Taking Your Voices (And Mine) to Capitol Hill

Last Friday, moments after a major policy debate on climate change [1], we had the honor of delivering your Mother's Day murals to Congress. (Watch the video we produced about the delivery here [2].)

If you've been reading our blog lately or getting our emails, you probably know that last week was an exciting week here at 1Sky. I've been in the office for a few months and have spent a lot of time working on our Mother's Day call to action. It was great to talk to people and sign them up to host hundreds of events, then to open the mail and see all the beautiful and inspiring banners that you had created. As the lucky person who was cataloging each piece as it came in, I was amazed to see what people across the country had created and to hear about all the people involved in great events.

Due to the Climate Security Act [1] being debated in the Senate, we needed to be ready to act quickly. We wanted the banners to have the maximum impact possible on Congress and make it clear that the American people are ready for bold climate legislation -- better than what was being debated and strong enough to do what science says is necessary.

After a long night of organizing the many photos and banners, we were prepped to go to Capitol Hill on Friday morning. Volunteers and staff met at Union Station, went over what to say as we visited each office and then we filled our bags with banners and photos. All together, we visited close to 175 offices of Senators and Representatives, bringing many of them more than one image or banner.

I have personally been moved by the amazing messages and artwork and I was hopeful that the power of these visual messages would also move the members of Congress and their staff. My team visited 32 offices in the Rayburn House Office Building: It was a packed day, but lots of fun!

Highlights for me included unfurling a huge banner as Rep. Barney Frank from the 4th district of Massachusetts was walking through his office. We were able to grab his attention for a few minutes, explain what we had brought and show him that his constituents were asking him to be bold on climate change. I also delivered the banner that I had made to my own representative Roscoe Bartlett's office (MD 6th District). You can see the picture I took in his office with a member of his staff on the slideshow [2].

Overall, the people we spoke with were very receptive and very impressed with the remarkable efforts of their constituents. It shows me that we need to keep pushing and making our voices heard. If we want action on climate change than we need to make sure our voices are represented and reflected in federal policies. Let's get creative and continue to think of ways to make the 1Sky message seen and heard by Congress and the rest of the country!