What Pioneer Valley residents can do
1. Attend Hadley's next public hearing
Going to a public hearing is a great way to support your neighbors in Hadley who are speaking out against Wal-Mart’s plans. Wear your StopSprawlMart t-shirt to let everyone know where you stand.
Please note: For Town of Hadley hearings, it is critical for all attending to be respectful of Hadley’s right to make its own decisions. Non-Hadley residents are there to share their perspectives. Also, please note that there are many items on the agenda for these meetings, so you should anticipate some waiting around. These meetings are being held in order to continue public discussion of commercial development projects in Hadley, including Wal-Mart’s Supercenter, Lowe’s and Home Depot.
2. Contact critical state and regional agencies
Without your encouragement, the regional and state agencies charged with protecting against these kinds of things may not step up. Take more than just a stand. Contact the agencies who should be more involved in combatting sprawl. Click here to see which agencies need to hear from you (120k PDF).
3. Spread the word
Tell your friends, neighbors, family members, and colleagues about what’s happening. Send them the link to this web site; encourage them to attend the next public hearing and write letters. Go to the StopSprawlMart Store and buy a t-shirt for yourself, a messenger bag for your sister, a mug for your boss — or purchase our buttons in bulk and distribute them yourself! Post info about us on Listservs you subscribe to. Or put up our campaign posters (see links below). More people need to hear about sprawl and its impact on our Valley — and that there is something we can do about it!
- Black-and-white version of our campaign posters — ideal when photocopied onto brightly colored papers. (56K pdf download)
- Color version of our campaign posters — perfect for printing from a color printer or copier. (56K pdf download)
4. Stay informed – sign up for our *action alerts*
We send out StopSprawlMart announcements about what is happening in the Pioneer Valley through a group list. To join, please join our mailing list (form at right). Only occasional informational alerts will be sent out by the group organizers.
5. Contribute
We simply cannot do what we have set out to do without your financial support! (Bus ads are expensive!) Your tax-deductible contribution will go directly to this effort. Pay by credit card, check, or cash. Online, by mail, or phone. For more information, or to make a donation, please see our Contribute page.
6. Write a letter
Write letters to your elected representatives or the editor of your local newspaper — or both! These are powerful ways to make voter opinions known, and to make other Valley residents’ aware of our campaign. It will also help us enormously when we approach them directly for their help.
Use the sample letter below as a starting point, or else take some of the points described in the Be Informed section of this site to write your own. It would be great if you could also send us a copy of your letter so we know which aspects of the sprawl problem particularly concern you. This will help us keep track of the numbers of letters sent to officials and newspaper editors too!
- Look up addresses for your Senator or Representative
- Look up addresses for state elected officials
- Look up addresses for local elected officials
- Addresses for Letters to the Editor:
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Dear Senator / Representative / Select Board Member / Town Official: As a resident of the beautiful Pioneer Valley, I am writing to express my concerns about retail sprawl, especially in Hadley. I enjoy the quality of life here — one that rests on thriving downtowns, clean air, and open space. Building a new, larger Wal-Mart Supercenter, a Lowe’s and a Home Depot all on Route 9 threatens the quality of life my family and I so value. Among big corporations, Wal-Mart is known to be particularly harmful. I count on your support to preserve the Pioneer Valley we all know and love. Sincerely, |
7. Take it national
Every town is threatened by the encroachment of big box stores like Wal-Mart. Even if you don’t live in the Pioneer Valley, your values are at stake, and your community may be next. Go to www.walmartwatch.com or www.wakeupwalmart.com to get involved on the national level, or to find out about anti-sprawl efforts in other parts of the country.
