Wellstone Action sat down (well, virtually) with our fantastic partners over at Energy Action Coalition - the master organizers behind the massive Powershift Conference (thousands of young people mobilizing to end climate change) and, according to the Hon. Nancy Pelosi, the most successful Capitol Hill lobby day of all time. Eliza Simon tells us all the inside scoop on how they built their grassroots lobbying strategy and concrete examples of the impact its had on their work.
Wellstone Action: Briefly, what policies is Energy Action Coalition organizing to achieve?
Eliza Simon, Managing Director of Energy Action Coalition: Led by and for young people, the 50 leading organizations, 700 local groups, and hundreds of thousands of supporters that make up the Energy Action Coalition leverage their collective resources to create a clean and equitable energy future.
Our Coalition is calling on the United States Congress to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation in 2009 that adheres to the following four principles:
1. Cut Carbon Dramatically and Immediately
2. Invest in a Green Economy
3. Power our Future With Clean Energy, not Dirty Fuels
4. Lead the World to a Clean and Equitable Energy Future
WA: How have you incorporated citizen lobbying into your overall organizational strategy?
ES: Since the Energy Action Coalition was founded, citizen lobbying and grassroots advocacy have played a central role in our work. Young people have been putting pressure on decision-makers at every level, demanding clean energy solutions from college presidents, local officials, state legislators, Governors, the US Congress and the President. Thanks to this advocacy and some smart organizing, young people have passed more than 500 clean energy policies on their campuses, and have also found victory at the local and state levels.
At the Power Shift 2009 summit, Wellstone Action helped us train more than 5,000 young people on lobbying skills, and those same activists held more than 350 lobby visits on Capitol Hill the very next day. Since then, students and youth across the country have continued to follow up with their representatives: during the April Congressional recess, young people met up with their representatives in district through office visits and town hall meetings; and when the House Committee on Energy and Commerce debated their draft climate and energy bill last week, young people packed the hearing rooms. As the fight for strong climate legislation heats up in Congress, the youth of the Energy Action Coalition will continue advocating for clean and just climate solutions over the summer and into next fall.
WA: Can you list any examples when grassroots lobbying made a direct impact on a decision-maker?
ES: Through strong and savvy advocacy, young people have won clean energy and climate victories at many different levels. Four examples out of many:
- In April 2009, Massachusetts Power Shift, a statewide student network, successfully convinced the state's Legislature to pass a resolution urging federal action to re-power America with 100% clean electricity by 2020.
- Young people have convinced dozens of Senators and Members of Congress, including Senator Mark Begich of Alaska and Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, to support a strong cap on carbon and aggressive short-term targets.
- In 2007, State Representative Anne Marie Dorey of Maryland specifically credited students at Johns Hopkins University for convincing her that global warming was a serious threat to the state and that state action was necessary. She signed on to Maryland's Healthy Air Act, which ultimately passed largely thanks to her leadership.
- Hundreds of schools have signed onto the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (a pledge to achieve 100% climate neutrality) thanks to lobbying and pressure from students.
WA: What specific tactics do you use to facilitate grassroots lobbying (lobby days, online mobilization, etc)
ES: We've used a range of different tactics to facilitate grassroots lobbying: lobby days, online mobilizations, photo-petitions, and in-district meetings. We provide resources like how-to guides and staff consultation to young people across the country to help them lobby effectively.
WA: Finally, what would your advice be to organizations just getting started building a grassroots lobbying strategy? What is your advice to citizen lobbyists who care about an issue but aren't doing it "professionally"?
ES: Our #1 piece of advice is this: It's not as hard as you think, so just get started! Setting up a lobby visit, in your home district or in DC, is as simple as making a phone call and then following up. Lobbying itself is just an opportunity to advocate for issues that really matter to you and that you already know plenty about. Telling a staffer or decision-maker your personal stories is what makes the biggest impact. It's really not that hard, and it's a great way to make an impact.