Organizing in Maine to protect the Clean Air Act

By Greg Kimber, a Climate Precinct Captain in Maine. -- Luis

On September 1st, a group of eight friends and I staged a visibility action at the offices of our senators, demanding that they act on the climate crisis and work to protect the Clean Air Act. We delivered letters and stood vigil with signs and banners. In addition to delivering the message directly in the form of 28 hand-delivered letters, we were also able to send a message via the local newspapers. We had contacted the media beforehand, sending out press advisories and following them up with phone calls.

The result: The Morning Sentinel ran a front page story, using our action as a starting point for a more in-depth view on the senators’ positions on the issue. Also, our local small town paper ran a front page article using a press release that we had sent in on the evening of the action.

I had never organized something like this before, so it was an interesting learning experience. And, hey, it was even kind of fun! My advice to anyone out there who hasn’t organized much before but is thinking about it would definitely be “go for it!” I’m kind of a shy person, but after the tragedy in the Gulf and a year of Senate inaction, I felt like I had to do something beyond the usual emails and phone calls. It was gratifying to connect with others in my community who shared my concern and to be able to do something together to send a message. And now: On to 10/10/10!