Hi John,

I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. My thoughts are with all of you who need to take a step back from your climate volunteer work right now in order to prioritize the immediate needs of your family and your community. I’m also deeply grateful for those of you who are able and willing to continue your climate advocacy, even during these difficult times.

Here at CCL, we've been working hard to support our community of volunteers and to find ways we can continue this important work, since climate change is still a pressing problem. For example, we’ve made the shift to all-virtual events, which is allowing for some new opportunities while maintaining everyone’s safety. 

April 25: Online Earth Day event

On April 25, we’ll host an online Earth Day event with climate scientist Dr. Katharine Hayhoe as our keynote speaker. Having this online event gives us a chance to connect and build up our advocacy skills while many of us are sheltering at home. And for any friends or family who have additional time now and want to get active on climate change, this event offers a great way for them to get involved, too. 

June 13: Virtual conference and lobbying

In June, we’re planning to have our conference and lobby day online as well. We’ll hear from speakers and hold breakout sessions on June 13 beginning at 1 p.m. ET, with legislative training offered in advance. Then, thanks to the online format, we may be able to spread our lobby meetings over several days and still meet with the vast majority of congressional offices. Having remote meetings also means that people who can’t typically travel to D.C. for our lobby days on the Hill will be able to participate. We’re even planning to try a virtual evening reception, where volunteers can share lobbying stories and celebrate our successes “on the Hill,” just like we do in D.C. We’re excited that even more of our volunteers may get to join in the June experience, now that it’s planned to be online.

We’re dedicated to addressing the climate crisis 

The COVID-19 crisis did prompt us to make one other shift. We cancelled our annual spring fundraiser, understanding that many people’s financial situations have changed recently due to the pandemic and the financial collapse. 

But if you are someone who does still have the means to donate, we would appreciate your support as we continue to make progress on climate solutions. It takes hard work to prevent the worst impacts of global crises, including the climate crisis—that’s clearer than ever. We are dedicated to doing that work: educating our communities, lobbying our lawmakers, and building political will to preserve a livable world.

Thank you and stay safe,

Mark Reynolds

Executive Director