by Ellen Kuper Halter
Updated Revision: 11.16.23 at 12:25 pm
Southeastern Michigan’s Michelle Regalado Deatrick is a climate activist who is fighting the climate crisis both locally and nationally. Born to a Latina mom and telephone lineman, she’s founder and chair of the DNC Council on the Environment and Climate Crisis. Committed to a Democratic party that runs a panoply of diverse “climate candidates” committed to “climate and environmental justice,” she believes climate activism has been shown to be vital to the protection of our planet and a winning platform.
Although prominent on the national level, as a farm owner in southeastern Michigan, Deatrick remains committed to the needs of her home community. As a recent County Commissioner and as an organizer, Deatrick ’s fights hard against expansion of fossil fuel pipelines projects including the Enbridge Line 5 which endangers Michiganders as well as destroys farmland and neighborhoods.
As Chair of the Washtenaw County Environmental Council, Deatrick is currently involved in advising and outreach regarding implementation of our county action plan: That is, by 2030, to meet zero carbon emissions for county operations; by 2035, to meet zero carbon emissions for the entire county. This goal necessitates a fleet of electric vehicles and the weatherization of county buildings, as well as vastly expanded mass transit and investments in renewable energy. To implement these goals, she’s involved in outreach to help local government apply for federal funds and supports the establishment of a county Office of Sustainability with initial funding for three staffers.
Sign up for the DNC Climate Council Newsletter for calls to action, legislative updates, more: https://www.dncclimate.org/
Connect with the Washtenaw County Environmental Council, and attend or make public comment at our meetings: https://www.washtenaw.org/
Connect with Michelle on: Facebook X (formerly Twitter) LinkedIn