Action Sheet for February 2016
CCL Monthly Conference Call, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016
Groups meet at 9:45am PT/12:45pm ET
The international conference call starts at 10:00 am PT/1:00 pm ET
The conference call part of the meeting is just under an hour long, and groups meet for another hour after that to take and plan actions.
Call-in number: 1-866-642-1665, passcode: 440699#
Callers outside U.S. and Canada, please use Skype: 719-387-8317, passcode 440699#
Jeffrey O’Malley, UNICEF
Our February guest is Jeffrey O’Malley,Director of the Division of Data, Research and Policy for UNICEF. He is responsible for shaping research and evidence priorities, and for ensuring that UNICEF policies and strategies are firmly evidence-based. Mr. O’Malley joins our February call to discuss UNICEF’s report,Unless We Act Now, which examines the impact of climate change on
vulnerable children around the world.
Suggested Actions
- Write letters to the editor about the House Climate Solutions Caucus.
- Start planning Earth Day outreach events.
ACTION
Write LTEs about the Climate Solutions Caucus
On Feb. 1, Congressmen Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) and Ted Deutch (D-FL) formed a bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus in the House of Representatives. We want to generate as much awareness of and support for this exciting breakthrough as we can! And, as usual, one of the best ways we have of doing so is through letters to the editor.
However, since this story has not yet broken out in the mainstream media, we may not have many opportunities to write letters in direct response to articles and editorials about the caucus. Instead, we’ll have to use some creative techniques to place and publish our letters. We suggest that you open your letter by citing a recent climate story, then quickly transition to a discussion of the Climate Solutions Caucus.
Here’s one example (please do not copy and paste):
To the editor:
The spread of the Zika virus, which has been linked to debilitating birth defects, is one more symptom of a sick climate. As the planet warms, the range of the mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus increases, creating health emergencies in places where such diseases never existed before.
Unless we limit the risks of climate change by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, we will see more of this in our future.
Fortunately, the chances that our nation will take effective action on climate change have increased dramatically with the recent creation of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus in the House of Representatives. Led by Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) and Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), this new caucus will finally bring both Republicans and Democrats to the table to develop national policies aimed at preserving a livable world for future generations.
The Zika virus is a reminder of the unforeseen consequences we have unleashed with carbon pollution. The Climate Solutions Caucus offers the hope that we can prevent these consequences from spiraling out of control.
Other angles that play off of things happening in the news:
· Andy Revkin at the New York Times contrasted Marco Rubio’s climate denialism with the actions of Representatives Curbelo and Deutch, fellow Florida congressmen who understand the threat that climate change poses to their state.
· The media bombards us with sensational stories about our dysfunctional government; when a Republican and a Democrat come together in an attempt to solve the world’s biggest problem, we shouldn’t ignore the good news.
Resources: CCL Community includes an online LTE-writing tool, as well as helpful LTE-writing instructions and a 48-minute “Writing Effective Letters to the Editor” video.
ACTION
Plan outreach for Earth Day events
The Pope's encyclical, the Paris Agreement, and continuing warm temperatures all offer great opportunities to educate neighbors and community members about the realities of climate change. Now, with Earth Day coming up on April 22, it’s a perfect time to schedule tabling opportunities and speaking engagements in your community.
Before your monthly chapter meeting, consider having someone in your group research local Earth Day events and opportunities for participation. Then, at the meeting, decide which events you’d like to table at and recruit volunteers to make arrangements. It’s also a good idea to make a list of faith communities and groups your chapter could target for presentations. Many groups find it most effective to divide up the necessary tasks, with one volunteer requesting and scheduling presentations and another in charge of leading them.
Resources:
· Proactive Outreach Action Team: This action team provides the training and resources needed to support schedulers and presenters as they plan presentations in their communities.
· Printable materials: A variety of printable materials are available on the CCL Community Resources page, including a CCL banner, postcards, sign-up sheets, fact sheets, a brochure, and more.
· Tabling 101: CCLU includes a helpful lesson on effective tabling.
· Collecting postcards or constituent comments: Tabling and presentations are great opportunities to collect lots of constituent messages for later delivery to your members of Congress.
· CCL Introductory Presentation: Research provided by ecoAmerica reveals there’s a sequence of steps, that, if followed, prepares your audience to hear and accept your message and helps move them to action. This new CCL introductory presentation follows the sequence recommended by ecoAmerica.
Laser talks to prep for lobbying
As we approach our spring district lobbying and our Washington Lobby Day, we want all our volunteers to be well versed on key laser talks so they’re prepared for whatever questions and concerns might arise. This month, and in the months to come, we will suggest laser talks for both new and experienced volunteers to practice. Choose one talk you feel would be helpful, then practice until you’ve mastered it and made it your own. (PLEASE NOTE: Many group leaders find that bringing hard copies of one or two key laser talks to each meeting makes it easier for volunteers to practice on the spot.)
This month’s suggestions:
For newer CCL volunteers:
· Carbon Fee & Dividend. This core talk covers the basics of CCL’s proposal.
· Basic Science of Climate Change. Why is climate change happening? What role do humans play? This talk will empower you to give you the answers.
For experienced CCL volunteers:
· Our 25% pay-as-you-go rule talk explains why the returned revenue needs to be taxable.
· Correcting climate-related market failures through Pigouvian Taxation ensures that polluters pay the costs of carbon emissions, instead of passing costs on to society as a whole.