Kids Paint Congress a Picture: We Don’t Want a Dirty Climate

Moms and kids send Congress over 100 murals as a reminder
that global warming is a hot issue for future generations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 6, 2008
Contact: Elizabeth Rose, Communications Director, (301) 270-4550 x231

WASHINGTON—As Congress failed to take a stand on climate change, determined young people met on Capitol Hill today to send their elected officials a message: The next generation is depending on you to leave them clean skies. These youths presented their Congresspersons with murals painted by moms and kids to serve as a visual reminder that American families are demanding strong, science-based leadership on global warming.

These kids need Congress to protect their skies from global warming pollution

"We’ve only got one sky, and we’ve got to make sure it stays clean for our children," said Gillian Caldwell, mother of two and campaign director for 1Sky, a new collaborative national campaign of more than 60 diverse organizations. "One of the main reasons the Lieberman-Warner bill did not succeed in the Senate is because it yielded to big oil and dirty coal interests, and failed the American people and future generations."

"The failure of the deeply-flawed Lieberman-Warner bill gives us a fresh chance to protect our childrens’ climate," said Betsy Taylor, president of 1Sky’s Board of Directors. "New climate legislation must focus on reducing carbon emissions quickly and effectively, and on schedule with or even ahead of recommendations made by international climate scientists so the U.S. can be a leader in this field."

"Congress must find the courage to take the steps that science says is necessary to halt global warming, before it’s too late," said Caldwell. "With gas prices soaring, there couldn’t be a better time for national leadership on climate and clean energy."