The final quarter of the year is here! Can you believe it? With only three months left in 2024 we are reflecting on the year and starting to develop strategic plans for 2025. Considering the wins and the opportunities for improvement is necessary, as is celebrating the many efforts of this month’s Climate Hero of the Month, Susan Doherty!
Susan’s love for the outdoors, shaped by her childhood in Maine—where she explored the woods, played in the ocean, and confided in a backyard willow tree she was convinced understood her every word—continues to inspire her work as a sustainability consultant. Fast forward to 2024, and Susan was eager to roll up her sleeves and make a meaningful impact.
She joined 350 Colorado earlier this year in February to help drive the transition away from fossil fuels, and from the time she first engaged she jumped straight into the work with both feet! “I first met Susan at the Fracking & Pollution Action Tour we put on with Earthworks in Aurora,” said Chelsea Alexander, 350CO Movement Building & Volunteer Director. “She was asking thoughtful questions, making connections with others, and it was just obvious that Susan had the chops to make a real difference.”
Susan was clear that she wanted to DO something about the climate crisis and 350 Colorado was more than happy to put her extensive skills and experience to good use right away! Based on her impressive public relations and media relations background, and serious professional skills, we plugged Susan into our efforts supporting and uplifting Save The Aurora Reservoir (STAR), a frontlines grassroots group opposing a massive and dangerous plan to drill over 150 new oil & gas fracking wells in southeast Aurora.
Immediately Susan started connecting with reporters at the local, state, and national level to get the kind of media attention that grassroots fights often only dream of! She worked together with the other members of STAR’s small but mighty communications committee to produce and distribute press releases, media advisories, and a press conference at the Arapahoe County Administrative Building when STAR hand-delivered a petition to the county in June 2024.
Thanks to Susan’s relentless efforts to contact, pitch, inform, remind, follow up, and follow up again with members of the print and TV media, STAR has received a really unprecedented amount of press coverage. Susan even coached STAR members in preparation for multiple TV news interviews. Check out all the print and TV articles linked here on STAR’s website!
“I was lucky enough to land multiple opportunities to work with Susan through 350CO,” said Ciara Guerrero, 350CO Communications Coordinator. “When we first met, we had both gotten the wrong Zoom link and ended up chatting nonstop for 20 or 30 minutes before we realized we were supposed to be in the Google Meet. 😄”
“Anyway, it felt like I already knew her!” said Ciara. “We worked together on a comms campaign for Save the Aurora Reservoir along with some other colleagues and I was repeatedly stunned by how much weight Susan was pulling in the campaign.” As a true leader does, Susan used her extensive background with PR to empower others in the movement.
“Her positive energy and deep expertise helped make it easy to want to jump back in and get things done, regardless of the obstacles.” – Ciara Guerrero, Communications Coordinator
Not only does Susan bring the action when it comes to press, she is immensely generous with her knowledge, wisdom, and time. She is not interested in gatekeeping the secret sauce of getting media attention and is deeply invested in doing this work to protect her community from the harms of fracking.
Susan’s also a resilient team member. Despite getting bad news repeatedly throughout the campaign, she has always been ready to recollect, reconvene, and move forward. She’s proved to be a delightful addition to our team, bringing her strong sense of humor, compassion, and conviction for urgent climate action. She is both a strong leader and an invaluable team player!
Susan is the co-founder of Sama Sustainability, a full-service consultancy, where she specializes in strategy, communications, supplier engagement, and the circular economy. And when not working or volunteering, she loves exploring Colorado on foot and by bike. In her words, “She’s thrilled to be part of the organization and excited to play a role in the fight for a cleaner, more sustainable future.”
And the thrill is oh so mutual! Thank you so much Susan for your on-going efforts and hard work to raise awareness about the issues here in Colorado and beyond! Thanks to your contributions this year, we learned lessons along the way and have grown our capacity as an organization and a movement. 350 Colorado is so lucky that you joined in our efforts this year and we are thrilled to celebrate your climate leadership!
– Written by Chelsea Alexander, Ciara Guerrero, and Bobbie Mooney.