Hey, it’s Lauren, the Email and Web Manager at EnviroVoters.
There I am with the crowd at the Green California Advocacy Day press conference!
When I traveled to Sacramento for Green California Advocacy Day this past Wednesday, I didn’t know what to expect. I’d never been inside the Capitol or talked to a legislator before, and I was so nervous!
But with the help of our incredible legislative team and partners from more than 140 different environmental organizations, I felt empowered to speak my mind about the policies I care most about. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to advocate for climate progress with representatives, and even more surprising: I had a ton of fun doing it!
What is Green California Advocacy Day?
Green California is a network of ~ 140 organizations with a common environmental, health, and justice agenda, working collaboratively to advocate to the Legislature on issues impacting California’s air, water, and natural resources. For more than a decade, we’ve come together for an annual Advocacy Day to talk to legislators with one voice on our most important environmental issues in California.
My team at Green California Advocacy Day included members from organizations like Surfrider Foundation, NextGen, and Oceana who traveled from all over the state to be there! Other organizations included NRDC, a member org and sponsor, and Water Foundation, a sponsor.
The energy at the event was so high all day long! I felt so connected to the cause, starting with a morning press conference with speeches from Raquel Mason at California Environmental Justice Alliance, Sean Bothwell at California Coastkeeper Alliance, Tyler Earl at Communities for a Better Environment, Asha Sharma at Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability, and our very own Melissa Romero with California Environmental Voters (and the press conference was even covered by Politico!). Then, we followed it with a pre-advocacy lunch where we learned about all the great work being done by our partner organizations across California. We even saw posters, sidewalk art, and coffee cups for our Don’t Slip, California campaign all over the Capitol reminding legislators to stand up to Big Oil and put Californians first.
And then, we were off to the races—and into the legislators’ offices!
We had more than 60 meetings with legislative offices to advocate for 14 bills at Green CA Lobby Day—you can read about EnviroVoters’ top bills on our legislative priorities page.
Me and my team of advocates!
Lobbying: Bad Word or Good Work?
Before Advocacy Day, lobbying always seemed like a negative thing. I’ve heard a lot about lobbyists in the legislature—rumors that they can cause politicians to prioritize powerful corporations over regular people. Frankly, I assumed that ‘lobbying’ just referred to corporate polluters paying off legislators to vote the way they want!
But the truth is a lot more complicated (and a lot more simple!) than that. Lobbying—at its core—is simply meeting with government officials and talking to them; trying to convince them to vote the way you want. While this tool can be used for bad purposes (think about all those Big Oil lobbyists trying to talk legislators into voting for polluter giveaways!), it also has a real power for good.
I didn’t realize before that a lot of the great work we do at EnviroVoters—fighting for climate progress, clean energy, public health, and affordability—is considered lobbying! When our legislative team runs through bills with legislators to get their takes, answer questions, and explain why good climate progress will benefit their community, they’re actually participating in lobbying. It’s a necessary part of our democratic process, and it allows organizations like EnviroVoters to keep legislators informed about the impacts of the bills they’re voting on.
Even more surprising: I realized that when I email my legislator through EnviroVoters’ easy advocacy forms and ask them to vote yes on good environmental bills, I’m actually lobbying too!
Nothing in politics can compare to direct conversations with leaders about what matters most to us in our state. After all, our representatives work for us; they want to hear our thoughts so they can better represent us!
You Can Make Your Voice Heard, Too
It felt powerful to make my voice heard and realize that I can make a difference in Sacramento politics. I want you to feel that energy too, but I know it’s tough to make it all the way to the Capitol for face-to-face meetings.
That’s why I’m sending you this opportunity to get involved TODAY from the comfort of wherever you’re at—and it only takes three minutes!
Share this blog!
Now you can find out with our 2024 California Environmental Scorecard! Use it to see how California’s leadership scored, how many legislators take dirty oil money, and much more.
