I’ll be in Washington, DC for the People's Climate March April 29. The next day, my group Climate Hawks Vote, with many partners, will lead the first-ever climate-centric candidate training for young leaders. Many good organizations have been training women, LGBT folk, labor activists, etc. on how to run for office; this is, I believe, the first time climate activists get their own training.
In San Luis Obispo, Heidi Harmon got elected mayor - and helped stop the Phillips 66 oil train terminal in her town. In upstate New York, town council ordinances banning fracking pass, or fail, on 3-2 votes. All across the country, cities wrestle with transit and zoning questions - bike lanes, chicken coops, density. It's important to organize and show up to tell the city council to make the most climate-friendly decision - but it's even more important to BE the city council making that decision. And, as the seas creep higher and the Antarctic ice cracks, it’s equally important to begin to build a farm team of politicians who understand and prioritize responses to the climate crisis.
At Climate Hawks Vote, we're partnering with 350.org Action, Communities for a Better Environment Action, Netroots Nation, Our Revolution, #VOTEPROCHOICE, United We Dream Action, and more to train candidates. We'll share bold vision, tips and tricks on how to speak honestly and openly on climate (hint: it's not WE'RE ALL DOOOOOMED), and hard skills.
One of the things I’m most excited about is the meat of this training — the “hard skills” sessions with some of the top progressive trainers in the nation. This event will feature a powerhouse of progressive political talent: Democracy for America, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Working Families Party, and AFSCME are all contributing trainers.
It runs from 8 AM to 3 PM on Sunday, April 30 at the Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage, 1816 12th St NW, Washington, DC 20009.
RSVP for the People’s Climate Candidate Training here.
If you won't be in DC, we're doing a webinar — RSVP for the training and then click the “webinar” option.
This training is for you if you’re thinking about running for office, or if you want to help a friend run for office, or if you want to learn how electoral strategies and politics affect your issue campaign.
I founded Climate Hawks Vote a few years ago to build grassroots political power for the climate movement. So far, we’ve been working solely on federal elections (oh, and did I mention that we won 8 out of our 10 elections in the 2016 general election cycle?). However, grassroots work starts, well, at the grassroots; successful candidates for Congress first succeeded by winning races for city council, county supervisor, electric co-op, and regional water board. I’m excited about the chance to take the energy of the People’s Climate March and use it to build real, long lasting power. I hope you’ll join me on April 29 and 30.
SciCli Blogathon: April 22-28, 2017 (all times are Pacific)
Support the Daily Kos SciCli blogathon during the April 22-28 week of action promoting the April 29 People’s Climate March with stories on how science and climate change are affecting our lives and our planet.
For background on the SciCli Blogathon and the Week of action visit boatsie’s diary from 4/17, Besame’s from 4/20, and onomastic’s from 4/21.
Sign up for the Washington, D.C. march or find a march near you.
If you’d like to march with other readers of Daily Kos, visit Connect! Unite! Act! (7:30 AM Pacific) for march locations. Send navajo a Kos mail or leave a message in the comments.
On April 29, let’s march for jobs, justice, and the climate!
