1Sky hits the South Carolina campaign trail

1Sky has hit the ground running in South Carolina!  Our friends Phil Aroneanu, Kelly Blynn, Jamie Henn and Jason Kowalski (formerly of Step It Up 2007 fame) are working to build visibility and support for the 1Sky solutions in conjunction with the Presidential primaries.  They welcome your help — if you are interested in joining them to support the 1Sky platform, click here to get in touch at southcarolina@1sky.org.  For information on future events and updates from the campaign trail, stay tuned to this blog and our South Carolina page.   Read on below for a first-hand account from Phil!

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"My friends," John McCain said methodically as he stood in front of a WWII bomber, "We will not surrender."  The event, his last before the South Carolina GOP primary he won yesterday, took place aboard the USS Yorkville, an aircraft carrier.  It wasn’t a typical school gym rally,with basketball hoops peeking out between campaign signs, and yet the 1Sky climate visibility team was there.  While McCain talked about theIraq war, we held signs and wore green hard hats.  We spoke with veterans, many of whom understood the connections between climate change and foreign policy, and talked with reporters about our dependence on foreign oil.

In the days leading up to the Republican primary, we heard a lot about "good conservative values" and "moral leadership," which are sometimes contrasted with progressive positions on climate and the environment.  But as our friends at the Evangelical Environmental Network revealed on Friday in a press conference we attended, 84 percent of evangelicals nationally support legislation to limit greenhouse gases; 54 percent are inclined to support a candidate who advocates some solutions.

And despite being a significant voting block in an overwhelmingly conservative state, Evangelicals are not alone in their concern over the climate issue.  In exit polls we conducted yesterday in Florence, SC — an extremely conservative district — more than 80 percent of voters polled wanted the state legislature to promote energy efficiency and alternative energy, and 55 percent would be against building new coal-fired power plants in South Carolina if they did not have technologies to prevent pollution.

All of this, from the vets to the exit polls, shows that climate change is not a partisan issue.  People with vastly divergent views on other issues speak with one voice when it comes to the climate.  And the 1Sky primary visibility team is going to make sure that Democrats get the same message.  We’ll be attending candidate events here, leading up to the Democratic primary on January 26. Click here for a list of upcoming events in South Carolina, and make sure to join us at our big Myrtle Beach event tomorrow, where we’ll be wearing green hard hats to support the new clean energy economy and green jobs.  Here’s all the information you need to know:

***MYRTLE BEACH ACTION ALERT***

On Monday, January 21 we’re off to the Democratic debate in Myrtle Beach to continue our call for a clean energy future.  Please join us for a press event and celebration!

Where: Palace Theater, Broadway at the Beach, 1420 Celebrity Circle, Myrtle Beach, SC

When:  Monday, January 21, 12 noon

See you on the campaign trail!