A Dumbledore's Army, of sorts

My passion about climate change comes from a desire to protect my children's future. I have always been a green-minded person, but after my babies were born I would lay awake at night worrying about climate change and how it would negatively affect their future. Will their world as adults resemble the world I have known? What can I do now to help them have a safer future?

My first answer was to become a Climate Leader.  I attended The Climate Reality Project's Leadership Training in Chicago and it was empowering. Suddenly I felt like I had permission to go out and do what I already wanted to do: be a leader in the fight against climate change. By giving me access to Al Gore's slideshow and asking me to do a minimum of 10 community presentations over the course of a year I felt powerful, like suddenly I was a member of Dumbledore's Army, except it was a Climate Army. 

The Climate Reality Project aims to restart the grassroots conversation about the threat of climate change so we can win the conversation and get moving in the right direction despite the recalcitrance of our world leaders and the fossil fuel industry. The Climate Reality Project is strong on climate change science, challenging climate change deniers, and offers broad solutions (wind and solar).

Then I saw a quote from Jim Hansen, a top climatologist and former head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies who has now devoted his time to being an activist for the cause of global climate change. His recommendation is for concerned citizens to join the Citizens Climate Lobby.

Citizens Climate Lobby strives to help people to feel powerful on the issue of climate change, instead of fearful. Turns out, Marshall Saunders, the Founder of Citizens Climate Lobby, was also trained as a Climate Leader by the Climate Reality Project. He came to the same conclusion I did, and started a non-profit organization that is growing in size and influence to speak with community, state, national, and even international leaders about climate change and its solutions. Current Citizens Climate Lobby members have talked to leaders at the World Bank convincing them to stop funding new coal projects; talked to Mayor Bloomberg in NYC about climate legislation, and is even in contact with the Pope.

The Climate Reality Project gave me the power to start the conversation with the community, Citizens Climate Lobby will give me, and You, the power to talk with our leaders, at all levels, and win them over on this paramount issue.

So my next project, dear readers, is that while I am going out in the community to give my Climate Reality Project inspired climate talks, I am also going to recruit concerned citizens like me and you to start a Burlington VT Citizens Climate Lobby (VT doesn't yet have one). But I can't do it alone. Will you please join me? Please 'Like' this post, comment, or message me if you are interested in joining the Burlington VT Citizens Climate Lobby!