Why you should write a letter to the editor in 2025
And the steps for getting it published
If you’ve been reading this newsletter, you know there are two things I really want:
A sign in my wild violet patch that reads ‘Violets against Violence’
New York state passing The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA)
When it passes, this bill will be the strongest anti-plastic bill in the country, reducing plastic packaging in New York by 30% or 50% (depending on final language), and it will be a model bill for other states. And boy, is big business nervous. While people are worried about microplastics showing up in their hearts and testicles, companies plan to increase their use of plastic. (Don’t like microplastics? We hear you. What about MORE microplastics.) Bills like PRRIA change that story. Last year, the bill came thisclose, passing the Senate, but running out of time in the House.
Hopefully, 2024 made us stronger, and we’ll roll into 2025 like a collective of raccons. But passing a bill doesn’t happen accidentally. Regular folks have to get involved. In a strategizing meeting, we citizens made a goal of placing letters about the bill in local newspapers. My newspaper is Syracuse.com and I began watching for stories that would connect to plastics. When I saw an article about fining folks for not recycling correctly, I knew my chance had come.
I wrote this letter on January 3, and it was published on January 6. On Jan 8, much to my delight, Syracuse.com published another letter on the bill—and by someone I didn’t know—who also supported the passage of PRRIA. It’s a popular bill, once people learn about it!
Which brings me to why Letters to the Editor matter, especially about upcoming legislation:
They inform citizens about bills being considered by the legislator.
They help environmental bill break through the noise. (Guess what? Legislators are also overwhelmed by the sheer volume of bills.)
They let legislators know how voters feel about upcoming bills.
Letters to the editor are an underutilized tool when it comes to changing the systems. But I promise you, you can write one.
Steps to writing YOUR amazing letter to the editor:
1.) Target your local paper.
In my experience, editors of local papers don’t get enough letters and so you’ll have a good chance for publication.
2.) Respond to an article that’s been published.
I kept googling Syracuse.com and plastic, hoping to see a related article. By luck, I saw a headline about recycling and knew the topics were intertwined.
3.) Or you can respond to a major local or national event.
My prior letter to the editor was timed for Earth Day.
4.) Follow the paper’s instructions for writing a letter to the editor.
Instructions usually include where to email your letter, a request for your mailing address, and the word limit for letter length. To find instructions, Google the paper’s name and “how to submit a letter to the editor.”
5.) Reference legislators by name.
I learned this tip while researching today’s newsletter, and I wish I had named names. Turns out, anytime a legislator is mentioned in the press, staffers flag that article for the legislator to read.
6.) Refer to the bill by name and make a specific call for action.
Name the bill and name the action you want legislators to take. Don’t be subtle.
7. Write in your own words and keep it brief.
Your letter will be more persuasive if it sounds like a real person wrote it (and you’re a real person). I know my letters could sound more casual and so that’s what I’ll work on the next time I write one.
8.) If you can afford to, subscribe to your local newspaper.
You can write a letter without being a subscriber! But now, more than ever, we need local journalism.
Personal Action and Public Action: Write a letter to the editor on an environmental issue. Bonus points if you can name a bill that will solve the problem. Extra bonus points if you name legislators who will vote on the bill.
Why it Matters: Corporations are all about getting richer! And they’re happy to buy politicians through campaign donations. But we vote and letters are one way to let legislators know what issues motivate us to vote. Legislators know that corporations watch how they vote on bills. They need to know we’re watching, too.
Link Roundup
What I’m watching: Bad Sisters, Season 1, on Apple +.
What I’m reading: Orbital by Samantha Harvey.
What we’re reading as a family: Lore Isle by Jiin Kim
What I’m cooking from: the Maangchi website and cookbook. Highly recommend ssamjang, which I double whenever I make it.
Card game my kid still loves: Sleeping Queens. (Cool fact: It was invented by a six year old)
What I’m playing: My daughter revived her Tamagotchi, and somehow, we’re now co-parenting a really needy robot baby—who keeps dying! Please help. Give tips in the comments for Tamogotchi care and/or your own experience of bonding with your child in unexpected ways.
