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Month: October 2020

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Climate justice work is racial justice work

October 28, 2020

While it isn’t news to those who have lived through it for decades, many (mostly white) Americans are just now arriving at a greater understanding of two very important realities. The first is that America’s fossil fuel-based economy has disproportionately harmed low-income communities and communities of color for many decades in severe and systemic ways. The second is that our transition to clean energy holds enormous potential benefits that must be deliberately, thoughtfully, and equitably distributed in light of the first reality.

To explore this topic further, we turned to Green For All, an organization that works at the intersection of the environmental, economic, and racial justice movements to advance solutions to poverty and pollution. We talked with their National Director Michelle Romero to answer some basic yet important questions:

Generation180: The stated mission of Green For All is to “fight for a world that is green for all, not green for some.” Can you explain why this is so important, and who you see as currently being left out of the green movement?

Michelle Romero: We all want clean air, healthy kids, and good jobs, but we don’t all get it. Low-income communities and communities of color have been hit first and worst by poverty and pollution, thanks to decades of discriminatory land-use, facility siting, and redlining practices. Eighty percent of Latinos, for example, live in areas that do not meet federal air quality standards. And people of color are twice as likely to live near busy roads and freeways, which means they’re most at risk for cancer, asthma, and pollution-related illnesses stemming from transportation emissions.

We believe the green economy can help us reverse course. Everything that is good for the planet is also a job, a contract, a business opportunity. We can put people to work in good jobs building healthier homes and neighborhoods and fighting pollution where it lives. Unfortunately, the people who are hit first and worst by the problems, often benefit last and least from the solutions. Green For All works with policymakers across the country to design climate, energy, and transportation policies that prioritize solutions for the people who need them most. We’re building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty—one that leaves no one behind. 

G180: What do you see as the main links between climate justice and racial justice?

MR: I used to think environmental causes were for White, hippie tree-huggers. I didn’t think racial justice had anything to do it with, but I was wrong. While many mainstream environmental groups focus climate postcards on saving whales and polar bears, there is so much more to it. Decades of discriminatory housing, transportation, and land use decisions have led to wide disparities in toxic air exposure. For example, race is twice as important as income in predicting exposure to nitrogen oxide from tailpipe pollution, which causes premature death. Environmental racism is literally killing Black and Brown people by polluting the air they breathe. So for us, climate justice is racial justice.

G180: How can shifting to a clean energy future help address the impacts of racial inequity and injustice?

MR: The great thing about clean, renewable energy is that it not only cuts carbon emissions, it also protects our health, creates jobs, and can help consumers save money on their energy bills. There is plenty to gain from a clean energy economy. But it matters which communities can participate now and which ones have to wait another decade when it’s more affordable or accessible, or when policymakers get around to caring enough about them. We can ensure renewable energy and energy efficiency policies and programs target benefits in communities that need them the most to address and correct historical inequities. We do this by empowering the voices of those most impacted and bringing them to the table to contribute meaningful solutions. 

G180: A key promise of clean energy is job creation. What do you see as the connection between green jobs and equity?

MR: We can solve poverty and pollution at the same time. In the next year or so, Congress is poised to spend trillions of dollars to rebuild the economy following COVID-19. If we put those dollars to work in the green sector, we can put people to work building a better future for everyone. But the jobs must be good, high-roads jobs that provide a living wage, benefits, and career pathways. And the infrastructure investments should be tied to not only fair labor standards, but supplier diversity standards too — giving a boost to women, minority, and veteran-owned businesses. That’s how we recover together and build a future that is better than before. 

G180: Green For All has been a strong advocate for electric school buses and zero-emission transport? Can you explain how this shift can help advance racial justice?

MR: Before COVID-19, over 24 million kids rode dirty diesel school buses on their way to get an education. Cumulative exposure to dirty diesel emissions and their resulting health effects has been linked with lower IQ scores, increased behavioral issues, missed school and workdays, and health issues such as asthma, cancer and other cardiovascular diseases. As schools work to bring kids back to campus safely, they should consider the role of toxic tailpipe emissions from their own buses. Some of the preexisting conditions that put people at greater risk of death if they contract COVID are some of the same conditions caused by toxic tailpipe emissions.

Now is the time to be thinking about how to come back to school safer and better than ever. Every day more kids, parents, schools, and community members are working together to transition dirty diesel school buses to zero-emission electric buses. If we can get schools to make a public commitment to buying electric buses, and the government to fund them, we can empower people from underserved and pollution-burdened neighborhoods to break the cycle of poor health, unemployment, crime, poverty, and disinvestment. 

G180: What do you feel is the biggest obstacle to achieving climate justice today?

MR: Ten years ago, our biggest challenge was helping people understand that we don’t have to sacrifice the economy to clean up the environment. I think today most people understand that we can have a strong economy and a clean environment. California is proving that every day, with some of the strictest environmental standards and one of the strongest economies in the world. Today, political polarization is probably the biggest challenge. Republicans have ceded their leadership on the environment. They used to be some of the best. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Clean Air Act both exist because of a Republican. We have to break this idea that climate change is a Left issue. It’s not a Left issue. Climate change doesn’t discriminate between red states and blue states. Farmers in red, rural parts of America are going to struggle just as much from droughts, flooding, and extreme weather events as struggling families in urban neighborhoods across the country. We have to fix that and come together on this.

G180: What can organizations like Generation180 (and our supporters) do to better advance the fight toward climate and racial justice?

MR: There’s plenty you can do. First, continue learning about how climate justice and racial justice are connected. Next, speak up on behalf of underdogs! Elected officials need to hear that you want them to prioritize low-income communities and communities of color in EVERY policy fight whether it’s about clean energy, clean transportation, climate, or jobs. 

Lastly, for those in a position to make decisions about who to partner with or contract with on green projects, seek out Black- and Brown-owned green companies like BlocPower and Volt Energy. And for those running their own companies, remember green jobs must be good jobs. Be a leader by setting a new standard.

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Head over to greenforall.org to learn more, get involved, or to make a one-time or monthly donation. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or text “GREEN” to 974-83 to join the fight.

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Voting for clean energy—with style

October 26, 2020

One of our favorite elements of the Vote Clean Energy 2020 campaign is the art initiative, which involved us selecting and hiring three artists to create an original, visual work of art that conveyed the campaign message that Americans need to vote for a clean energy future. 

Why an art initiative during an election season? Art, as we’ve all experienced, can do things that words cannot. Art has the power to convey ideas, emotions, and messages in surprising, profound, or subtle ways; it can connect with people of many ages, backgrounds, or life stages. We’re all surrounded with plenty of headlines and talking heads, especially during an election. Our hope is that these visuals cut through the clutter—even just for a few people, for a few moments—to remind us of the power of voting to create the clean energy future we need.

So check out the work of these three fantastic artists, then share their work with someone who could use a dose of beauty or a message of hope.

Tatyana’s Children’s Book

Cover of "It's Voting Day" illustrated children's book

Upon seeing just one illustration that Tatyana submitted, the Generation180 team knew we had to make a children’s book out of Tatyana’s work. None of us had seen a children’s book instilling a culture of voting pride and celebration and addressing the importance of voting to create the future we want. Matt Turner, Generation180’s Creative Manager, wrote the story and Tatyana illustrated a wonderful sixteen-page book that communicates the joy and importance of voting to children. Download the digital version for free, or order a print copy on the Generation180 store. 

We’re so grateful that Tatyana was up for biting off the children’s book project with us! Check out her portfolio here.

Maria’s Mural

Clean energy now mural

Maria, from Massachusetts, painted an incredible, colorful piece that is now the backdrop for a street-side pop-up park. Her aim was “to remind people of the feeling of calm, the feeling of being at peace in nature, and the expansive power of the natural world around us. At such a time where we are bombarded by mixed messaging, it is easy to hyper-focus or lose direction. People exist in their own digital-bubbles of their own worlds. Painting this mural in the real world…is important to remind people that we are also in the world together: we can only do so much as individuals, but teaming up together and voting for our futures is what we need to succeed.”

We’re honored to have had the opportunity to partner with Maria on this project! Check out her portfolio here. 

Isabella’s Animation

Animals voting for clean energy with wind turbines and solar panels in background

Isabella from Savannah, GA went old-school with this GIF, taking us all the way back to elementary school civics class with her School House Rocks vibe animation. Her project emphasizes how voting can directly have an impact on your every day life (especially where your energy comes from). “I feel passionately about clean energy and being an active participant in the government to enact sustainable change for the future,” she writes. 

Download and use for your own social media post and then check out Isabella’s portfolio here!
 

Now get out and vote

We’re grateful to everyone who participated and helped make our first art initiative of this kind a success—to artists that submitted their proposals, to organizations that helped spread the word, and of course to the fabulous artists that partnered with us.
 
Now to the task at hand: make this final week before the election count! Vote (if you haven’t already), help others vote, and show your support for a crucial voting issue. This election cycle is as important they come!
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The most obvious investment decision ever?

October 21, 2020

Imagine walking into a meeting with your personal financial advisor and she gives you the following advice: “I’d strongly recommend you invest a very large sum of money right now, as we’re quite confident it will generate fantastic returns for you for decades to come. Oh, and if you don’t act now, we’re even more certain the costs to you will be staggering.”

That’s basically where the U.S. sits today with regards to the climate crisis, and you don’t need a PhD in economics to know what the right response is. We need major clean energy investment now in order to reap ongoing economic benefits and, importantly, to avoid paying crippling costs later. Let’s break this down.

What needs to happen

To keep global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius, the U.S. needs to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by around mid-century, according to scientists. Given that the country still derives around 80 percent of its energy from fossil fuels, this will require a dramatic—and rapid—shift in how we get our energy. By most accounts, the pathway to net zero emissions involves three key elements: a rapid transition to renewable energy, the electrification of nearly everything, and reliance on key technologies such as wind and solar power, heat pumps, batteries, electric vehicles, and more. Getting to net zero by 2050 could require doubling or tripling clean electricity installations while dramatically slashing emissions from transport, buildings, industry, and agriculture.

From an economic perspective, we’re talking about trillions of dollars in investment over the next decade or so to put in place the needed clean energy infrastructure. Getting to net zero will require putting a price on carbon dioxide emissions, whether directly through a “carbon tax” on fossil fuels, or indirectly through the deployment of today’s renewable energy solutions and investment in tomorrow’s innovations. Either way, that’s a lot of moolah (although there will be savings too—we’ll get to that later). But before we consider the price tag of taking clean energy action, we need to understand the cost of inaction.

Cover of U.S. government's Fourth National Climate Assessment
The government’s latest assessment, released in 2018

What happens if we don’t take action?

According to the federal government’s Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018, even moderate warming could cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars each year by the end of this century. In the worst-case scenario, the losses could total more than 10 percent of GDP. If the country fails to keep emissions below the 2 degree limit, the panel predicts, we’re in for a cascade of disasters of Biblical proportions, which, it’s safe to say, would be economically devastating. Consider just a few of the (less than optimal) prospects mentioned in the Assessment:

  • Crops: Due to higher temperatures, drought, and flooding, corn yields in parts of the Midwest could decline to less than 75% of today’s levels, and the southern Midwest could lose more than 25% of its soybean yield. Dairy production would continue to suffer from heat stress.
  • Seafood: Worsening ocean acidification could result in a $230 million loss in shellfish by the end of the century and oxygen-depleting algal blooms that kill sea life will become more frequent.
  • Fires and extreme heat: Wildfires could burn up to six times more forest area annually by 2050 in parts of the U.S. Extreme heat will become more frequent in places like Phoenix (which this year has had a record 144 days exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit) and even in places like Chicago.
  • Flooding: Sea-level rise and storm surges will cause intensified flooding along U.S. coasts, damaging public infrastructure and putting at risk the $1 trillion in coastal real estate.

All of these impacts will, of course, have consequences for our health, with more Americans dying from extreme heat (an additional 2,000 premature deaths in the Midwest annually by 2090) and suffering from mosquito- and tickborne diseases, asthma and allergies, and food- and water-borne illness. Populations won’t be affected equally, with a greater risk for heat-related illness and death among children, the elderly, the poor, and communities of color. While it’s hard to put a dollar figure on the overall cost of inaction, it’s clear that to avoid the worst effects of climate change, the U.S. needs to have a pro-active, long-term strategy in place—rather than simply reacting to disasters after the fact.

Airplane factory during World War II
We need to wrap our minds around the scale and speed implied by the term “wartime mobilization”

What we need to do

From this perspective, spending trillions of dollars over the coming years seems distinctly….palatable. Getting to zero emissions will mean ramping up green public investments, compensating households as they make the transition, and yes, being okay with taking on additional federal debt (a prospect that COVID-19 has now made inevitable). One presidential campaign has called for spending up to $2 trillion over four years to accelerate the deployment of wind and solar power and electric vehicles, while investing in hydrogen and other nascent technologies and creating jobs. Another key proposal, Rewiring America, envisions public and private spending of around $20-25 trillion over 20 years to advance clean energy and electrification, with the private sector taking the lead and the government shelling out around $250-350 billion per year.

Saul Griffith, the lead brain behind Rewiring America, likens the task to wartime mobilization, calling for a three- to five-year ramp-up in clean energy manufacturing followed by “a sustained period of 100 percent substitution…which entails government taking a direct hand in industry, working with it to hit specific production targets through some mix of incentives, penalties, and mandates.” Griffith believes the mobilization effort would be less onerous than FDR’s mandate in the 1940s, noting that while it took the equivalent of 1.8 US GDPs to win World War II, “the total cost of decarbonizing America is more like 1.2 to 1.5 GDPs. Proportionally, it’s a significantly smaller interruption to the economy.”

To make it work for the average American, the key is leveraging the extensive cost savings associated with the clean energy transition. Because a fully electrified, renewable energy system is much more efficient than a fossil-fueled one, U.S. primary energy demand would decline by half. Between reduced energy demand, cheaper energy costs, and the lower fuel and maintenance costs of electric vehicles, the average household would save an estimated $1,000-2,000 per year, according to Griffith. The government could support consumers by providing low-cost, government-backed loans to help cover the costs of the transition, like retrofitting buildings with solar panels, heat pumps, and batteries.

Not only is a clean energy economy doable—it’s inevitable. Even powerful banks and international institutions like the International Monetary Fund acknowledge that we’ve been given a false choice between the economy and the environment. Financial institutions, perhaps more than anyone, are keenly aware of the risks that climate inaction pose for their own investments and for overall financial stability, and they understand that taking action on clean energy is a good insurance policy for a livable future. As writer David Roberts noted recently, “We can have clean air, clean energy, a prosperous economy, and a stable climate, all the things we want, if we’re just willing to do the work.”

Help set our country’s course toward a better future. Check out the Vote Clean Energy 2020 campaign, which is all about equipping you to show your support for clean energy during this critical election season.

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Clean energy is a massive job creator

October 14, 2020

There’s been a lot of political back and forth recently about whether clean energy is a job killer or a job creator. Some like to present a false choice between acting on climate and clean energy vs. bolstering our economy. So, let’s set the record straight: clean energy is a massive economic opportunity that will continue to create well-paying jobs across multiple sectors. Not only will it help the U.S. recover from today’s COVID-induced economic recession, but it’s also key to the nation’s efforts to transition to a low-carbon future. Let’s look at the numbers and then close this case for good.

Last month, the U.S. workforce totaled around 160 million people (down 4 million from a year before) and unemployment stood at 7.9 percent, nearly double the rate of last year. To get the economy booming again, millions of Americans will need to return to work. That’s why, in recent months, calls have accelerated for a “green recovery,” with proposals promising anywhere from 1.2 million jobs in green manufacturing to an additional 10 to 20 million jobs in clean energy.

Three recent analyses only strengthen the employment case for speeding our transition to clean energy:

Exhibit A: Why mobilizing for a “zero carbon America” creates gobs of jobs

Rewiring America
The August 2020 report from a MacArthur genius fellow who was contracted by the Dept. of Energy to track and visualize the entirety of America’s energy flows.

An exhaustive new report released this summer concludes that aggressively transitioning to a clean energy economy by 2035 could create as many as 25 million more jobs in the near term, and then 5 million energy jobs in perpetuity. Completely decarbonizing the U.S. economy means going well beyond energy efficiency measures: it involves electrifying almost everything and powering the grid with renewables. This would reduce the nation’s energy demand by 50 percent and bring huge cost savings through economies of scale.

Importantly, the energy transition would create many more jobs than would be lost. That’s because the decarbonized future is more labor intensive than today’s energy industry. In the short term, jobs would be created as we build out the capacity to make and install the electric vehicles, heat pumps, wind turbines, solar cells, batteries, and other machines required for the shift. Long term, jobs would be needed for ongoing installation and maintenance. Meanwhile, existing fossil fuel jobs would decline only gradually, over the course of a generation, and in many cases, the new clean energy jobs will look very similar to those that exist today (truck driving, construction, machining, etc.).

Exhibit B: Taxing carbon to boost renewables and create even more jobs

A second analysis, published in Scientific American last December, looked at the employment effects of taxing carbon emissions from fossil fuels—a key element of the proposed Green New Deal. The authors conclude that a $25 carbon tax would boost U.S. employment by an estimated 72 million job years (one job for one year) over the next three decades. In this case, the carbon tax would effectively transform the electricity system—triggering investments in low-cost but labor-intensive clean tech and thereby fostering economic growth and employment. Jobs in energy efficiency (mainly labor-intensive installation and construction) would grow from 1.8 million in 2030 to 4.2 million in 2050, and would more than compensate for the losses in traditional jobs on the energy supply side. Additional jobs would relate to investments in energy and environmental management and smart controls, as well as the manufacturing of industrial machinery like high-efficiency motors and variable-speed drives.

Exhibit C: Transitioning to 100% wind, water and solar energy and—you guessed it—creating jobs

A third study, led by Stanford University researchers, considers the economic and employment impacts of a U.S. (and global) transition to 100% “WWS energy”—that is, a shift away from business as usual to an energy system based 100% on wind, water, and solar energy (alongside energy efficiency and storage) by 2050. According to the analysis, such a transition would create 3.1 million net long-term, full-time U.S. jobs as a result of energy generation, transmission, and storage. These include direct jobs like project development and onsite construction, operation, and maintenance of electricity-generating facilities as well as indirect jobs in the construction and manufacturing supply chains and new positions for manufacturers, analysts, attorneys, bankers, etc. The reinvestment and spending of earnings from these direct and indirect jobs would, in turn, support further jobs.

What a 21st century energy job looks like

How much investment are we talking?

Of course, the big questions in all cases are: 1) how much would an investment in clean energy cost, and 2) is this feasible, especially given the urgency of the timeline. Most studies agree that the needed investment is large—in the trillions of dollars—but this would be greatly offset by cost savings along the way. Moreover, the burden for everyday Americans would be minimal, if any. The authors of the first report conclude that the average U.S. household would save between $1,000 and $2,000 a year through the proposed mobilization for clean energy, and people would still continue to meet their essential energy and transport needs, just using electric and renewable technologies. “It’s a little bit easier than we think, because we need less energy than we need today to do it, and it involves a lot less sacrifice…. I don’t think there’s a lot of austerity absolutely necessary,” noted co-author Saul Griffith.

To be fair—and this is a critical point—the clean energy transition isn’t just some “future prospect” open to theory and speculation. It’s already under way. Every day, more and more Americans are embracing technologies ranging from rooftop solar to electric vehicles, and the U.S. wind and solar industries are creating tens of thousands of new jobs annually. Meanwhile, jobs in coal-fired generation fell nearly 8 percent in 2019. The writing is on the wall for fossil fuels, and the sooner we accept the inevitability of the transition, the sooner we can accelerate it. “Ultimately we will have a stronger, more resilient, better-prepared nation in the future, with a healthier populace, if we do it,” notes Griffith.

So let’s ditch the false choice between climate and jobs. The sooner we accept this reality, the better off we’ll be. Check out the Vote Clean Energy 2020 campaign, which is all about equipping you to show your support for clean energy during this critical election season.

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School and student leaders inspire action during National Solar Tour 2020

October 9, 2020

Generation180 partnered with Solar United Neighbors and American Solar Energy Society for the 25th anniversary of the National Solar Tour—the largest grassroots renewable energy event in the nation. Thousands of people joined us between September 28-October 4, 2020 for engaging live online events and to explore the nearly 500 virtual solar open houses and tours across the country.

The National Solar Tour celebrates the vital role schools play in creating a brighter future for everyone. On October 1, 2020, Generation180 organized Solar For All Schools Day of the tour and hosted three online panel discussions with school district, community, and student leaders who led the charge for solar at their school districts. Watch the recordings below!

A Brighter Future For Schools Through Solar 

K-12 schools play an integral role in reaching students, parents, neighbors, and local decision-makers to encourage clean energy action throughout the community. Dive into Generation180’s 2020 Brighter Future Report as we share our latest research on why and how schools are going solar across the country. Learn how a district reinvested solar savings into teacher salaries and how another is using solar + storage to boost resilience.

Speakers:
Tish Tablan, Generation180, Program Director
Laura Capps, Santa Barbara Unified School District, President of Board of Education
Dr. Michael Hester, Batesville School District, Superintendent

Electrify Your Ride to School 

The dirty yellow school bus is going green. Electric school buses are popping up from coast to coast, and your school could be next. Hear from trailblazers that are switching to electric school bus fleets and learn about how you can advocate for cleaner rides to school in your community.

Speakers:
Eleanor Fort, Dream Corps, Deputy Director of Green For All
Gilbert Rosas, Stockton Unified School District, Energy Education Specialist
Brian Foulds, City of Concord, Chair of Climate Action Advisory Board

Students Lead the Charge for Solar 

Get inspired by the next generation of solar leaders who are driving change in their school communities and calling for 100% clean energy and carbon neutrality. Not yet able to vote, coordinating action, and fighting for change is how they voice their opinions and advocate for both their planet and their lives.

Speakers:
Lisa Hoyos, Sierra Club, Director of Climate Parents
Student leaders from Jason Lee Middle School, Tacoma Public Schools
Student leaders of SolaRISE Portland in Maine

Learn more about the tour at NationalSolarTour.org.

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Clean energy is on the ballot this November

October 7, 2020

We’re in the final stretch of an election season unlike any in recent memory. In the midst of a global pandemic, a historic economic downturn, and a racial justice reckoning, we can’t lose sight of the existential challenge confronting us: addressing climate change and transitioning to a world powered by clean, renewable energy. The 2020 election is likely the most important election in our lifetimes for all sorts of reasons—and clean energy is most definitely one issue that’s “on the ballot.” If you support America moving toward the clean energy future we so urgently need, make sure you vote like it.

In a time of polarization and pandemic, clean energy continues to poll as a winning issue. A June 2020 poll showed that Americans across the political spectrum support expanding our renewable energy sources at remarkable levels (83% support more wind, 90% support more solar). The same poll found that nearly two-thirds of Americans agreed that the federal government should move more aggressively to restrict power plant emissions, require fuel-efficient cars, and tax corporate polluters. So how do we get there?

In a time of polarization and pandemic, clean energy continues to poll as a winning issue.

Climate and clean energy are finally getting some much-needed focus this election season. There are proposed plans finally getting big enough to match the scale of the climate challenge, in some cases integrated into broader economic recovery agendas. There are calls for government investment that will greatly increase the use of clean energy in the electricity, transportation, and building sectors. Massive deployment in wind and solar are included in plans to eliminate carbon emissions from the power sector within 15 years and to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century.

This scale of government action is desperately needed, especially since the last four years have seen a focus on dismantling Obama-era regulations like the Clean Power Plan and removing as many regulatory hurdles to oil, gas and coal production as possible. We need people in power who listen to scientists rather than downplaying the certainty and scale of the climate crisis at hand.

Your clean energy vote doesn’t just matter for the presidential election—it matters in state and local elections too—places where much of the clean energy action is happening. We need to let all the candidates know that we care about the transition to clean energy, and then make our support visible—in our homes, communities, and virtual lives.

Here are four things you can do to support clean energy this election:

1. Vote

 Find out who’s on your ballot for November, then look up their record. What are their plans for clean energy investment and tackling climate change? Do they understand the huge job growth potential in wind and solar, electric vehicles, and energy efficiency? Do they have a plan to help under-resourced communities that are disproportionately affected by climate impacts? Probe candidates on these questions. Then VOTE for the person with the best plan out there.

2. Show support online

Now more than ever, getting involved in the democratic process means showing up online. Use the tools you have available and engage online using #votecleanenergy2020. Fortunately, we’ve done some of the legwork for you: download and use our Zoom virtual backgrounds, profile pics, and social media graphics and get after those virtual town halls, meetups, and online conversations.

3. Show support in your neighborhood

Put up a yard sign, wear a shirt, or put a sticker on your car. Even with physical interaction limited these days, there are still ways to make your support for clean energy visible in your neighborhood and community. Check out Generation180’s resources here.

4. Talk with others

Tell people why you’re voting for clean energy. Talk to your neighbors, your coworkers, your family, your friends. Your perspective matters more than you think—we’re social creatures, and the opinions of trusted sources matter (example: the importance of peer influence on electric vehicle purchases).

Help set our country’s course toward a better future. Check out the Vote Clean Energy 2020 campaign, which is all about equipping you to show your support for clean energy during this critical election season. Let’s get to it.