Adopt-A-Rep Guide

Adopt-A-Rep

The Concept

The Adopt-A-Representative program will apply hands-on democracy to get the dirt out of U.S. and Canadian politics. Students and other young people are forming adoption teams with citizens and activists in their local district to be a watchdog for their Congressperson or Member of Parliament on global warming policy. The ultimate goal is to make every member of government an ally in the fight for real global warming solutions and climate justice. By adopting your Representative, you are committing to educating him or her about the local dangers of global warming and working to break our national addiction to fossil fuels and nuclear power.

It has long been a strategy of social movements to ‘adopt’ things that are in danger or in need of care. One can adopt a highway (and agree to clean it up), adopt an endangered manatee, or a child in need. Despite promising leadership in many of our schools, cities, states, and provinces, it's become clear that the political system is now endangered as there has been little to no leadership or action being taken on the federal level to confront global warming. In the great spirit of adopting those in need, students and citizens across the U.S. and Canada are committing to adopt their local representatives to the United States Congress and the Canadian Parliament to educate them about the climate crisis and help them choose bold, immediate, and sustainable global warming policies. For our nations to effectively fight climate change our political representatives must implement the structural changes needed to make it easier for individual citizens to act. Of course, with all of the dirty energy lobbyists knocking down their door, they may need a loving push to do so.

The premise of this program is simple. Members of government need to hear from you about why you care about stopping global warming with clean energy solutions. They need to hear about what the best clean energy solutions are that are possible for schools and communities. Now that students are doing their part to help bring clean energy to our schools, our Representatives need to bring clean energy solutions to their communities and to the whole country. They also need to know that you care about bold, comprehensive global warming solutions, and that we can make the carbon reductions we need with clean energy and efficiency. They need to know that you oppose using global warming as an excuse for nuclear power, coal-to-oil projects, and other expensive, outdated, polluting schemes. The oil, gas, and coal lobby have spent millions of dollars in the media and in political contributions to reframe the science of global warming from a grave threat to a theory up for debate. Now, as the debate is finally shifting and global warming is gaining a foothold as a serious issue in Congress, nuclear power, waste incineration, "clean" coal, and other dirty, expensive, and dangerous “alternative” fuel industries are swooping in to steal the thunder from real, clean and renewable energy solutions like solar and wind. The Adopt-A-Representative program aims to help each of our representatives see through the fog toward a truly sustainable and green future.

Start an Adoption Team in Your District

1. Find Your Rep

In the U.S.: Visit Congress.org and enter your Zip Code to find out who the national House Representative in your district is.
In Canada: Visit Parl.gc.ca and enter your postal code to find your Member of Parliament.

Compile the Representative's contact information, local office address, and bio in a document that you can share with the rest of your adoption team or on your group's website.


NOTE: Don't worry if you don't vote in the same district where you go to school. Focusing on the Representative of the district/constituency where your campus is located will be more effective than splitting your student group into targeting a dozen different Representatives from each student's local district back home. Just make sure you have true voting representation from the district at important times.

1. Gather people together to Sign the Adoption Papers
   

   Set up a group on Facebook, Myspace, or your own website for your Adoption Team. Use your group's website to share information about your Representative and to discuss key issues that you want to bring up with your adopted Rep before each correspondence. Make sure you have a forum and/or a listserv (try Google Groups or Riseup.net) for your Adoption Team, set a date, time, and place for your first meeting. You might pick a coffee shop, restaurant, community center, or an office on campus. Invite faculty and staff from campus who vote in the community and ask them to invite their neighbors and other local voters. Try to bring people who can bring some knowledge of local energy issues and expected climate change impacts in the region. A good place to start may be your Geography or Environmental Science department.
   
   

   • Print out a long Adoption Certificate scroll with room for everyone to sign it.
   • Bring a sign-in sheet so you can get everyone's contact information to use for future events.
     
   • Give people a chance to talk about their community, the beautiful places that they care about, the local food, and all the things that the climate crisis could place in jeopardy. Then talk about where your community and campus energy comes from now and what clean energy and efficiency measures can be taken on the local and national levels to put these ideas into reality.
   • Before you leave, take photos of people holding up a sign that says, "Rep. [Your Representative] STEP IT UP! Cut Carbon by 80%! - Your [Zip/Postal Code] Voter, [Your Name]". After the meeting, deliver the photos to your Representative's office and send them to photos@climatechallenge.org to inspire other's around the world to adopt their Reps.
     
   • At the end of the meeting, pass around a card for everyone to sign and write a short message to your Representative about why they are adopting the community and the Representative. If you can, put the group picture of the Adoption Team on the front of the card.
     

    

2. Invite your Representative to Campus

   The next U.S. Congressional Recess is February 19th through 23rd. The next recess after that is April 2nd through 13th. After your first meeting, find a person in your Adoption Team who is a local voter and will have the most sway with your Representative. This could be your Mayor, campus President, or someone who has worked with the Representative before. Ideally, you could find a prominent community member who helped get the Congressperson elected, educate them about the issue, and have them speak from a strong climate perspective. If you can't find someone with that much clout, send the invitation from your whole group and follow up by phone. You want to invite your Representative to host a community meeting on global warming on your campus when they are back in your area. Offer to set up the event for them. Let them know about how many people were involved in your Climate Week of Action activities and how many are concerned about the issue locally. Both of these first steps help you establish a relationship with the staff of the Representative that you adopt. Remember, they work for you, and if they don't hear from you, they'll hear from oil and coal lobbyists instead!

What Do We Ask For?

The most important thing you can ask your national Representative is to make global warming policy a top priority. Ask them for a "science based" climate policy that will stop global warming below 2 degrees Celsius. In the beginning of your adoption, don't be too worried if you don't know what specific legislation to ask them to support. Just ask them for a bold, immediate, and comprehensive plan to stop global warming. As your team adds new experts and gains credibility with your Representative you can lobby them on global warming and energy bills. A good barometer to use for considering which legislation to ask for is to compare it with the principles in the Youth Statement on Just Climate Policy.

The goal of this program is to turn every member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Canadian House of Commons into an ally in the fight for real global warming solutions. That said, it's important to start the discussion on the right foot. Do some research to find out how your Representative has voted in the past on global warming and energy legislation. In the U.S. you can learn about their environmental records with the League of Conservation Voters Scorecard. You may also want to research what issues your Representative is most passionate about to find some common ground at your meeting.

Some Tips for us from U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee:

• Get the most local people possible to be the main contact. Someone from the person's neighborhood, preferably someone who helped get them elected, and have them set up a meeting.
• Keep it personal, local, non-ideological, talk about local impacts and opportunities.
• Rep. Nancy Pelosi will bring a lot of global warming-related bills to floor votes, so while it's important to target specific Representatives, we should try to hit as many people as possible.
  

Lobbying Guide

-Courtesy of the Sierra Student Coalition

Isn’t lobbying something only paid men in suits do?

No. While plenty of lobbyists do fit this description, there are plenty who don’t—like you. Anyone can lobby; it is democracy in action. You meet with your elected officials, and tell them how you and others feel about a particular issue. Then, you find out how the elected official you are meeting with feels about it. To finish it off, you request support (which you may or may not get, but don’t despair; keep trying).

Lobbying is a tactic, not a strategy, yo
We can never rely solely on lobbying to win a campaign; it is merely a tactic we use within the campaign. For example, at the beginning of your campaign you meet with the official to see where he or she stands on the issue; if it is not what you had hoped, you go home, generate massive support for your issue through pressure and media tactics, and then schedule another lobbying visit. With that constituent support you have generated, then see where he or she stands. Perhaps she or he will have changed his or her mind. Perhaps not. Then you make a new plan of attack.

Requesting a visit
Requesting a meeting with your Member of congress is a formal process, so make sure you start early. The first thing you should do is
1) Call the District Office. You can find this number on your member’s web page.
2) Say, “Hello my name is Juanita Garcia, I’m the president of the Washington State University Environmental organization and I’d like to schedule a meeting with Congresswoman Sills regarding the Log the Forests bill.”
3) The Member’s scheduler may ask you to send in a meeting request letter. You can find a sample letter at http://www.citizenstrade.org/activistresources4engagingofficials.php. If so, make sure you call back to follow up- they won’t call you.

You should push for a meeting with the member, but if he or she is unavailable, you will likely get a meeting with a Legislative Assistant who will relay your concerns to the Member. Some things to keep in mind about legislative assistants:
a) don’t necessarily know about your issue;
b) get lots of lobby visits and are super busy;
c) may have views distinct from that of the public official;
d) may be cocky or a really helpful resource

Before the Meeting:
1 Plan ahead what your goals are and divide up what each of you will say
2 Research your Member and know where they stand and what motivates them
3 Put together any materials or petitions etc you will bring

Steps to Success

In the Meeting:
1 Dress nicely, be on time, & bring a pen/notepad.
2 Introduce yourself
3 Thank the Member
4 Introduce your issues (keep it short)
5 Present arguments (keep it short)
6 Ask for support
7 Listen
8 Restate your arguments
9 Establish next steps

After the Meeting:
10 Send a thank-you note that reiterates any commitments the Member made
11 Follow up and follow through

Do's & Don'ts of Citizen Lobbying

Personal Visits
Do:

• Make an appointment
• Dress neatly
• Introduce yourself
• Stick to the subject at hand
• If you don't know something, say so
• Be honest
• Know something about the official
• Be cordial to the assistant
• Be on time - but be prepared to wait
• Know the number/name of the bill and something about it
• Call or write in a summary of the meeting afterwards
• Thank the public official for the meeting
• Enjoy your visit - you are one of the few people making change!

Don't:

• Be angry
• Be hostile (I'm a taxpayer!)
• Threaten (You'll pay for this at the polls!)
• Be afraid to be assertive
• Have a lot of material (it will never be read)
• Lose credibility (it will affect everyone who lobbies on the same subject after you)

Points to Know:

• Most public officials are happy when their constituents visit - they'll be friendly
• Public officials want people to like them
• You pay their salary, they work for you
• Cultivate a good rapport with the assistant and staff - they can be very helpful

Common Pitfalls - Don't Let Them Throw You!

• The public official doesn't show up for your appointment
• The public official is late for your appointment
• Constant interruptions during your meeting
• Meeting is cut short
• Public official doesn't have a copy of the bill/proposal or hasn't read it
• Public official takes control of the meeting and you never get to make your points
• Public official asks so many questions that you find it difficult to make your point
• Opposition walks in while you are talking
• Public official says things like: "I always hear from the other side, not yours."
• "I'll have to wait until it comes out of committee."
• "Don't worry, it'll never come to a vote."
• "It's a lost cause." "I'm not on that committee."

Hints

• Confirm appointment the morning of the appointment
• Bring a copy of the bill/proposal with you
• Know exactly what you want to get from the official (yes or no vote, commitment not to vote, etc.)
• Prioritize your points (especially important if the meeting is cut short)
• Know your official's background (voting record, position on the issues, personal history)
• Try to find a common ground with the legislator
• Make yourself available as a resource
• Thank the assistant or staff person

Legislative Campaigning Resources

Project Vote Smart: Info on candidate’s positions and legislative process
See “U.S. Government Basics” for legislative process
http://www.vote-smart.org

League of Conservation Voters: info on environmental voting records of Congress people and Senators
http://www.lcv.org

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: 1774-present
http://bioguide.congress.gov/...

Citizens Trade Campaign: Lobbying resources
http://www.citizenstrade.org/activistresources4engagingofficials.php

Thomas: All legislation introduced in congress, floor statements, roll-call votes etc
http://thomas.loc.gov

House of Representatives website: calendar, links to Members’ sites
http://www.house.gov

Senate website: calendar, links to Members’ sites
http://www.senate.gov

Calling and Writing:

U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121

Write Your Senator at U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510.
Write Your Representative at U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515.