“Where is my influence? How can I persuade?”
Amanda Ripley’s words opened Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s Summer Conference and Lobby Day in Washington, D.C., setting the tone for one of the most meaningful experiences of my summer.
Alongside 850+ volunteers, I had the opportunity to be play a part in 400+ lobby meetings on Capitol Hill. Sitting across from congressional staffers and representatives, I saw just how personal climate advocacy really is. Policy becomes real when you show up with your story.
To answer Amanda’s question, my influence begins with my climate story. My power to persuade comes from my education and advocacy. I spoke not only as a Chemical Engineering student, but as someone deeply convinced that technology alone won’t solve the climate crisis. Policy will.
From uplifting programs like ARPA-E and EERE to learning how committee staff shape legislation behind the scenes (thank you, Daniel Palken), I left D.C. even more convinced: engineers must be in policy rooms.
Deep thanks to the incredible team of CCL Madison, Holly Jorgenson, Bruce Jamieson, Steve Lewis and so many others, for preparing me to speak with confidence. I’m also excited to continue working with John Stolzenberg and the Building Electrification & Efficiency (BEE) team to advocate for single-home electrification and a more sustainable future.
#ClimateStory #CitizensClimateLobby #TechAndPolicy #ClimateAction #CleanEnergy #EnergyPolicy #SciencePolicy #CleanEnergyAdvocacy #ChemicalEngineering #StudentVoices #GrassrootsAdvocacy #ARPAE #EERE #Electrification #WomenInSTEM #WomenInPolicy
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