Clean Energy DC Act Set to Spike Down an Endless Summer

06Nov

By Ashlai Murray

WASHINGTON, DC ⎼ On Monday, October 29, in a park across the street from the John A. Wilson building, supporters of the Clean Energy DC Act and CCAN played a game of beach volleyball. The game aimed to promote “endless summer” temperatures if the bill to climate change isn’t addressed by the DC Council. The final vote is scheduled for December 1.

The Wilson building was the site of the final public hearing on the Clean Energy DC Act with councilmember Kenyan McDuffie. Before the final hearing, dozens of climate advocates testified to urge DC Council to act on the climate change and protect their communities and generations to come.

Sergio Martinez, a Catholic University graduate, testified on the importance of passing the Clean Energy DC Act as a way to care for neighbors and communities. “As policy-makers, you have the opportunity to act on climate, protecting our neighbors in DC,” he stated.

Leaders from Muslim, Jewish, Protestant and Catholic faith traditions also testified in favor of the Clean Energy Act. Avery Davis Lamb, director of Faithful Advocacy said, “Climate change and clean energy change is a moral issue that deeply affects our communities, that is why we are here together today to speak out in faith and support the Clean Energy Act.”

Darcy Hirsh of the, Jewish Community Council stated, “The Jewish community has a sacred imperative for creation of our world. Setting the District on a path to 100% clean energy is a moral necessity.”

The climate is rapidly changing and, according to recent reports, world leaders have less than 15 years to take extreme action and prevent damage to the earth. Passing the Clean Energy DC Act bill is the answer to the IPCC.

Faces of the Campaign: Meet Joanne Sims

15AugAugust 15, 2018

Faces of the Campaign is an ongoing series featuring our key organizers and stakeholders involved in “Put A Price On It, D.C.” Our coalition of 80+ organizations is comprised of racial justice activists, union workers, health advocates, moms, dads, kids, retirees, and business-owners alike. Joanne Sims is a summer intern working on the campaign. Here’s her story.

What is your name and what do you do?

My name is Joanne Sims and I am an intern at CCAN on the DC carbon pricing campaign.

What woke you up to the climate crisis?

I feel like I’ve always cared about the environment in general but a television series called Years of LIving Dangerously produced by Arnold Schwarzenegger really enlightened me to the scope at which climate change effects all sectors of life.

Why does supporting equitable clean energy policy in DC matter to you?

I think that supporting equitable clean energy policy is an important step that, if done well, could lead to the expansion of the policy in other major American cities. Becoming a country that relies completely on clean energy is important for a successful future.

How is this campaign different from other environmental campaigns you’ve experienced in the past?

I think that the people I work with are very invested in the campaign and assertive in their approach. This definitely put them more on the radar of politicians then other campaigns I’ve seen.

How has climate change impacted your own community?

I have noticed an increase in storming and flooding in my community.

What was your favorite moment in this campaign?

I thought our Pops n’ Policy event was fun and also really effective. We ended up getting a bunch of letters written to send to Councilmember Mary Cheh.

Tell me about a time you’ve witnessed community power.

The Richmond community where I live is extremely vocal on issues, especially those surrounding the erasure of black history in the city. One of the issues they campaigned for and succeeded in achieving was having the University (VCU) remove a parking lot that they had placed on top of an African American burial site.

What was your biggest accomplishment on this campaign?

I always feel the most proud when I get businesses to sign onto the campaign. I’m generally very introverted, and getting others interested in the campaign shows that I have been able to get out of my own head successfully.

One word summing up your experience with this campaign:

Enlightening

What is your favorite pizza place in DC?

&Pizza

Faces of the Campaign: Meet Jiayu Xu

09AugAugust 9, 2018

Faces of the Campaign is an ongoing series featuring our key organizers and stakeholders involved in “Put A Price On It, D.C.” Our coalition of 80+ organizations is comprised of racial justice activists, union workers, health advocates, moms, dads, kids, retirees, and business-owners alike. Jiayu Xu is a summer intern working on the campaign. Here’s her story.

What is your name and what do you do?

My name is Jiayu Xu. I am a rising junior who majors in International Relations and Environmental Studies at Tufts University. As a nature lover, I care about the environment.

What woke you up to the climate crisis?

Majoring in Environmental Studies and taking courses entirely or partially devoted to climate change have made me aware of the climate crisis. However, I still attribute the COP23 I have attended as the event that I personally felt the imminency of this crisis. At the international conference, I was overwhelmed by statistics, lectures, pavilions, and conversions which were all exclusively focused on the topic of climate change. Being surrounded by scholars, representatives from diverse NGOs, and delegates all over the world further made me realize the climate crisis which is urgent and which deserves the attention worldwide. It occurred to me that the professional and intergovernmental discussions of reducing carbon emissions and of adapting to climate change were truly taking place around me, instead of appearing remotely in the news.

Why does supporting equitable clean energy policy in DC matter to you?

Clean energy policy matters to me because I think it is necessary to switch to renewable clean energy in order to lower carbon emissions. The fact that clean energy is getting cheaper and cheaper means that clean energy is more economically affordable to the public. Meanwhile, I care strongly about the policy being equitable, because I never want low-income families to bear the cost of policy disproportionately.

How is this campaign different from other environmental campaigns you’ve experienced in the past?

The environmental campaigns I have previously been engaged with were solely environmental-oriented, such as animal conservation, renewable energy. By combining economics and environmental policy, this campaign introduces monetary incentives into the goal of reducing carbon emissions. By taking the course named Environmental Economics at university, I had the chance to do the calculations to understand the magnificent effect of carbon pricing, which managed to both reduce substantial amounts of carbon dioxide and generate abundant revenues. As a result, I personally regard carbon pricing as the most effective tool for combatting climate change, by introducing the positive effects that money can bring to the environment. Thus, I am honored to work on this campaign.

How has climate change impacted your own community?

The climate change has brought increasing amounts of rainfall during summer in my city, Nanjing. Sometimes it rains so heavily that the city gets flooded, which causes huge inconvenience to residents and damage to properties. In recent years, it becomes quite common that the city is flooded, on average, two or three times in the summer, which is something that has never happened before. To me, seeing my beloved city undergoing such negative change is disturbing and prompts me to focus on the climate change.

What was your favorite moment in this campaign?

My favorite moment in this campaign was to have the chance to collectively work towards the same goal with other interns who share the same passion about the environment. Though we come from different backgrounds and studying at different universities, we are lucky enough to come together to the forefront of pushing for aggressive clean energy policy. After witnessing several environmental rollbacks, I feel that simply the daily scene of ten of us sitting at the same table in the office is a powerful message to myself, which continuously reminds me that I am not alone.

Tell me about a time you’ve witnessed community power.

The time I have witnessed community power is by participating in the Women’s March in Boston. That was my first time to see so many people clustered at downtown Boston. Everyone, no matter what age, ethnicity, gender, and occupation, was holding up signs and shouting out loudly what they wished to change. At that moment, Boston represented a voice that was so strong.

What was your biggest accomplishment on this campaign?

My biggest accomplishment on this campaign is to become more confident to communicate. Petitioning sharpens my oral skills to deliver our message to people of different backgrounds. Thus from time to time, I need to rephrase my pitch in order to make the idea more acceptable to others. Also, I enjoy the active interactions with other people. Some people are willing to share with me their own insights on this topic, which give me the precious chance to understand the policy in different contexts. Meanwhile, birddogging councilmembers is something I have never done before, and something I have never imagined myself doing. But two weeks ago, I managed to do it!

One word summing up your experience with this campaign:

Persistence

Best place to get breakfast in DC?

Tony Cheng with dim sum.

Faces of the Campaign: Meet Clarissa Libertelli

26JulJuly 26, 2018

Faces of the Campaign is an ongoing series featuring our key organizers and stakeholders involved in “Put A Price On It, D.C.” Our coalition of 80+ organizations is comprised of racial justice activists, union workers, health advocates, moms, dads, kids, retirees, and business-owners alike. Clarissa Libertelli is a summer intern for the campaign. Here’s her story.

What is your name and what do you do?

My name is Clarissa Libertelli and I’m a part of a team of interns working on behalf of clean energy and environmental justice in DC.

What woke you up to the climate crisis?

I was raised by two environmental activists in the DC area, so I’ve always been passionate about environmental activism. Studying the environment and politics at the University of Vermont, as well as seeing how the Trump administration addresses (or fails to address) environmental and social justice issues, has increased my sense of urgency.

Why does supporting equitable clean energy policy in DC matter to you?

I read recently that by 2050 possibly all the summer days will be over 95 degrees. That’s scary as a DMV resident and as someone with poor body temperature regulation!

How is this campaign different from other environmental campaigns you’ve experienced in the past?

Too often liberal environmentalism fails to address issues of equity and environmental justice. I feel that CCAN’s policy is a bipartisan answer to the intersectional effects of climate change.

How has climate change impacted your own community?

I joke with my friends that you can always tell when you’re in the city because the sky at night is orange from air pollution. Also, as a Maryland resident, I’m aware of how climate change and rising temperatures affects the already delicate Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.

What was your favorite moment in this campaign?

It’s been particularly rewarding to interact with enthusiastic and supportive DC residents who can clearly see the potential the policy has in their communities, as well as to represent CCAN in solidarity with other important movements advocating for the disenfranchised. Also, it was fun to be memed.

Tell me about a time you’ve witnessed community power.

Agitating on behalf of racial justice on my college campus, I’ve seen firsthand how organizing locally has the potential to hold leadership directly accountable, give voice to minority groups, and empower young activists.

What was your biggest accomplishment on this campaign?

So far, I’ve had the most success directly interacting with DC residents through petitioning and community events.

One word summing up your experience with this campaign:

Energizing

If you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

I would be a pomegranate!

Faces of the Campaign: Meet Peter Braun

19Jul

Faces of the Campaign is an ongoing series featuring our key organizers and stakeholders involved in “Put A Price On It, D.C.” Our coalition of 80+ organizations is comprised of racial justice activists, union workers, health advocates, moms, dads, kids, retirees, and business-owners alike. Peter Braun is a summer communications intern working on the campaign. Here’s his story.

What is your name and what do you do?

My name is Peter Braun and I am a Communications Intern DC CCAN office. I’m the guy writing the clever tweets and Facebook posts for @PutAPriceOnItDC. I’m also a student at University of Richmond and an intern at the City of Richmond, Office of Sustainability.

What woke you up to the climate crisis?

I have always loved the natural sciences. At some point in middle school, I looked around and realized that no one else seemed to care about what was happening to the Earth as much as I did. It wasn’t until the summer before my first year in college that I realized no one was going to take responsibility for the environment, so I had to step up.

Why does supporting equitable clean energy policy in DC matter to you?

Energy giants need to start taking responsibility for what they are doing to our world. So many average people like my family want to do their part to fight climate change, but they just do not have the resources to do it. This policy will start in DC, but I hope it inspires other cities to enact radical clean energy policies. I am fighting for DC because I want DC to set an example for my home town and spread this movement.

How is this campaign different from other environmental campaigns you’ve experienced in the past?

I have never seen so much action, engagement, and thoughtfulness on an environmental campaign before. There is an outpouring of support to the people we talk to when we go out to petition. There is so much enthusiasm and hope. The leaders of this campaign have worked with community organizations and made sure all DC residents are represented.

How has climate change impacted your own community?

Growing up just outside DC, and now living just outside of Richmond, you see just how vulnerable the homeless and poor are to the environment. Seeing reports of heat waves causing health problems in my own community is shocking. Knowing that my family could be so vulnerable makes me want to find a way to protect our common home, both the environment and my community.

What was your favorite moment in this campaign?

It’s simple, but every Monday our team of about 10 interns and our supervisor Chelsea begin the week with a meeting. We start out with news about the campaign and fun, random facts. It’s about coordinating for the week as a team, but it really builds a great community.

Tell me about a time you’ve witnessed community power.

In my first full week on the campaign we had a big press conference and rally outside of the DC City Council building for the announcement of a draft bill. A big crowd of more than 100 supporters showed up, there was a series of inspiring speeches, and we hand delivered literature and information about our draft bill the each of the council members offices. It was a really powerful demonstration of how we can enact change if we work together and use all of our skills and assets. (I also saw Matt Ackland from FOX 5, <3 wow!)

What was your biggest accomplishment on this campaign?

The first time I went out petitioning, I happened to run into a local, high-profile faith leader. He was our first signature! It was just the best start to the campaign I could have gotten. I even got to help set up and attend a meeting to discuss our campaign!

One word summing up your experience with this campaign:

Inspiring!

Best place to get breakfast in DC?

I’ve been spent a lot of money at Takoma Beverage Company. I always get a latte and a honey-pistachio pastry.

Faces of the Campaign: Meet Veronica Robb

12Jul

Faces of the Campaign is an ongoing series featuring our key organizers and stakeholders involved in “Put A Price On It, D.C.” Our coalition of 80+ organizations is comprised of racial justice activists, union workers, health advocates, moms, dads, kids, retirees, and business-owners alike. Veronica Robb is a summer intern working on the campaign. Here’s her story.

What is your name and what do you do?

My name is Veronica and I am an intern at CCAN on the DC carbon pricing campaign.

What woke you up to the climate crisis?

I grew up in Maryland where we aren’t strangers to hot summers, but it seemed like every year I would hear that it was “The hottest summer on record.” We seemed to be breaking our record every single year, andI wanted to do what I could to help combat extreme weather like this before our environment becomes uninhabitable.

Why does the campaign to put a price on carbon in DC and rebate the revenue matter to you?

I have many friends with asthma so air quality has always been a relevant issue for me, and this seems like the best way to combat large-scale pollution. It’s so rewarding working on a campaign like this. I feel like I’m really helping make an impact on our environmental future.

How is this campaign different from other environmental campaigns you’ve experienced in the past?

This is actually the first environmental campaign I’ve worked on.

How has climate change impacted your own community?

The preservation of the Chesapeake Bay has always been discussed throughout my life, and pollution and extreme weather have hurt the watershed tremendously. While the Bay is doing better than it has in the past, we have a long way to go before it is truly healthy. Legislation like a carbon fee and rebate program would help lessen pollution on the East Coast.

What was your favorite moment in this campaign?

My favorite moment so far was tabling at the Kennedy Street Festival. I just really enjoyed engaging with the community. It’s really nice to see people interested in our policy.

Tell me about a time you’ve witnessed community power.

When we held the press conference and then did the deliveries to the Council Members, it gave me a lot of hope to see how many people showed up and are willing to fight for the betterment of their community.

What was your biggest accomplishment on this campaign?

My biggest accomplishment has probably been petitioning. I’ve never worked on a campaign before and I have enjoyed so much of it. I love going into the community and discussing the policy with people and engaging in a meaningful dialogue about the steps we as a community need to take to create a healthier planet.

One word summing up your experience with this campaign:

Empowering

If you could tame a wild animal to do your bidding, what would it be?

I would tame an owl. I grew up loving Harry Potter, and even if my owl didn’t deliver mail, it would be cool to have a bird buddy like Hedwig.

Faces of the Campaign: Meet Megan Seymour

05JulJuly 11, 2018

Faces of the Campaign is an ongoing series featuring our key organizers and stakeholders involved in “Put A Price On It, D.C.” Our coalition of 80+ organizations is comprised of racial justice activists, union workers, health advocates, moms, dads, kids, retirees, and business-owners alike. Megan Seymour is a summer intern working on the campaign. Here’s her story.

What is your name and what do you do?

My name is Megan Seymour. I am a graduate student at Georgetown University pursuing a Master’s of Public Policy in Environmental Policy.

What woke you up to the climate crisis?

I’ve always been really passionate about conservation and nature, so my interest in the outdoors lead me to take environmental science classes in undergrad. We delved into an in-depth analysis of climate change, which was horrifying enough on its own, but in one of my classes we talked about the effects of the US agricultural system on climate change, water and land loss, etc. I started doing more of my own research into food policy in the US and watched documentaries like Food, Inc. and Fed Up. It was extremely disturbing to see inside the factory farms. The utter lack of animal rights, the unregulated, unsanitary farming conditions, the myriad of antibiotics, preservatives, and toxic chemicals being put in our food, and the wasteful way in which we harvest and consume food was gut-wrenching to witness. This is when I really became more fired up about food policy and its connection to climate change.

Why does the campaign to put a price on carbon in DC and rebate the revenue matter to you?

The campaign matters to me because climate change is not going to stop on its own and it affects every single human being across the globe. Climate change is something that has severe life-or-death consequences and is irreversible. The added effects of everyone’s actions and behaviors have lead to where we are now. This is why we have to make a collective effort to improve our behavior if we want to slow climate change and preserve our world so that future generations can enjoy it too.

How is this campaign different from other environmental campaigns you’ve experienced in the past?

This is the first campaign I have worked on so I don’t have much to compare it to, but so far it has been an extremely rewarding experience.

How has climate change impacted your own community?

I’m from Fairfax, VA but I went to undergrad in Boston, and the extreme weather I experienced while living there was a direct impact of climate change. Boston experienced abnormal numbers of massive snow storms when I was living there. Being on the coastline, communities there are suffering the effects of shoreline retreat, flooding, and increased severity of storms and nor’easters.

What was your favorite moment in this campaign?

I’ve loved being able to connect with people while petitioning and feel like I’m making a difference by gaining support for this policy.

Tell me about a time you’ve witnessed community power.

Going to an ANC meeting in Ward 7 I saw so many passionate citizens voicing their opinions and coming together to try to make their community a better place. This is really the foundation of community organizing and it was great to see people mobilizing themselves.

What was your biggest accomplishment on this campaign?

I lead the efforts on our Letter Writing Campaign, which was my first time organizing an event for a campaign.

One word summing up your experience with this campaign:

Inspiring

What is your favorite pizza place in DC?

&pizza!! So good.

Faces of the Campaign: Meet Kyle Legacion

28JunJune 28, 2018

Faces of the Campaign is an ongoing series featuring our key organizers and stakeholders involved in “Put A Price On It, D.C.” Our coalition of 70 organizations is comprised of racial justice activists, union workers, health advocates, moms, dads, kids, retirees, and business-owners alike. Kyle Legacion is a summer intern working on the campaign. Here’s his story.

What is your name and what do you do?

My name is Kyle Legacion. I’m a rising senior at the University of Minnesota / Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program, pursuing a minor in Sustainability Studies. Here at CCAN, I’m interning on the DC Carbon Pricing Campaign.

What woke you up to the climate crisis?

I moved around a lot growing up. I was born in Southern California, raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, moved to Houston, TX after my sophomore year of high school, and then ended up in Minneapolis, MN for my undergrad. I spent last fall studying abroad in London. This was around the same time that Hurricane Harvey swept Houston with historic flooding, and that major wildfires were raging through California.

All of these places I’ve called home were being attacked by extreme weather events because of climate change, and there I was in London, thousands of miles away, unable to do anything about it. I remember reading all of these headlines and seeing pictures of the destruction and feeling completely, utterly helpless.

That was when I vowed I’d never stand idly by in the climate crisis again.

Why does the campaign to put a price on carbon in DC and rebate the revenue matter to you?

I believe that a carbon pricing policy is one of the most effective ways to combat climate change. If we want to achieve anything meaningful in the fight against climate change, then we must change the rules that the biggest climate offenders are playing within. The campaign is important to me because a carbon fee-and-rebate policy would do exactly that, while also uplifting the communities that have been hit the hardest by the effects of climate change.

How is this campaign different from other environmental campaigns you’ve experienced in the past?

The only other environmental campaign I’ve participated in was for my Natural Resource & Environmental Policy class I took this past spring, where I spent the semester working on a group project to implement organics recycling at a local business. This campaign is working at a much larger scale, with impacts that would be far-reaching.

How has climate change impacted your own community?

Like I mentioned above, climate change has caused severe weather events to hit many of the places I’ve lived before, uprooting many families and destroying many homes.

What was your favorite moment in this campaign?

So far, my favorite moment in the campaign has been the press conference we held outside of the Councilmembers’ offices. We had over 100 supporters in attendance, and even performed a literature drop afterwards.
It was a really cool experience seeing different parts of the community come together in support of the campaign, and visiting all of the Councilmember’s offices to talk about the campaign

Tell me about a time you’ve witnessed community power.

I would say that the press conference was a time I’ve witnessed community power. We had a diverse group of representatives speak about why a carbon fee-and-rebate policy is needed now, and it was a powerful moment to see these people speak from their heart about their experiences with climate change.

What was your biggest accomplishment on this campaign?

So far, I would say it’s been bird-dogging Councilmember Elissa Silverman.

One word summing up your experience with this campaign:

Meaningful

If you could tame a wild animal to do your bidding, what would it be?

A fox!

Faces of the Campaign: Meet Michael Riley Place

21May

Faces of the Campaign is an ongoing series featuring our key organizers and stakeholders involved in “Put A Price On It, D.C.” Our coalition of 70 organizations is comprised of racial justice activists, union workers, health advocates, moms, dads, kids, retirees, and business-owners alike. Michael Riley Price is a student fellow working on the campaign. Here’s his story.

What is your name and what do you do?

My name is Michael Riley Place and I am a graduating senior at St. John’s High School in DC. I am an Our Climate Fellow working on the campaign as part of the steering committee.

What woke you up to the climate crisis?

When I was 13, my family moved to New Zealand. Although I have been passionate about the environment my entire life and had learned about climate change, the implications a changing climate has on our Earth never really struck me until I was standing in a ravine carved out by the Fox Glacier. While the glacier still exists, century old images showed it to be significantly larger, stretching through the entire ravine. I realized then, that in only one hundred years, a relative blink of an eye, human society changed the world so much.

Besides the melting of glaciers, there has been intense melting of the ice caps, bleaching of coral reefs, and desertification of rain forests, all because of climate change. The government of New Zealand has always been a leader on environmental issues, recently ratifying the Paris climate agreement and banning offshore drilling. I have come to realize that while the United States has endangered ecosystems just like New Zealand, it has not taken the same action to ensure these places are preserved.

Why does the campaign to put a price on carbon in DC and rebate the revenue matter to you?

The tricky thing about climate change is that no matter where someone lives, their carbon footprint affects the entire world community. As climate change is the product of billions of people emitting carbon in their daily lives, a few individual decisions to bike to work or switch light bulbs is not going to make a significant difference. Entire communities must come together to move towards sustainability, by ensuring that people pay for their pollution. I believe that putting a price on carbon would not only discourage carbon pollution in the district and allow Washingtonians to reduce climate change as a united community, but by being passed in the nation’s capital it would set a national precedent for more cities to follow. Also, the rebate would ensure that communities unable to pay for the increased heating and transportation costs are not stifled by them financially.

How is this campaign different from other environmental campaigns you’ve experienced in the past?

This is the first campaign, environmental or otherwise, that I have played a role in. I love the positive energy of the people involved with the campaign. Although everyone has been working for a long time to ensure that climate change is addressed, and lately it seems our government is taking a step back in environmental progress, everyone still has hope. Hope that if we keep working towards a sustainable future, we will get there.

The steering committee is also made up of a very diverse group, with members hailing from government, businesses, faith-organizations, nonprofits, or grassroots backgrounds. I have learned a lot about the different perspectives that go into forming a successful campaign.

How has climate change impacted your own community?

The effects of climate change are so numerous and far-reaching that it plagues various communities differently. The United States has been experiencing increasingly hotter temperatures and irregular weather patterns. While many of us have the power to manipulate temperatures using air conditioning, there are many Americans who cannot afford this luxury, and billions around the globe who do not have access to it, these people are forced to deal with these rising temperatures. Irregular weather patterns are not only an inconvenience, those who lie in the path of storms face complete devastation. Additionally, many species are adapted to certain climate patterns, causing them to experience the changes intensely.

What was your favorite moment in this campaign?

My favorite moment was participating in the lobby day in March. This was my first experience lobbying and I found it extraordinary to see elected officials speak directly with their constituents about the changes they want to see in their community. Council members Robert White and Stephen Grosso showed their support for the policy and this was really cool.

Tell me about a time you’ve witnessed community power.

I witness community power every meeting of the steering community. The diversity of groups represented in the committee is amazing. Student groups, clean power businesses, environmental networking groups, a youth run political action committee, faith organizations, grassroots community groups, and even the Citizens Climate Lobby come together to plan the next steps. This ensures the policy is addressed from all angles. Furthermore, volunteers from the campaign have promoted the policy everywhere from ANC meetings to church events, bringing news of the policy directly to the community. This collaboration was apparent during the youth lobby day, where many people turned out for meetings with representatives and a rally in front of the Wilson Building. It was extraordinary to see so many different people united around one vision.

What was your biggest accomplishment on this campaign?

There have been so many great moments of this campaign, and with the introduction of the bill just around the corner, I know the best moments are yet to come. One of my biggest personal accomplishments of the campaign was writing a speech about why “the bill is late” and delivering the speech at the rally preceding the youth lobby day. As a high school student, it is my generation that will witness the worst parts of climate change, yet we lack the vote and attention of policy makers, I feel as if this is lost on our government. It was extraordinary to give my perspective and then meet with the policy makers directly, giving me hope that in time our leaders will come to realize the importance of protecting the environment for the sake of future generations.

One word summing up your experience with this campaign:

Optimistic

If you could tame a wild animal to do your bidding, what would it be?

A Parrot. This parrot would be fluent in several languages and help me to translate, it would spy on people, deliver food to my house, and be able to have deep and philosophical conversations.

We Have A Bill! Celebrate the Introduction of a DC Carbon Price

14MayMay 14, 2018

June 5, 9:00 AM

It’s finally here–the date Councilmember Cheh has proposed to introduce a carbon fee bill! Join us for a press conference and to celebrate.

Here are the details:
Who: Everyone in favor of a carbon fee and rebate in DC
What: Press conference and celebration of the introduction of a carbon fee bill
Where: Front steps of the Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington DC, 20004
When: Tuesday June 5th at 9:00 AM

RSVP today!