learn more about our NJ campaigns here and become a member here. People power is what helps us win!

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