Winter 2025 ISSUE - 20th Anniversary Edition MISSION Our food, water, and climate are under constant assault by corporations who put profit over the survival of humanity. They have seized control of the very institutions that were built to protect us. We mobilize people to reclaim their political power, hold our elected officials accountable, and resist corporate control — ensuring we all have the essential resources we need to thrive. This is a fight we must win because this planet is the only one we get.
Thank You For Fighting Like You Live Here!
BECAUSE OF YOU:
20 YEARS OF PROTECTING WHAT MATTERS MOST
SPECIAL 20TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE: WINTER 2025 You Are the Movement: 20 Years of Food & Water Watch
10 Featured Victories from the Past 20 Years
Madelaine Haberman: Mom, Activist, Benefit Host Committee Member
A MESSAGE FOR YOU
This year marks a significant milestone — Food & Water Watch turned 20! This special issue of Livable Future NOW celebrates incredible people like you who have joined us over the last two decades to build a future where everyone has access to safe food, clean water, and a livable climate.
It’s such an honor to work with you! I devoted my life to these issues because I know what it means to live without. Many people are surprised to learn that I lived without indoor plumbing until I left home for college. Growing up poor in rural Virginia, I remember carrying water from a spring to the house. You develop a deep respect for water when you do this every day. Having worked as a waitress to support myself and pay my way through college, my empathy for people scraping to get by grew deeper. On top of these experiences, the social and political upheaval of the 1960s and early ‘70s shaped my worldview profoundly — doing all I can for envi- ronmental, economic, and racial justice became core to who I am. I founded Food & Water Watch because I saw the need for an organization that would be a thought leader in the progressive community; that would not be afraid to call for the bold solutions we need to protect our most precious resources; that would organize people from all walks of life to get involved, advocate for themselves, and pressure our elected leaders to deliver on these issues; and that would take on the biggest corporate polluters. For twenty years, caring people like you have powered our work. Together, we’ve won over 50 campaigns against water privatization, won billions of dollars for public water infra- structure, won critical regulations of factory farms, and blocked dozens of dirty fossil fuel projects.
As we celebrate these 20 years, we also see what the Trump administration is doing to dismantle basic protections for people and the environment. I’m thankful that you’re with us as we work to beat back these massive threats and safeguard our food, water, communities, and democracy. With you, I know we’ll be able to overcome these current pressing challenges and move towards the future we all deserve. I’m so grateful for your dedication to protecting the health of our families and our communities from climate change, industrial pollution, and corporate greed and recklessness. Despite moneyed interests working against our movement, your passion shines bright. Whether you joined us in 2005 or 2025, I thank you for never giving up on our planet! I believe each of us must do what we can in our lifetime to create a fair and just world, the kind of world that we want to live in. Thank you for working alongside Food & Water Watch to shape the environmental movement and protect our food, water, and climate. Onward,
Wenonah Hauter Founder & Executive Director
1 | SPECIAL 20TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE: WINTER 2025
Cover photo and photo above by Abby Greenawalt
YOU ARE THE MOVEMENT: 20 YEARS OF FOOD & WATER WATCH
Twenty years ago, Food & Water Watch was founded to defend the resources we all depend on to live and thrive: our food and water. Since then, thanks to caring people like you, we’ve
grown from a team of a dozen activists to a movement with a nationwide presence. See how far we’ve come together!
Together we’ve: • Protected communities from polluting factory farms in 11 states, using policy tools from legislation to regulatory changes • Won 50+ water privatization fights, including • Blocked a half dozen+ bottled water facilities, from Maine to Oregon • Blocked dozens of fossil fuel projects like pipelines and dirty power plants, from New York to Virginia, California to New Jersey • Banned fracking in 4 states and hundreds of counties and towns in Chicago, Milwaukee, and San Diego You’ve won meaningful protections for our food, water, and climate! Over the past 20 years, your gener- osity has powered wins like shutting down polluting factory farms and fossil fuel projects, securing federal funding for clean energy and water infrastructure, passing historic clean water and food safety protections, and more.
Food & Water Watch and more than 2,000 New Yorkers met in Albany, New York for the Crossroads Rally in 2013 to fight for a statewide fracking ban. Photo by Susan Wozny
In 2016, Food & Water Watch worked with local activists in Hood River County, Oregon, to rally against and ultimately stop Nestlé's plan to build a water-bottling plant.
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> You Are the Movement - continued from Page 2
You spoke truth to power! Over the past 20 years, together we uncov- ered vital information through our research, forced elected leaders to answer for their decisions, and held officials to the law. At the same time, we’ve pushed local, state, and federal decision makers to pass bold policies that protect the health of our communities and environment. Together we’ve: • Driven 5 million+ messages to elected leaders • Published 500+ hard-hitting research reports and other pieces that expose the truth behind industry lies • Filed 70+ lawsuits holding government agencies and polluters accountable, including 30+ wins and dozens underway • Submitted hundreds of legal comments opposing federal and state agency propos- als to approve corporate megamergers, polluting projects, regulatory rollbacks, and more • Passed a dozen+ state and federal laws for sustainable and safe food, clean water, and a livable climate
You’ve built a powerful community of activists! Over the past 20 years, together, we’ve built a massive, nationwide community of activists who care about our food, water, and climate as much as you do. People power is crucial to counter corporate power and government corruption. Your generosity is continuing to grow and strengthen our movement every day. Together we’ve: • Recruited 15,000+
volunteers across the country • Partnered with 1,000+ organizations • Mentored 400+ student interns with lifelong
passions for organizing and activism • Gathered support from 307,000+ grassroots donors and taken zero corporate dollars • Gained 252,000+ followers across Instagram, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads, X, and TikTok • Built a community of 2 million advocates
Food & Water Watch Legal Director Tarah Heinzen (right) and Attorney Emily Miller (left) argued before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2024 for a landmark lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to effectively regulate factory farm water pollution.
An organization like Food & Water Watch is trying to keep people clear-eyed and factual about what is going on, while trying to engage the population. — Bill Gee, Advisory Council Member and long-time supporter through his and Sue Crothers' foundation
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You’re protecting our vital resources and our planet into the future! As we look ahead to our next twenty years together, we must acknowledge the stark reali- ties of the challenges we face. Factory farms are still poisoning communities and running family farms out of business. Big corporations are still trying to privatize our water while polluting our drinking supply with toxic chemicals. And the fossil fuel industry keeps expanding despite yet another year of climate-induced extreme weather, including the hottest summer on record with widespread heat waves, record-breaking thunderstorms and flash flooding, a severe tornado outbreak, and ongoing drought conditions in the western U.S. And we know Trump and his allies will contin- ue putting the interests of polluters ahead of the health and safety of our communities and our planet. Your ongoing commitment to protecting our most precious resources and building a livable future for all is more important than ever. With you, Food & Water Watch will continue to fight back and build the world we all want to live in. Together, we've proven that when we work together, we win. Thank you for all you do!
I learned about Food & Water Watch while working with a group called Save Slippery Rock Creek in Butler County, Pennsylvania. We joined forces to oppose an asphalt plant from being built right up against the creek and successfully brought the Food & Water Watch engaged Ridgefield Memorial High School students for the 2019 " March for our Lungs, " a youth-led march and rally in opposition of the massive fracked gas power plant proposed in North Bergen Township, New Jersey. Photo by Erik McGregor
community together to fight for our precious waterway. — Hannah Poskin, a young activist in Pennsylvania, on the joint fight to protect a local waterway
As we revisited our history, we uncovered so many photos and stories that remind us how rewarding our work is. Share a Food & Water Watch memory and receive a special 20th anniversary t-shirt!
Do you have a favorite Food & Water Watch photo or memory? We’d love to see them! The first 5 people to share
a memory will receive a 20th anniversary t-shirt! Scan this QR code or visit fwwat.ch/memories
FOOD & WATER WATCH / ACTION — LIVABLE FUTURE NOW | 4
ON THE GROUND Emily Wurth: 19 Years of Fighting for Our Future
Emily joined Food & Water Watch as a research- er passionate about protecting communities from harmful factory farms. Nearly two decades later, as the Managing Director of Organizing, she leads our team of organizers across the country. Emily has been at the forefront of some of our biggest wins — including banning frack- ing in four states. Growing up an activist Emily's path to environmentalism started early. Both her parents were politically engaged and working to make the world a more just place. "I was lucky to grow up in a household that emphasized the importance of finding a career that lets you give back," Emily says. "And I saw my parents volunteering in their free time to advocate for issues they cared about, like public education and protecting the environment." This upbringing shaped Emily's values and led to her career in organizing. Achieving big wins and finding community For 19 years, Emily has poured her energy into working with volunteers and leaders across the country to build the power needed to protect our food, water, and climate. Her proudest memories are from the successful campaigns to
Photo by Abby Greenawalt
ban fracking in New York and Maryland, where communities came together, demanded trans- formational change, and won. "So many people told us it was impossible," she recalls. "But we showed that with a strong polit- ical strategy, resources, and people power, we can take on the fossil fuel industry and win." She remembers working alongside staff and volunteers from Food & Water Watch and allied organizations who were fully committed to stopping fracking, many of whom eventually became her lifelong friends. Organizing into the next twenty years We are currently facing tremendous challenges with the Trump administration threatening our climate, environment, civil rights, and our democracy. But it’s more critical than ever that we stand up and fight back. And Emily knows that our approach to working for change is what makes Food & Water Watch special, saying, "Our success comes from our strategic organiz- ing model that underpins all of our work." And she wants all of our incredible supporters to know: We are the ones who have the power to force our elected officials to create the world we want. It's going to take all of us working together. Thanks to you, Emily can keep leading powerful campaigns for our food, water, and climate as we enter our third decade.
Emily and Wenonah at 2014's People’s Climate March in New York City. Photo by Simon Russell Photography
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YOUR FOOD & WATER WATCH AT WORK
10 Featured Victories from the Past 20 Years Each legal and legislative win often comes after months — and even more often, years — of hard work and persistence. Each victory is a testament to generous donors like you who power our shared mission! Check out 10 of our biggest accomplishments from the past 20 years.
JULY 2007 Won the first
water anti-privat- ization campaign in Stockton, California, the first of many.
DECEMBER 2014 Banned fracking
in New York and pushed the national anti-fracking movement to new heights.
Photo by Simon Russell Photography
AUGUST 2007 Pressured Starbucks to stop using dairy products with the genetically modified hormone rBGH.
APRIL 2017 Banned fracking in Maryland.
OCTOBER 2017 Blocked a Nestlé water bottling facility in Oregon.
OCTOBER 2013 Banned arsenic in poultry and pig feed nationwide.
Photo by KelliPennington.com
10 Victories - continue on Page 7
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YOUR FOOD & WATER WATCH AT WORK
10 Victories - continued from Page 6
DECEMBER 2024 Passed New York’s Climate Change Superfund Law, which requires the biggest contributors to the climate crisis to pay damages and fund climate resilience and recovery. 1 MORE VICTORY! MAY 2025 Protected the Lead-out-of-Water Rule (officially called the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements) from repeal.
SEPTEMBER 2021 Won a federal legal challenge to the Environ- mental Protec- tion Agency’s Clean Water Act permit for Idaho factory farms.
JUNE 2023 Passed the first bill in years to regulate factory farm pollution in Oregon.
Here’s to 20 more years of fighting for a livable future!
FEBRUARY 2024 Banned
fracking in California.
Scan this QR code to read your Top 10 Victories of 2025 and see more of your impact. fwwat.ch/winter25wins See Your Impact from This Year!
7 | SPECIAL 20TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE: WINTER 2025
DONOR SPOTLIGHT Madelaine Haberman: Mom, Activist, Benefit Host Committee Member New York City and Long Island. I’m a mother, activist, and an avid potter who loves biking and outdoor adventures. Additionally, in the summer, I love the CSA (community supported agriculture) farm where I’m a member. I enjoy harvesting and sharing my bounty with family and friends as often as I can. Please introduce yourself to our readers. I’m Madelaine Haberman, and I live in You were instrumental in making the Against All Odds 20th anniversary benefit a great success as a member of the Host Committee. What motivated you to join this effort? When I see a great organization dedicated to issues that resonate with me, I want to share the terrific work that’s being done with my friends. Food & Water Watch is one such organization. Since the in-person benefit was in New York City and I have event planning experience, I was happy to share my knowledge and experience. What did you enjoy most in planning and attending the benefit? The Host Committee was a wonderful group of people with the same mission — to create a successful and informative event. At the reception, I enjoyed meeting new people and reconnecting with fellow members I don’t see very often. The speakers were fabu- lous. And it was enlightening to see and hear from Wenonah’s organizing mentors, Steve Max and Jackie Kendall. I invited a bunch of friends — my brother came, and he ran into someone he went to high school with! Small world! What would you tell someone about getting involved with or donating to Food & Water Watch? I heard Wenonah say, "We’re small, but we’re scrappy and we get stuff done." That was the appeal of Food & Water Watch to me. Everyone there is committed, purposeful, and effective.
Madelaine with her Westie, Riley
I love that Food & Water Watch has so many tools in its toolbox and uses them so well. They organize protests and utilize lawyers, lobbyists, and researchers to provide the necessary infor- mation to address important issues. Because they approach problems and challenges from different perspectives, it allows individuals a Watching Food & Water Watch tackle the tough challenges and doing the hard work is impressive. People are not surrendering despite the dangerous administration we have right now. One example is in Long Island, where there’s a large wind farm off the coast of Montauk* that Food & Water Watch advocated for. It required a tremendous effort to get a project like this approved and up and running. The fact that it’s currently running gives me hope. variety of ways to get involved. What gives you hope for the future? I also love seeing so many young adults getting involved by standing up and speaking out, some even running for office. Protecting the environ- ment guarantees their future, and I’m thrilled that there’s more awareness of its urgency. * South Fork Wind is the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S. which opened in March 2024. It can generate 132 megawatts of energy and power more than 70,000 homes. I love that Food & Water Watch has so many tools in its toolbox and uses them so well.
FOOD & WATER WATCH / ACTION — LIVABLE FUTURE NOW | 8
You Made Our 20th Anniversary Unforgettable This year, Food & Water Watch hosted our Against All Odds 20th anniversary benefit events, and we’ve never felt luckier to have you be a part of this organization. The past two decades have shown us that when dedicated people like you come together, when
we push for what we know is right and hold power to account, we can achieve great things. The "10 Featured Victories from the Past 20 Years" shown on previous pages proves how
Against All Odds is our once-a-year oppor- tunity to gather as a community, reflect on our progress, and look ahead to the future. Our milestone anniversary made this year feel extra special, and we were delighted to welcome over 350 people in celebration and solidarity at a reception in New York City and a virtual conference. At each gathering, there was a palpable sense of camaraderie. We heard keynotes from Zephyr Teachout and Senator Cory Booker, along with words from experienced grassroots organizers and the next generation of climate activists. We learned about current campaigns, organizing tactics, and the future of our movement. We also recognized this year’s honorees: Ken Schles, an award-winning photographer and volunteer activist, and Steve Max and Jackie Kendall, lifelong activists and co-authors of Organizing for Social Change: Midwest Academy Training Manual . Gatherings like this remind us why we all come together for the rallies, the phone calls, the meetings. It’s because we all want to connect and extend care for each other as we mobilize our elected leaders to do the right thing and deliver real results for people and the world we all share. We’re so grateful to you for being the bedrock of Food & Water Watch.
Watch and share with friends the recording of the Against All Odds virtual conference. fwwat.ch/20A-Live ICYMI
This page, Top row: Executive Director Wenonah Hauter with 2025 Honorees Steve Max, Ken Schles, and Jackie Kendall // Second row, left to right: Karen Warren and Seneca Warren chatting with Gail Shields Miller / Ross Haberman, Janet Shapiro, and Hilary Suchman // Third row, left to right: Lisa Schubert, Jamil Simon, and Tamara Tripp / Meaghan Carney, Jackie Kendall, and Ata Hansen-Nelson
9 | SPECIAL 20TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE: WINTER 2025
UPCOMING EVENTS
Livable Future LIVE! is for YOU Our monthly virtual educational series features the latest environmental news and shares what you can do to protect our food, water, and climate — and it’s free to all Food & Water Watch members.
incredibly effective your involvement has been — and will continue to be. Your generosity is improving lives in meaningful ways, and by sticking together as a community, we can and will get through whatever the future brings. Thank you again for all you do.
I needed to learn more about the issues — I did!
Great information that is not readily available elsewhere.
UPCOMING TOPICS INCLUDE: • Profiteering off the food crisis • Art and activism • A book talk with Judith Enck and Adam Mahoney, authors of The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late
• A film screening • Nuclear power
CHECK OUT WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT! Scan this QR code or visit fwwat.ch/live
Photos by Rebecca Greenfield This page, Top row: Benefit Host Committee members pictured from left to right - Susan Weltman, Jon Pope, Daniele Gerard, Madeleine Glick, Madelaine Haberman, and Lisa Schubert // Second row, left to right: Wenonah Hauter greeting Ken Schles / Kwesi Chappin, Jessica Pierce, and Faith Campbell / Alex Beauchamp with Jay Halfon // Third row, left to right: Sam DiFalco, Juliana Toloza Serna, and Baruch Blum / Christina Johnson and Zoe Klass-Warch / Emily Wurth with Jon Pope
FOOD & WATER WATCH / ACTION — LIVABLE FUTURE NOW | 10
Fighting Forward with You: Power the Next 20 Years As we embark on our next 20 years together, we must be clear-eyed about the challenges ahead. Climate disasters, poisoned waterways, unsafe food — our world is in trouble. Outrageously, Trump and his allies are putting the interests of polluters ahead of our families.
Thank you! We know the Trump administration will keep attacking our food, water, and climate. With you, Food & Water Watch will continue to fight back and build the world we all want to live in. Together, we've proven that when we organize and mobilize, we win.
BUT! — Incredible people like you are stepping up and making a difference!
This year alone, you powered huge victories: banning a dangerous chemical from our food, beating the Cancer Gag Act in Iowa, and protecting a rule to get lead out of our water.
The next 20 years start now. Scan this QR code to hear how. fwwat.ch/next20
YES! I will defend the resources we all depend on to live. OUR GIVING TUESDAY MATCH ARRIVED EARLY JUST FOR YOU! YOUR GIFT TODAY WILL FIGHT FOR A LIVABLE FUTURE — 4X HARDER!
I will give by mail. Enclosed is my check to Food & Water Action for:
I want to fight against the dangerous Trump agenda. I believe everyone deserves safe food, clean water, and a livable climate.
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Give online today at fwaction.us/winter25LFN or scan this QR code.
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Food & Water Action is a 501(c)(4) organization, and as such, your contribution is not tax deductible.
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