Every August, Senators and Congressional representatives return to their districts, and we have the chance to meet with them to express our opinions on the issues that matter to us and how we want to work together to affect change.

Last Tuesday, I dialed in to a conference call set up by 1sky.org. The reason: to bring together some of the many voices of the 1,600 people in all 50 states (WOW!) who signed up to lobby their representatives during the August recess.

The conference call lasted for one hour, during which the biggest thing I learned is that this lobbying effort is the beginning of an ongoing relationship with or elected officials, not a 1-shot deal. The other big refreshing idea from the call is that I don’t have to be an expert on climate change, green jobs, and renewable energy—I just have to read information on what the issues are, what solutions are available, and push my elected officials to support them.

1sky is a great organization—I got a lot out of the call and their website. They provide very clear, straightforward information that is easy to understand and share with others. 

The call started with introductions from everyone calling in. I’ve called in to a few nationwide conference calls before, but never any that were as participatory. This was hands on and how to, where lots of people shared ideas and asked questions, led by 1sky organizers from Washington D.C. I was inspired as each participant introduced him or herself and talked where they lived and where they were in the process. Some had scheduled appointments already and others, like me, had not done so yet.

Voices came first from the Virginia/Maryland area, from college students that have been organizing through a campus group and older individuals calling in from the same area, people from Chicago and Florida, then myself and another woman from NY State. It was tremendously inspiring to hear all these voices, near and far, loud and soft, coming through. Each person was committed, sharing his or her own experiences with the process already and asking questions. Many people calling in were affiliated or somehow connected to Interfaith Power and Light. I had never heard of this organization before—it is an interfaith ministry that is “mobilizing a national religious response to global warming.” This is awesome.

Here’s a list of some of the things that were discussed on the call. I hope you find that it’s easier than you might imagine to schedule a meeting and prepare yourself for talking to your elected officials.  Personally, I have sent request letters to 2 of my elected officials, but still have to follow up with phone calls to schedule my appointment which I plan on doing today. All the resources listed below can be found on the 1sky organizer resources page.

How to set up a meeting and make a phone call to a representative or senator

• Find your Congressional district office
• Submit a request in writing. Some will allow you to email—your congressperson’s website will have details.
• Follow up with a phone call. Ask to speak with the scheduler—this is the person to make the appointment with. For the meeting, most likely you will not be able to speak directly to your Congressperson/ Senator. Office staff personnel, directors and members will be the ones available for a meeting about your issue.
• Recruit others to go with you, friends and family
• It’s optimal to get a diverse range of people to come with you: different ages, backgrounds and experience levels

Talking Points

• Read the 1sky platform to familiarize yourself with the three imperatives they are asking for, be comfortable with the material, and internalize it so that during the meeting you can speak about it in your own words.
• Meeting with our legislators is all about establishing a relationship and softening them up through being ourselves when we meet them. Although Staff people may know of the Climate change issue, they may not be aware of the 1sky campaign and the specific facts of how our economy still favors producing pollution instead of radically diminishing it. They may not be aware that organizations, like 1sky NOW exist with solutions and ideas in hand on how to go about doing this. 
• Be yourself, you don’t have to be an expert.
• Be clear, Be simple, for example: “I really care about this issue.”
• Practice in front of the mirror, a friend or family member with your 1sky 3 Imperatives in hand
• When asked a question, don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.” But be sure to follow up, this starts a dialogue.
• Be on time for your meeting. It will probably last 20 minutes, including questions and answers. 
• Tell them what you want.
• Don’t expect immediate results
• 1sky does not have an opinion on Nuclear power.
• Be a good listener; they may actually tell you why your representative disagrees with your position. Email this feedback to 1sky; they want to know.
• Research your representatives view to know what their position is on this issue.
• Research the three points (3 imperatives: ) so that you are comfortable speaking clearly abut them.
• When you go, be aware that there may be security guards and surveillance machines to go through.
• Bring your business cards and hand them out.
• Send a thank uou after your meeting.
• Send the 1sky platform via email: when you are scheduling the meeting, ask the scheduler if you can email the platform beforehand.
• Tell scheduler in advance the number of people that are coming with your group. Bring a few people, like 3 or 4. If more can come just let them know as the offices may be small and they may not be able to accommodate you.

Sample conversation

During the call, we role-played a conversation between a constituent and an environmental staffer. Here are some tips coming from the constituent’s perspective that I will use when I go to my meeting:

• Introduce yourself and those who are with you. Tell them a little bit about yourself and then relate it back to the issue of climate change.
• State the three 1 sky imperatives: no more coal, create 5 million green jobs, commit to freezing climate pollution and reductions of 25% by 2020 and 80% by 2050.
• Ask: “What is Representative X’s stand on these three issues?
• Ask: “We have a platform; will Representative X agree to sign on?”
• If they don’t sign on that day, follow up with phone calls and emails. Keep pushing the issue courteously and with respect.

I hope this inspires you to contact your representative to set up a meeting to discuss climate change, creating green jobs, and ending all coal fired power plants. It’s still not too late. If you have met with them, please share with us how it went and something new you learned. Any tips, tricks and bits of advice would be greatly appreciated.

(image by GeishaBoy500 via flickr)