Hahn-Baker began his career in Washington, D.C., in the 1980s, working on various projects with Friends of the Earth. In 1982 he became an organizer with the National Clean Air Coalition (NCAC). The coalition brings mainstream environmental organizations together to protect and expand the Clean Air Act. Hahn-Baker worked at the NCAC until 1984 to provide information to lobbyists and Congress regarding the Clean Air Act. Hahn-Baker also worked with people involved in grassroots environmental movements around the country. With this job, he liked that he could “pay the bills” while working to leave the world “in as good of shape as I found it.” He also worked as an environmental lobbyist for the League of Women Voters and another stint with Friends of the Earth as their Political Director.

In 1989, Hahn-Baker started Inside-Out Political Consultants, a political consulting firm in Buffalo, New York. Inside-Out’s slogan is “Inside Washington, D.C. skills with outside Washington, D.C. thinking.” His firm has assisted numerous non-profit organizations, primarily in the Buffalo and D.C. areas and nationally. He focuses on environmental issues such as lead poisoning, clean air and water, and environmental justice. Hahn-Baker says his firm can help national environmental groups improve their networks with local groups. Inside-Out also assists foundations in their development of programs to support environmental protection. “A big part of my business is helping conventional environmental organizations do a better job with diversity issues and outreach,” says Hahn-Baker.

He was involved in the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in 1991. Hahn-Baker felt that the summit was important for people of color to “make demands, educate themselves and to be involved in environmental issues impacting their communities.” He says that as people reach out and expand their environmental movements, it is crucial that conventional environmental groups respond positively and not as though they are doing underrepresented people a favor. He says that traditional environmental groups must begin to see that there is as much a benefit to themselves as to people of color when doing environmental justice work.

In 1992, Hahn-Baker to taught a course on Environmental Advocacy at the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. He then taught courses and segments of courses on campaign organizations and environmental community organizing as an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University from 1993 to 1997. From 1998 to 2001, Hahn-Baker also taught a course on environmental advocacy at the University of Buffalo.

Hahn-Baker continues to address critical environmental issues and serves on the board of seven local non-profit organizations. He has been a board member for Groundwork Buffalo, the New York League of Conservation Voters, Clean Water Action Fund, Niagara River Greenway Commission, and Western New York Land Conservancy. Hahn-Baker was also a Erie County Department of Environment and Plannings’ Environmental Management Council member.

Hahn-Baker considers his work chairing the City of Buffalo’s Pest Management Board (BPMB) one of his greatest achievements. The board’s mission is to reduce the city’s use of and dependence on synthetic toxic chemicals. Hahn-Baker chaired the board for about nine years and was a member for fifteen. During his time with the pest management board, the board succeeded in getting the city to stop using the pesticide Sevin – a broad-spectrum insecticide. Hahn-Baker said there are three phases to the board’s work: reactive, low-lying fruit (taking advantage of existing opportunities), and proactive. Though BPMB has successfully used all three strategies, the three-phase strategy resulted in the city phasing out its use of toxic chemicals.

Hear Hahn-Baker discuss people’s yearning for access to places on the water and his experiences on the Chicago and Buffalo waterfronts at: https://www.watermarkproject.ca/watermark/a0d0B00000IJSMjQAP.