Organizing Your Local Cool Cities Campaign

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Organizing Your Local Cool Cities Campaign

• Sierra Clubs
• Global Warming Energy Team
• www.coolcities.us

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Goals of the Cool Cities Campaign

• Assist volunteer activists in bringing positive,
  visionary energy solutions to their communities
• Get cities to take real actions to reduce energy
  waste and heat-trapping global warming pollution
• Build the strength and capacity of local Sierra
  Club groups and chapters

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The U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement

• Initiated by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels in
  February 2005, the agreement has been signed by
  232 mayors representing 45 million Americans in
  41 states (as of 5/16/06)
• Mayors pledge to reduce CO2 pollution in their
  cities to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012
  (the same reductions and target date called for
  the U.S. under the Kyoto Protocol Global Warming
  Treaty)

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• More information on the Mayors agreement,
  including an updated list of the cities is
  available online at www.seattle.gov/mayor/climate/
  
• The Cool Cities Activist Toolkit (online at
  coolcities.us) includes the text of the agreement
  and the U.S. Conference of Mayors supporting
  resolution

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Walking the Talk

• Many of these Cool City leaders are moving
  forward with innovative energy solutions that cut
  our dependence on oil, benefit public health, and
  save taxpayer dollars.
• Most of these cities, however, do not yet have a
  real action plan to meet their reduction targets
  by 2012.

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Thats where you come in

• The Cool Cities campaign is about getting mayors
  around the country to sign the US Mayors Climate
  Protection Agreement and then put real solutions
  in place that will cut heat-trapping greenhouse
  gases.

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Cool Cities Conservation Objectives

• Get your mayor to sign on to the U.S. Mayors
  Climate Protection Agreement
• Implement a citywide plan to put smart energy
  solutions - Green Vehicle Fleets, Energy
  Efficiency and Renewable Energy in place to
  curb global warming.

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Primary Organizational Goals

• Attract, engage and empower more local long-term
  volunteer activists
• Form stronger partnerships across your community
• Build political power and influence for your
  local group.

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Increasing Your Groups Power Through Partnerships

• Establishing and deepening a positive working
  relationship with your mayor and local government
  
• Through coalition work with traditional and
  non-traditional partner organizations
  (environmental, labor, faith, business), your
  local Cool Cities campaign will build power and
  influence for your group.

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Campaign Impacts

• Build public demand for clean energy solutions
• Turn mayors and other local officials into clean
  energy advocates.

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Leading to State and Federal Action

• More cool cities in your state means greater
  public support for statewide action (e.g. climate
  protection plan, renewable portfolio, clean car,
  and appliance efficiency standards, etc)
• And as more states move forward, the federal
  government will be forced to act more responsibly
  to curb global warming.

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Cool Cities Supporting Materials

• Sierra Clubs Guide to Local Global Warming
  Solutions
• Cool Cities fact sheet
• Website www.coolcities.us
• Register on website and create a profile for your
  city
• Download the Cool Cities Activist Toolkit

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Sample Written Models in Toolkit

• News Conference
• --Media Advisory and News Release
• --Volunteer Statement
• Letters to the Editor
• --Recognizing the Mayor for Signing on
• --Calling for the Mayor to Sign on
• OP-ED
• Sierra Club newsletter article

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Supporting Materials for Mayor Outreach in Toolkit

• Letters to Mayors
• --Asking to sign agreement
• --Inviting mayor to news conference
• Sample Postcard Texts
• --To Mayor Who Has Signed On
• --To Urge Mayor to Sign the Mayors Agreement

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Getting Your Campaign Started

• Form a local Cool City campaign organizing
  committee
• Brainstorm which community partners you will
  invite to the next gathering
• Researching your citys current energy policies
  and actions
• How best to persuade your mayor?

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Prepare for First Meeting

• Sign up on the Cool Cities website
  www.coolcities.us, create a profile for your
  city, and order the basic Cool Cities materials.
• Review the Sierra Clubs Grassroots Campaign
  Planning Matrix, online at http//clubhouse.sierra
  club.org/leaders/activism/planning.asp.

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Engage the Community

• Invite the participation of community partners
  from faith, business, environmental, labor, green
  builders, architects, colleges, students, etc)
  to help plan and participate in the campaign.
• Faith Outreach (theregenerationproject.org/index.h
  tml) and (christiansandclimate.org/signatories).
  
• Local U.S. Green Building Council chapter (see
  usgbc.org)

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Effective, Enduring Partnerships

• Shared decision-making builds shared investment,
  and shared credit and publicity builds trust.
• Your partnerships will need to be strong and
  durable to make your city Cool for the long
  haul.

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What is Your City Doing?

• Research your citys energy actions and plans
• Check if your city is participating in the
  Cities for Climate Protection program run by
  the International Council for Local Environmental
  Initiatives (iclei.org). 
• If so, then it may already have an emissions
  inventory completed and hopefully part of a
  climate protection plan in place. 

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Analyze your mayor and other key decision makers

• Whom does the mayor listen to, and who is a
  credible messenger in the eyes of the mayor?
• More partners demonstrate broad support for
  action.
• Highlight the taxpayer savings benefits of
  reduced energy costs.

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Finalize Campaign Plan with Your Partners

• Complete the campaign plan
• Finalize the letter to the mayor and determine
  who will send it (see model letter in Toolkit)
• Discuss which specific solutions your campaign
  will be advocating for. See Local Smart Energy
  SolutionsWhat to Advocate For in Toolkit

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Make the Ask and Follow up with a Meeting

• Formal letter should ask the mayor to sign,
  recognize what the city is currently doing to
  save energy, offer to participate in the
  formulation of the citys climate action plan,
  and request a meeting.
• Make the initial ask, in writing and/or in
  person, with one or two of your Cool City
  partners.

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Cool City Citizens Advisory Committee

• If the city has an existing citizens
  sustainability, environmental or similar
  committee, ask to be appointed to it.
• If the city is just starting on a climate action
  plan, then recommend that the mayor form a Cool
  City Citizens Advisory Committee with
  representatives from a broad spectrum of the
  community.

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A WORD OF CAUTION ABOUT CLIMATE ACTION PLANS

• Your campaign is about action and solutions, not
  meetings!!
• We are interested in energy solutions on the
  ground, rather than committees and plans.
• City should be strongly encouraged to take
  actions now while the plan is being discussed and
  finalized.

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Celebrate the Mayors Signing!

• Organize a Cool City news conference
• (Practical Tips in Toolkit)
• Request the mayors participation in a news
  conference to announce the signing and to thank
  the mayor publicly.

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Your Successful News Conference

• Creates an initial expectation that the mayor is
  committed to action
• Elevates the issue for the local media
• Strengthens relationships with the mayor
• Provides meaningful and fun activity for
  volunteers

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Follow up the News Conference

• Letters-to-the-editor and an op-ed about the
  mayor signing on.
• These efforts are very important in order to set
  up accountability down the road.
• Celebrate with a Cool City House Party and have
  folks write LTEs thanking the mayor and giving
  the message of the campaign.

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Tactics to Pressure the Reluctant Mayor

• Send and/or present an organizational sign-on
  letter representing a broad coalition of the
  community to the mayor.
• Collect signatures from the public on post cards
  or petitions, and present a large number of them
  to the mayor in person (and perhaps in front of
  the media).

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More Tactics

• Meet with local church, business groups, school
  board, etc and ask them to support a call for
  the mayor to sign the agreement.
• Organize a public event (such as a hybrid car
  ride or drive in a park) and ask people who
  attend to contact the mayor.

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More Tactics

• Conduct a letter-to-the-editor campaign to the
  local paper and submit an Op-Ed.
• Ask a supportive local leader, such as a council
  member, to talk to the mayor about signing the
  Mayors Agreement.
• Ask another mayor in your state who has signed
  the agreement to contact your mayor.

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More Tactics

• If your mayor follows the lead of the city
  manager or purchasing manager on these issues,
  seek their support ahead of time.
• See Planning Cool City Events in Toolkit for
  more practical organizing tips

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MOVING YOUR MAYOR FROM TALK TO ACTION

• Hold your mayor accountable to his/her pledge
• Use tactics for pressuring reluctant mayor but
  use strong accountability language (walk the
  talk, keeping his word, etc) in all of your
  public and media messaging.

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Focus on Specific Energy Solution

• Lower hanging fruit such as replacing
  energy-wasting light bulbs with CFLs in city
  buildings, or a regulation requiring the city to
  purchase Energy Star electronics and appliances.
• Or work for more visible, higher profile
  solutions (hybrid taxis or building a town wind
  turbine) to attract attention to the Mayors
  pledge.

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More Accountability Tactics

• Ask mayor to support a smart energy solution
  (energy efficiency building standards) and also
  oppose a bad energy project (new dirty coal-fired
  power plant).
• Make case that bad energy project will make it
  much more difficult, if not impossible, for the
  city to meet its global warming reduction
  target/goals to which the Mayor agreed.

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Moving Your Campaign Forward

• Keep momentum going by staying involved in your
  citys energy solution decision-making process,
  and communicating regularly with fellow
  volunteers and partners.
• Distributing progress reports of specific
  successes and celebrating successes keep people
  motivated.

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Keeping People Involved

• Organize presentations on local energy solutions
  and issues by local energy experts, business
  owners and government officials
• Give Cool City presentations to community groups
• Show short energy solution films such as
  Kilowatt Ours (kilowattOurs.org) and/or hold a
  book discussion group
• Send out energy solution stories via an email
  listserv
• Mailing a Cool City newsletter

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Keeping People Involved

• Tabling at energy-related events
• Organize events such as a hybrid ride and drive,
  and group tours to noteworthy local energy
  efficient buildings and renewable energy projects
  
• Ask local community newspaper for a regular
  column about energy issues
• Meet with your papers editor or editorial board
  to discuss the citys progress and/or
  implementation of a solution

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Enlist Your Mayor to Advocate

• Ask your mayor to write a letter that urges other
  mayors to sign on the Mayors agreement and to
  adopt the money and energy-saving solutions that
  are proving successful in your city.
• Success breeds success!

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Smart Energy City Solutions

• Advocate For
• Green Vehicles
• Energy Efficiency
• Renewable Energy
• Success stories from cities in the Cool Cities
  Solutions Guide

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Specific Success Stories

• When discussing solutions with your mayor, give
  specific examples of another city doing what you
  are advocating that your city do.
• For example, Salt Lake City taxpayers are saving
  over 60,000 per year on energy costs by
  installing energy efficient light bulbs in
  traffic signals and interior lighting in
  government buildings.

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GREEN VEHICLES

• Replace existing city vehicle fleet with hybrids
  and other cleaner vehicles
• Provide for hybrid car incentives such as free
  parking, lower registration fees
• Promote public transit options

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ENERGY EFFICIENCY

• Require Green Building energy efficient standards
  for new and rehabbed city buildings
• Replace all conventional light bulbs with CFLs
  and all city street lights with LEDs
• Encourage the use of efficient combined heat and
  power facilities

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Renewable Energy Solutions

• Require of the citys electricity to come from
  renewable energy through citywide renewable
  energy standards or through the citys utility
  contract
• Have your city purchase green power
• Get your city to invest in solar panels or wind
  turbines

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GOOD GOVERNMENT

• Convene a Cool City Citizens Advisory Board to
  help formulate a city climate action plan

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More Cool City Solution Resources

• Rocky Mountain Chapters report, Sustainable
  Cities Best Practices in Renewable Energy
  Energy Efficiency (Austin, Chicago, Fort Collins
  Portland)
• Massachusetts Climate Action Network Early
  Action Items
• Apollo Alliance and ICLEIs High Performance
  Cities A Guide to Energy-Saving Policies for
  Urban Areas
• Selected Best Practices for Successful City
  Energy Initiatives, U.S. Mayors Conference
• Links to above in Toolkit

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City Climate Action Plans

• City Climate Action Plans outline the timetable
  and specific energy solutions to reduce citywide
  energy use, global warming and air pollution, and
  energy costs.
• Most plans begin with an inventory and analysis
  of city energy sources, uses, costs, and C02
  emissions, before laying out particular energy
  strategies and solutions and their projected
  costs, savings, and global warming pollution
  reduction impacts.

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Sample Climate Protection Plans

• Massachusetts Climate Actions guide to writing
  climate action plans in online at
  massclimateaction.org/plans.htm
• See Toolkit for links to many city climate
  solution plans including Seattle, Keene (NH),
  Fort Collins, Austin, Charleston, Los Angeles,
  Portland (OR), San Francisco, Somerville (MA),
  and San Diego.

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Cool Counties too!

• King County, WA
• Sonoma County, CA
• Dade County, FL
• Mecklenburg County, NC

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Planning Cool City Events

• Cool City events (the news conference, community
  events like Earth Day, rallies, picnics, etc...)
  are a great opportunity for generating local
  media to highlight visionary local solutions.
• Step-by-step media event planning guide at
  http//mitchell.sierraclub.org/go/communication/ho
  wto/hold_media_event.html.

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Planning Media Events

• Hybrid cars make good visuals
• Good press event locations
• Have your volunteers ready
• Greet media
• Effective Speakers
• Follow-up with the no-show media outlets
• Follow up with speakers and volunteers after the
  event.

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Concerning Compliance

• Funds for the Cool Cities campaign come from
  education-only, non-political, non-legislative
  monies (501c3)
• Sample media materials included in Toolkit are
  approved by Sierra Club compliance, but it is
  still mandatory that all publicly released
  materials be approved by Club compliance
  officers.
• Please email all media materials to
  compliance.review_at_sierraclub.org at least 72
  hours before they are sent to the media.

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For More Support and Materials

• For materials, contact Pete Connolly at
  pete.connolly_at_sierraclub.org
• For organizing and website support, contact
  Colleen Sarna at colleen.sarna_at_sierraclub.org
• For other questions and needs, contact Glen Brand
  at glen.brand_at_sierraclub.org

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Make Your City a Cool City

• City cleaner cars, energy efficiency and
  renewable energy protect our health and
  environment, create good jobs, and save taxpayer
  dollars.
• Cities are leading our country into a new energy
  future. And that's cool. Now it's your city's
  turn.