Email from 1000 Friends of Wisconsin

Oct. 2025

How Did 'Week Without Driving' Go?

Every year communities across the country participate in the Week Without Driving Challenge, created by America Walks, to highlight the day-to-day reality that non-drivers face; unreliable transit, unsafe bike routes, and inaccessible sidewalks.

Did you get a chance to participate? If so, feel free to share your week-long story with us! Or, please join us in the upcoming webinar 'Mobility for All: Reflections From Wisconsin's Week Without Driving' - Guests from Green Bay, La Crosse, and Madison will gather to share stories and strategies from their communities while they advocate for better transportation networks for the 30% of Wisconsinites who do not drive.

Our Transportation Policy Analyst Raphie Torralba was also able to participate. Although, this wasn't very difficult with her being an able-bodied person who doesn't own a car. Read more about her week and how she navigates the streets of Milwaukee ...

Housing Needs to be Affordable & More Abundant in Wi

Across Wisconsin, a shortage of attainable housing remains one of our most pressing challenges. Recognizing this challenge, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin is expanding our role in the pro-housing movement. We are an active member of the Welcoming Neighbors Network (WNN) - a coalition of independent organizations working to advance pro-housing policies through strategic campaigns and collaboration. With WNN’s support and in partnership with Narvarte Development, we launched Together for Homes in Milwaukee in 2024, a campaign advocating for city-level policies that increase attainable housing options, including starter homes, workforce housing, and transit-accessible developments near jobs and opportunities.

Building on that momentum, we recently expanded to Madison with a new campaign, Madison for More Neighbors with Lead Organizer Sharon Johnson, which shares similar goals. And in the coming months, we’re excited to take our housing advocacy to the State House & statewide.

In September, Executive Director Trevor Roark and Community Programs Manager Jen Walker represented 1000 Friends of Wisconsin at the YIMBYTown ("Yes In My Backyard" Town) conference in New Haven, CT. The experience deepened our understanding of housing issues and strategies, and helped us build valuable connections to strengthen our work here in Wisconsin.

If you’d like to learn more about our housing initiatives or explore ways to collaborate, whether for your own work or with local partners, please check out the campaign links above or reach out to Jen Walker at [email protected] or Trevor Roark at [email protected]. We’d love to connect!

Images: (top) Town Homes in Milwaukee. Photo credit: Together for Homes. (bottom) Touring a Pedestrian Mall / Open Street in New Haven, CT. Photo credit: Trevor Roark

Coming to Milwaukee: 12-14 Nov.

Equity & Strategy Summit - The Matrix: Justice in Midwest Buildings

For the first time in person, Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalition's highly popular Equity Summit has been reimagined as an Equity Strategy Summit - uniting organizers, advocates, and sector leaders from across the Midwest to respond with clarity, coordination, and courage.

Held at the iconic Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel in downtown Milwaukee, the gathering will span three days of immersive learning, coalition building, and tactical planning. This isn’t just a gathering - it’s a post-election strategy session designed to protect our communities and the buildings that house the people we love. With federal decarb funding reductions and Midwest states navigating hostile legislative terrain, this summit offers a strategic space to confront ...

Find out more or register ...

MCC Hosting Next Climate Summit

See the highlights from last year and save the date for next year!

Our Work in Advocacy + Education is Critical And So is Your Support

Moments of joy can be hard to come by sometimes in this current political & socioeconomic climate. Yet, I do find them (while respecting the privilege I have) - many times they're embedded in the work I get to do for 1000 Friends of Wisconsin. For this, I'm humbled and grateful.

I also have great gratitude for the team I get to work with on the daily - Rory, Raphie, & Jen are crucial to our success in providing the impacts our state needs with housing/land use, transportation equity, & climate justice. With them, I'm here for the long haul, helping communities around Wisconsin become healthier and happier.

I'm also grateful for the partners and coalitions we work with and all of the grantors supporting 1000 Friends. Yet, for us to continue this work as a nonprofit, we have to rely on donors throughout the year. Please support our work today ...

*And if you're already a member of 1000 Friends or donated in the past, we're very thankful for your support!

Happy Autumn,

Trevor Roark

(Executive Director)

Image: (selfie of Trevor standing in a courtyard - Yale University @YIMBYTown)