Dear Friend,

Earlier this week, I announced that after more than 18 years as president of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) — and another dozen years on LCV’s Board before that — I plan to step down next year.

I’m very proud of all that LCV has accomplished, and I’m immensely grateful for the generosity of supporters like you who have fueled our organizations’ ability to secure a safer, healthier, and more just climate future and democracy for all.

During this time, together we: 

• Helped pass and enact the biggest climate action investment in U.S. history, the Inflation Reduction Act, by launching an 18-month nationwide advocacy campaign.
• Launched the Clean Energy for All campaign, alongside our 30+ state affiliates, to secure clean energy commitments from municipalities and states across the nation. Today over 40% of people in the U.S. live in places committed to 100% clean energy — more than triple the percentage when we started.
• Launched the Clean Buses for Healthy Niños campaign, led by our Chispa program, which has secured $5 billion in federal funding for clean school buses, doubling the number of electric school buses across the U.S. and protecting children’s health.
• Helped elect and re-elect thousands of pro-climate, pro-democracy candidates up and down the ballot through the independent expenditure campaigns of LCV Victory Fund and its affiliated entities.
• Raised tens of millions of dollars in support of climate and democracy champions through our GiveGreen program.
• Pushed the Biden-Harris administration to finalize a record number of executive actions to cut pollution and protect public lands, thanks to our grassroots organizing, advocacy, and accountability work.
• Helped our 30+ state affiliates in the Conservation Voters Movement push for the passage of an unprecedented number of state-level policies that curb climate change and strengthen our democracy.

These successes were preceded by historic investments, particularly over the last eight years, to help elect pro-climate, pro-democracy candidates at the national, state, and local levels — none of which would have been possible without supporters like you.

Thanks to you, we’ve built a much more powerful environmental movement, strengthened partnerships with labor, environmental justice, and democracy allies, and made climate action a priority issue for the public, the media, and elected leaders.

I am deeply appreciative of every single person who is and has been a part of our work. You’ve helped make this journey so much fun, so rewarding, and so successful, and I am proud of all that we’ve accomplished together. 

I’m also keenly aware that we have so much more to do to secure our democracy and protect our planet. Although I have no specific plans for my future after LCV, I know I’ll remain in the fight to protect our planet and our democracy. I’m counting on you — as are future generations — to do the same.

With just weeks to go until the election, we need to keep our eyes on the prize and win in November, and then continue to make more progress to protect our planet and our democracy in 2025 and beyond. Please consider supporting — or increasing your support for — our work at this critical time.

Thank you for all you’ve done and all you will continue to do to ensure a safe, livable, and just future for all.

Cheers and onward,

Gene Karpinski, LCV President