“Something magical happens when you do this work.” –Cathy Orlando of Citizens Climate Lobby Canada

No 538 Posted by fw, August 2, 2012

Picking up where I left off in my previous post, Are you concerned about climate change? Citizens Climate Lobby could be for you, what follows is a testimonial by Cathy Orlando about the difference that Citizens Climate Lobby Canada has made in her life.

But first, a message from Christine, the editor of the blog 350 or bust, which featured Cathy’s story.

Citizens Climate Lobby is a well-organized grassroots organization made up of Canadians and Americans who want a sustainable future for their children, and are willing to work on creating the political will for a sustainable climate. In the process, they are empowered to claim their own political power in a way many citizens don’t these days. I have been a CCL volunteer for over a year, and have learned more about climate change and working for political change than I ever would have imagined.

Today’s guest blogger is Cathy Orlando, Project Manager for Citizens Climate Lobby Canada. Cathy recently left her job as the Science Outreach Coordinator at Laurentian University in Sudbury to devote her time and energy to creating the political will for a sustainable climate. The Cathy Orlando Environmental Stewardship Award was created in 2011 by the national science organization Let’s Talk Science to recognize an outstanding and innovative environmental activity by a “Let’s Talk Science” volunteer.

Here’s Cathy to tell her story –

Why I Am Putting All My Eggs In The Citizens Climate Lobby Basket  by Cathy Orlando, published by 350 or bust, January 24, 2012

Truth be told I am not passionate about climate change. My true passions are poverty, children and community. I know that climate change is going to severely impact all of those things. Thus I have put all my eggs for the next while into the Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL) basket to push for a price on carbon pollution federally and bilaterally with the USA.

I feel that CCL has the capacity to make this happen because they are laser-focused, are using a proven business plan and are promoting a properly vetted economic plan.

As Sudbury’s group leader, last year I led the CCL chapter on less than 10 hours per month and usually closer to 5 hours per month.

The three most important things each CCL Leaders will do are:

1. Gather a small group of people around them that meets once a month to improve their education on all aspects of climate change and motivate each other. It can be on the Saturday monthly call but alternatively you can listen to the 20 minute education piece anytime anywhere online after it airs.
   The current ones are on their home page. And the archived ones are here.
2. Develop a Gandhian-like relationship with your Member of Parliament around the issue of climate change. Present the truth of the science of climate change and our economic plan (Carbon Fee and Dividend), ask them to consider it, and listen carefully to their responses. The listening part is the most important part of being a lobbyist because we seek to:

• find common ground and help eliminate barriers that might stand in the way of a politicians doing the right thing
• appeal to the “big thing” that lies within all of us

3. Get articles, letters to the editor and editorials published in your local media so that people can become more educated about the truth of the economics, social impacts, health impacts, public impacts, global security impacts and science of climate change and thus the politicians will be able to act.

Empowerment is energy-giving

There is something magical that happens when you do this work. At first you might have to overcome inertia and get out of your comfort zone, but you grow as a person. You become empowered. People around you become empowered. It is very energy giving work. People don’t believe when I say I am a shy and sensitive person. I have spoken truth to power and been in the media more times than I can count now. As well, I am making friends for life across this great continent. When all is said and done I will be able to say to my grandchildren some day, “I did my very best at the time of the climate crisis.”

I know when we get a price on carbon pollution, not only will I have peace of mind, but I will have grown tremendously as a human being and have made the most incredible friends for life.

My gut feeling about the effectiveness of Citizens Climate Lobby is shared by the Grandfather of Climate Change, Dr. James Hansen:

“When you go away from here the most important thing you can do, in my opinion, is to support Citizens Climate Lobby because they are pressuring the government to do what is in the public’s interest, not big business.” - Nov. 6, 2011 Washington DC

To find out how you can work to create the political will for a sustainable climate, and realize your own personal and political power at the same time, email Cathy at ccl.sudbury@citizensclimatelobby.org. Ask her about joining the introductory call on the first and third Wednesdays of every month, or go to Citizens Climate Lobby for more information.

Fair Use Notice: This blog, Citizen Action Monitor, may contain copyrighted material that may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material, published without profit, is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues. It is published in accordance with the provisions of the 2004 Supreme Court of Canada ruling and its six principle criteria for evaluating fair dealing

Are you concerned about climate change? Citizens Climate Lobby could be for you

No 537 Posted by fw, August 2, 2012

The other day, right out of the blue, I received an email that begins –

Hello Mr. White -

Please allow me to introduce myself: my name is Christine, and I’m a fellow Canadian climate activist (I live in northern Ontario) and fellow blogger [350 or bust] (I’ve been blogging about climate change for nearly 3 years from my perspective as a mom, an educator, and former nurse).

I like to reach out and contact other Canadians that I come across who are as committed to working on this issue as I am, both for support/encouragement and for networking, as these are obviously dire times that we find ourselves in, both federally and globally on the issue of climate change.  Based on your efforts to lobby your MP re: climate change, I also thought you might be interested in connecting with Citizens Climate Lobby Canada. We are a small but growing grassroots group connected with a larger CCL group in the U.S., [Citizens Climate Lobby] that are committed to working together to create the political will for a sustainable climate. The first three Canadian groups started in the fall of 2010 in Toronto, Sudbury, and Red Lake (where I’m located), and now we have 20+ groups across the country, including on both coasts, and our goal is to have a CCL group in every riding by the next federal election, so that our politicians can no longer use the excuse that they are not hearing from their constituents that acting on climate change is important to them.

In my reply to Christine, I explained that just researching and preparing my own blog leaves me little time to take on new commitments. However, after exchanging a couple of more emails, we ended up agreeing to at least stay in touch, and intermittently share and perhaps promote stories about our respective climate change efforts.

And we’ve already traded stories about what we’ve been up to recently. Christine referred me to an inspiring story from her blog about Cathy Orlando who left her job at a university to become a Project Manager for Citizens Climate Lobby Canada. Check out Cathy’s personal narrative on my blog under the title: “Something magical happens when you do this work.”

As well, I encourage you to check out the links above. Discover if Citizens Climate Lobby is for you. If it is — Join in. Make friends. Make a difference.