Taking Local Climate Protection Action

You can make a difference by becoming a leader in your own community.  Below are several ways to get involved with your city, town, office, religious institution or community organization to reduce global warming pollution.  Once you decide how you wish to get involved, read our Local Advocacy Guide below for guidelines on successful advocacy campaigns.

Ask Your Mayor To Sign the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement
In 2005, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels launched the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, an initiative in which mayors commit to Kyoto Protocol terms at a local level and reduce emissions in their cities to seven percent below 1990 levels by 2012. Over 500 mayors are now committed to this goal. To find out if your city is participating and to get involved with your city’s efforts to implement or sign the agreement, read Hope to Action's U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement page.

What Are Other Cities Doing? Follow Their Lead
Learn more about specific actions cities around the country have taken to reduce their global warming pollution.  Then, start a movement to start one or more of these actions in your own city or town.  To learn how to create a local movement, see our Local Advocacy Guide.  To see examples of actions cities have already taken, see Hope to Action's City Actions to Protect the Climate.

Work with Your Office, Religious institution or Community Organization
One of the most satisfying ways you can get involved is to help your favorite local organizations do their part to protect the climate.  Not sure where to start?  It’s easy:

Many of the steps you can take in your own life and home, like changing out light bulbs, adjusting thermostats, and reducing paper-usage also apply to your local organizations.  You can get creative and think of ways to encourage public transit usage and carpooling to and from relevant gathering places. Review our EcoAction Guide to learn more about possibilities. Then, gather a few other colleagues or members to join you on a Climate Protection Committee so you can take action together! 

Use Hope to Action’s Local Advocacy Guide
Once you decide to get involved in one of the ideas described above, you will benefit from Hope to Action’s Local Advocacy Guide, which provides you with advocacy tips and tools for successful climate protection campaigns. Whether you’re convincing your major to sign the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement or starting a movement in your city to install LED traffic lights, use Hope to Action’s Local Advocacy Guide to help you construct and manage successful campaigns.