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Official podcast for climate heroes from Citizens' Climate Lobby. We're creating the political will for a livable world.
Episodes
Friday Jul 28, 2023
Friday Jul 28, 2023
As climate advocates, we want to get everyone engaged in some sort of climate action. When it comes to taking on global climate change, people can feel overwhelmed with the scale of the problem, and then they shut down. Brandi Robinson, Associate Teaching Professor in Energy and Mineral Engineering at Penn State University says, “You don't have to make climate change someone's top priority. You have to connect climate change to what they already care about, and figure out how you can work together on that.” She recommends we begin locally.
Brandi has been collaborating with her colleagues, Dr. Peter Buck, a sustainability and climate change professional, public servant, and educator. Together they co-direct the Centre Region Climate Action Program. Their work focuses on the local responses to global climate change, with specific interest in community-scale climate action planning.
In order to guide the municipality and region to meaningful climate mitigation and adaptation plans, Peter ran and won local office. “When I got elected,” Peter says, “I knew that I wanted to create a climate action plan without actually calling it a climate action plan. Because I didn't think that our region was ready for something that you would call it that. What I started doing was thinking about, okay, where are the things that Ferguson township does? Where can I influence whatever is happening?”
The efforts have been wildly successful. They not only saw the passage of Ferguson Township Resolution 27-14, a commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, but regionwide they have multiple climate mitigation, adaptation, and education programs in place.
In this episode they not only share their successes, they reveal the best practices, strategies, and approaches that you can use in your own town and region.
Resilience Corner
There is no need to be overwhelmed in your climate work, especially when we use the resiliency tool at hand. In her latest installment of the Resilience Corner Tamara Staton connects our climate work with an emotion that doesn’t often come up–Joy. And speaking of joy, check out the silly TikTok host, Peterson Toscano made with Tamara in Portland, Oregon’s Forest Park.
The Resilience Corner is made possible through a collaboration with Tamara Staton, Education and Resilience Coordinator for Citizens Climate Education. For more tips, strategies, and practices to stay strong and steady in your climate work, visit The Resiliency Hub.
Good News
Singer Songwriter Dane Meyers hung out with volunteer climate lobbyists in DC. Together they created the Live, Laugh, Lobby song and music video.
Blending the mediums of music, video and climate activism, Dane has a long history of making sustainability feel less like a nightmare and more like a creative adventure. Beginning in 2019, his converted Tesla Model 3 became his home and recording studio for 18 months. The project showcased the unique capabilities of electric vehicles and led to a 17-song album entitled "The New American Dreamers."
Eager to connect with others, Dane is gearing up for his next adventure-a series of intimate living room concerts along the east-coast. These performances aim to spark interest in sustainability and inspire audiences to both process the deep losses of environmental devastation while celebrating the adventure into sustainability. Learn more at his website.
Listener Survey
We want to hear your feedback about this episode. After you listen, feel free to fill in this short survey. Your feedback will help us as we make new decisions about the content, guests, and style of the show. You can fill it out anonymously and answer whichever questions you like.
You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on:
Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.
Read a full transcript of this episode over at on our show notes.
Friday Jul 21, 2023
Friday Jul 21, 2023
Join us for a training that will review the many training and resources available online to help you and your community explore the climate funding available from the Inflation Reduction Act. We'll be sure to review the primer on what’s available for homeowners, renters, community organizations, non-profits, religious institutions, and local governments. Bring your questions and resources that you've found useful as well!
Skip ahead to the following section(s):
(0:00) Intro & Agenda
(3:00) Inflation Reduction Act Overview
(7:27) Resources on CCL Community
(10:17) Support on CCL Community
(13:41) Outside Resources
Presentation Slides: https://cclusa.org/climate-funding-slides
CCL Community Topic Page: https://community.citizensclimate.org/topics/inflation-reduction-act
Friday Jul 14, 2023
Friday Jul 14, 2023
Members of your community are out and about in the summertime attending fairs, festivals, art walks, and other outdoor events. Join CCL's Vice President of Programs Brett Cease for a training that will help you and your team identify, reserve, and schedule summer tabling and clipboarding, bring CCL flyers (including the additions like clean energy permitting reform) and other engaging materials to the events, and educate, activate and recruit the people you meet about climate action.
Skip ahead to the following section(s):
(0:00) Intro & Agenda
(1:31) Why Table?
(4:20) How To Prepare
(11:08) Review of Available Materials
(19:17) How To Connect
CCL Training Page: https://community.citizensclimate.org/resources/item/19/290
Presentation Slides: https://cclusa.org/summer-tabling-outreach
Saturday Jul 08, 2023
Saturday Jul 08, 2023
Sarahia Benn is a dedicated advocate for Black, Brown, Marginalized, and veterans affairs, serving as Executive Director of Policy Foundation of Maryland. She also holds the position of Voices Maryland Executive Legislative Director, playing a crucial role in advancing the interests of underserved and underrepresented communities. She is also the President of Association of Prevention of Sickle Cell (APSCA) which is one of Maryland’s oldest nonprofits advocating for medical justice and equity. With extensive experience and expertise in policy development and advisory, Sarahia is a prominent environmentalist contributing to the drafting and advising of local, state, and national policies in multiple realms.
Skip ahead to the following section(s):
(0:00) Intro & Agenda
(2:53) Sarahia Benn's Presentation (Slides: https://community.citizensclimate.org/content/resources/CCEJ-July-2023.pptx)
(22:33) Q&A w/ Sarahia
(28:18) Conference Review & July Actions
More about Sarahia's work: https://www.rebuildmdcoalition.org/
CCL JulyAction Sheet: https://cclusa.org/actionsheet
Pre-call June video: https://vimeo.com/843499202
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Friday Jul 07, 2023
You’ve brought a fresh energy to CCL’s work in 2023! Join Elli Sparks for a training that will review how to use this momentum to help raise funds for CCL/CCE. No other organization trains citizens to be heard by their government the way CCL does. Chances are your friends and family are proud of your work and will want to support it. Elli will review how you can use new resources to create any of the following:
A Facebook fundraiser: anyone in your chapter can host an individual fundraiser for CCL — an easy and lightweight option.
A donation party: Gather your friends and families together for an in-person celebration, like a backyard barbeque. At the party, share a bit about your involvement with CCL and why it matters, and ask for donations.
An activity a-thon: Set a goal and collect pledges from your friends and family. Your challenge can be anything — number of miles run, games of chess won, mittens knitted, or conversations about climate change. Here’s your chance to get creative!
Skip ahead to the following section(s):
- (0:00) Intro & Goal Setting
- (3:38) Facebook
- (4:56) Donation Party
- (18:36) Activity-a-thon
- (21:35) Fundraising Toolkit
Presentation Slides: https://cclusa.org/summer-fundraising-slides
CCL Community Training Page: https://community.citizensclimate.org/resources/item/19/343
Friday Jun 23, 2023
Friday Jun 23, 2023
Ruth Abraham and Lila Powell, interns for Citizens Climate Radio, take over the show, and take a deep dive into the world of carbon pricing.
To see our full notes and full transcript visit our episode 85 page.
Citizens Climate Lobby's Carbon Pricing page states: “A strong, economy-wide price on carbon could reduce America’s carbon pollution by 50% by 2030, putting us on track to reach net zero [carbon production] by 2050.”
Carbon pricing is an economic solution to climate change. When Marshall Saunders first envisioned the creation of CCL, Cap-and-Trade was the primary way lawmakers heard about carbon pricing. But through relentless messaging and volunteer lobbying, the discussion has shifted to carbon fee and dividend.
The ultimate goal? Incentivize both businesses and individuals to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Citizens’ Climate Lobby advocates for a carbon fee and dividend, an economy-wide fee that is then returned to citizens. At the point of extraction, a fee will be placed on fossil fuels. This collected store of cash will then be distributed back to individuals and in turn, flow through the economy, incentivizing both businesses and people to slowly but surely rely on renewables.
Naomi Shimberg is a self-described aspiring economist who hopes to research the design of environmental and energy policy.
A recent graduate at Yale with a B.A. in Ethics, Politics, and Economics, Shimberg was the senior producer at Pricing Nature where she produced and hosted episodes of Pricing Nature, a podcast on the economics of climate change. She spends her time explaining externalities and the infamous “social cost of carbon.” Shimberg also establishes that environmental inequities are essential to determining an appropriate climate price. Furthermore, she mentions that while it is efficient in reducing pollution it’s not an entirely equitable tool.
Nokwanda Maseko is now a Senior Economist at Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies' with a background in development economics. Nokwanda conducts economic research, with a focus on industrial policy, trade, and climate change. Gender and the Just Transition in South Africa is a topic Nokwanda enjoys and is able to work on professionally. In this episode, Nokwanda says that although carbon pricing can help reduce emissions and promote innovation, it can also potentially increase costs for marginalized communities. Nokwanda discusses how general development as well as the transportation, agriculture, and energy production sectors in South Africa have several factors to consider when envisioning a green and equitable future.
The benefits of carbon pricing include but are not limited to affordable clean energy, saved lives due to the restoration of clean air, and the innovation of American businesses.
Dana Nuccitelli highlights climate research (and makes it understandable) for fellow nerds and the nerd curious! In this episode Dana explains the basics behind addressing pollution and equity through carbon fee and dividend.
Check out Dana’s post about how far and fast a price on carbon can drive down emissions within the United States here.
Good News Story
Citizens Climate Radio host, Peterson Toscano, shares good news about the Conservative Climate Caucus in the House of Representatives. It is much bigger than most people could have ever imagined!
If you have an idea for a Good News Story, contact us: radio@citizensclimate.org
Listener Survey
We want to hear your feedback about this episode. After you listen, feel free to fill in this short survey. Your feedback will help us as we make new decisions about the content, guests, and style of the show. You can fill it out anonymously and answer whichever questions you like.
Saturday Jun 10, 2023
Saturday Jun 10, 2023
To have any shot at building the clean energy economy needed to turn back climate change, we will have to overcome the inflexive resistance to development of the projects and resources that will facilitate that transition. Perhaps the most trusted person to deliver that message to environmentalists is climate champion Bill McKibben, and that's exactly what he did in a recent piece for Mother Jones. He joins this month's national call days before our volunteers go to lobby on Capitol Hill. Bill is an author, educator, and environmentalist, who helped found 350.org, the first global grassroots climate campaign, and he recently helped found Third Act, a progressive organizing movement for people over the age of 60.
Skip ahead to the following section(s):
(0:00) Intro & Agenda
(2:00) Bill McKibben's Talk
(22:39) Q&A w/ Bill
(30:53) June Actions & Conference Preview
Bill's article in Mother Jones: https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2023/04/yimby-nimby-progressives-clean-energy-infrastructure-housing-development-wind-solar-bill-mckibben/
Join the June Conference: https://cclusa.org/juneconference
CCL June Action Sheet: https://cclusa.org/actionsheet
Pre-call June video: https://vimeo.com/834902797
Friday Jun 09, 2023
Friday Jun 09, 2023
With our expanded policy agenda, it can be tough to keep track of how we expect to make progress in each area. Join Topher Anderson, Senior Development Officer, for a training that will provide a high-level overview of how we move the needle for each policy area, and what we specifically aim to do in the 118th Congress. This presentation was also originally written as a fundraising document, so you can share it with potential donors as well.
Skip ahead to the following section(s):
(0:00) Intro & Agenda
(3:49) What Makes Us Unique
(6:37) Our Method For Moving Legislation
(12:01) Our Policy Agenda
(22:11) Concluding Thoughts
Presentation Slides: https://cclusa.org/roadmap-slides
CCL Community Page: https://community.citizensclimate.org/resources/item/19/544
Friday Jun 02, 2023
Friday Jun 02, 2023
This training is designed for those who wish to learn more about leading a lobby meeting with a member of Congress or staff. In this training, we review the role of a lobby team leader, how they assign team roles, coordinate practice times and how to handle other special situations.
Skip ahead to the following section(s):
(0:00) Intro & Agenda
(1:44) The Importance of Leads
(9:14) Advance Planning
(23:43) This June's Primary & Supporting Ask Suggestions
(31:05) Additional Leadership Considerations
Presentation Slides: http://cclusa.org/lobbylead
Training on CCL Community: https://community.citizensclimate.org/topics/working-with-congress/lobbying-401
Friday May 26, 2023
Friday May 26, 2023
This training is part of the “Working With Congress” training series, designed to empower you - an important member of our volunteer network - to be ready for lobby meetings, both in-district and in D.C. Learn about citizen advocacy, the advantages we hold as citizens in transforming our government and the policies we adopt, and hear stories from CCL volunteers around the country who demonstrate how citizens can build meaningful, long-term relationships with their congressional office.
Presentation slides: http://cclusa.org/transformative-power
CCL Training on Lobbying Basics: https://community.citizensclimate.org/topics/working-with-congress/lobbying-101
Our June Lobby Day Training Schedule: https://community.citizensclimate.org/resources/item/19/272