Dear John,

If you haven’t heard yet, let me be the first to tell you: there’s something special happening in El Paso, Texas. On May 6th, El Pasoans will vote yes or no on the El Paso Climate Charter, a groundbreaking policy that would bring their city one giant step closer to a Green New Deal.

I’ll explain more below, but if you want to sign up for our call TONIGHT click here.

For years, young organizers in Sunrise El Paso have been campaigning day in and day out for the El Paso Climate Charter. The Charter is written by and for the people of El Paso – it would bring their corrupt energy company under the city’s control, get the city to 80% renewable energy by 2030, address air pollution and create good, green jobs in the city.

The Charter would also confront the fossil fuel industry head on. El Paso sits right next door to the Permian Oil Basin, an area larger than the state of Utah and the largest oil producing basin in the United States. One of the charter’s key provisions would make it harder for oil and gas companies to use the city’s water to dig up fossil fuels – if we pass the El Paso Climate Charter, we can keep more fossil fuels in the ground.

When we say we want to see local Green New Deals in cities all across the country, the El Paso Climate Charter is exactly what we are talking about.

But the actual piece of policy isn’t the only exciting thing about this campaign – the organizing that’s gone into it is just as inspiring. Sunrise El Paso is made up of young people who are fighting for their border community and the place they call home. El Paso has some of the most polluted air in the country, and Sunrisers have worked closely with the communities who live right next to toxic and polluting plants to hold polluters accountable. They’ve even set up a community center where local community groups gather for meetings, trainings and mutual aid events.

The hub worked with a group called Ground Game Texas to write the Climate Charter back in 2021. By July 2022, volunteers had gathered nearly 40,000 signatures to get the charter on the ballot. They recruited hundreds of volunteers, showed up at countless community events and spent hours and hours having conversations with their neighbors.

Sunrise El Paso could be on the brink of victory. But the fossil fuel industry is taking notice and we know they won’t go down without a fight. That’s why we’re throwing our support behind this campaign and why we need you to join us. Sign up for tonight's campaign launch call with Jessica Cisneros here.

I’m so damn excited for this campaign. If we can win in El Paso, we can show young people all across the country that when we take organizing seriously, we can win transformative policies that can change our lives.

Hope to see you on the call,

Varshini