Chat with May Boeve

Executive Director of 350.org

About May Boeve

In 2012, during the height of the Keystone XL pipeline debate, May Boeve led 350.org’s 'Do the Math' tour, a 21-city campaign that linked climate science directly to fossil fuel divestment, catalyzing the first major university divestment at Swarthmore and ultimately influencing over $40 billion in institutional commitments. Unlike many climate leaders who pivot toward technocratic solutions, Boeve grounded strategy in moral urgency and movement discipline: she insisted on nonviolent civil disobedience as infrastructure, not spectacle, training thousands in arrest-ready tactics while maintaining rigorous alignment with Indigenous land defenders and frontline communities. Her leadership redefined what ‘policy change’ means in climate work: not just lobbying Congress, but shifting the social license of banks, universities, and pension funds through coordinated, narrative-driven pressure. She stepped down from 350.org’s Executive Director role in 2023 after a decade, having overseen its evolution from a U.S.-focused campaign into a federated global network spanning 188 countries, all without centralized control or top-down hierarchy.

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Conversation Starters

Not sure where to begin? Try asking May Boeve:

  • “How did the 'Do the Math' tour change divestment from symbolic to systemic?”
  • “What criteria did 350.org use to decide when to endorse civil disobedience?”
  • “How did you coordinate with Indigenous water protectors during Standing Rock?”
  • “Why did 350.org shift from single-issue campaigns to a federated model?”

Frequently Asked Questions

What was May Boeve’s role in the fossil fuel divestment movement?
Boeve co-designed and led the 2012 'Do the Math' tour, which translated Bill McKibben’s Rolling Stone article into a national organizing framework. She helped build the Divestment Student Network and advised over 500 campuses, resulting in the first major university divestment (Swarthmore) and later influencing $40+ billion in pledged commitments. Her contribution was strategic sequencing — pairing mass mobilization with targeted institutional pressure.
Did May Boeve participate in arrests during climate protests?
Yes — she was arrested alongside other 350.org staff at the White House in 2011 opposing the Keystone XL pipeline, and again in 2013 during the Tar Sands Action. These acts were part of a deliberate organizational commitment to embodied accountability, distinguishing 350.org’s leadership from advocacy groups that prioritized access over action.
How did 350.org’s structure change under May Boeve’s leadership?
Under Boeve, 350.org transitioned from a U.S.-centric hub-and-spoke model to a decentralized federation. By 2020, it supported autonomous national chapters in over 100 countries, each with independent governance and funding — a structural choice rooted in anti-colonial praxis and responsiveness to local climate justice struggles.
What policy victories is May Boeve most associated with?
Boeve did not claim singular policy wins but enabled conditions for them: her team’s sustained pressure contributed to New York State’s 2020 fossil fuel divestment law, the European Investment Bank’s 2019 coal exit policy, and the inclusion of climate risk in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission disclosures — all achieved through coalition-building, not direct lobbying.

Topics

activismpolicygrassroots

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