Blog 4: Recap - Campaigns, Community, and the Push for Clean Steel
The Sustainable Steel Community Cohort (SSCC) gathered for its penultimate class before graduation, diving into the theme of Campaigns and Community Engagement. This session was packed with information yet left participants energized and inspired to take action. It also helped cement their Story of Now, building on the previous session’s storytelling and narrative strategies to urge their communities toward action.
Community Engagement: Learning Beyond the Classroom
As in each session, participants shared their experiences from community engagement events they attended outside the cohort. These events, pre-approved by the facilitator, connected directly to sustainable steel advocacy and provided valuable insights. Attendees reported key takeaways from events such as Just Transition Northwest Indiana’s visioning and hydrogen workshops, the Gary GARD conference, Faith in Place’s summit, discussions with the ReAmp Network, local redevelopment conversations, Industrious Labs’ Industrial Equity Mapper Tool Launch, the Democratic National Convention, and meetings with Indiana Representative Mrvan’s aides. These experiences deepened participants’ understanding of the movement’s broader landscape, strengthening their ability to engage and advocate effectively.
Deep Dive into Hydrogen and Regional Implications
Allan Halline, a retired doctor and SSCC participant, led a presentation on the hydrogen-related events he had attended. He shared resources and materials, inviting others to discuss their concerns and hopes for the future of hydrogen in their region. Many participants expressed interest and concern about hydrogen’s role in their communities, making it clear that this evolving topic needs continued dialogue and engagement.
Facilitator Lee Helfend and the Industrious Labs steel team are committed to keeping community members involved in these ongoing conversations and ensuring they have access to the latest developments and resources.
Mobilizing for Clean Steel
The session concluded with a discussion led by Hilary Lewis, Steel Campaign Director, on how community members can support clean steel advocacy. She emphasized the stark realities of current steelmaking practices and the opportunities for engagement, particularly around upcoming blast furnace relinings in Northwest Indiana.
Relinings involve replacing the refractory brick lining inside blast furnaces, a costly process that extends the life of these polluting facilities for years or even decades. She framed these relinings as a critical moment to push for cleaner technologies instead of reinvesting in polluting systems.
Hilary introduced the Campaign Toolbox, a framework for driving change, which includes:
Policy Advocacy – Pressuring decision-makers to prioritize clean steel technologies.
Enforcement – Ensuring environmental rules are upheld and polluters are held accountable.
Market Shifts – Encouraging sustainable practices and increasing demand for green steel.
Community Storytelling – Elevating local voices to build public awareness and accountability.
This framework renewed participants’ determination to take action to clean up the steel industry in Northwest Indiana.
Looking Ahead: Graduation and Steel Stories
To close the session, Lee Helfend provided details on the final class, the SSCC Graduation, set for Saturday, October 5, at the Dean and Barbara White Community Center. This special session will take place in a larger room, welcoming friends, family, colleagues, community leaders, and others interested in sustainable steel.
Each participant received invitations to distribute over the next month. They will present their five-minute Steel Story at graduation, which they have been crafting over the past four months. This event will serve as both a culmination of their work and an opportunity for community members to connect and share their stories and visions for the future. Stay tuned for the final recap of this program!
