"When everybody adds fuel, the flames rise high." -Chinese Proverb

The pictures above are all mosaics of the Mona Lisa. The picture on the right has many more tiles than the others and it is visibly clearer and more impactful. It works the same way with climate advocacy. The more people involved, the clearer the messaging and the stronger the impact. Imagine what we could accomplish if most people became part of the mosaic of climate advocacy?

This month, we would like to hear your thoughts via a quick survey to help us understand how we can improve and inspire more participation? And then visit our events/advocacy page. Check out the active tasks for the Okefenokee swamp and a stronger tree ordinance in DeKalb county. You can complete all within 10 minutes. Then pat yourself on the back, knowing that you contributed at least one tile to the mosaic of climate action!

In 2020, Decatur citizens successfully organized to elevate climate action to become a top line priority in our city’s 2020 Strategic Plan. It was a big effort, involving many different environmental organizations and students also played a big role. Over 1500 signed a petition asking city leaders to commit to 100% clean and renewable energy, 5 students coauthored a Letter to Decaturish asking adults to also advocate for climate action, and students attended the kickoff meeting and greeted participants with a letter explaining the importance of climate action.

Our city leaders responded and crafted a clean energy plan. However, we realized that Decatur can’t meet its climate goals if Georgia Power doesn’t provide more clean energy sourcing. Can Decatur continue to organize and create further positive changes in our city and beyond? Can we advocate more to state and federal leaders? This is why we started Decatur Cares About Climate with the aim of removing some of the barriers to climate advocacy and encouraging lots of people in our city to take action. We partnered with local and state environmental organizations to inform our members about hot button issues, and we made it simple and easy for busy folks to engage in effective climate advocacy.

And we have had wins! Our city has a clean energy plan and a stronger tree ordinance. Our city leaders have also been advocating for state level changes to encourage renewable energy supply for the city. And we had a strong showing at City Schools of Decatur’s Strategic Planning meetings (separately governed from the city) and are encouraging them to adopt climate action as a top line priority. 

We also made efforts to influence the Georgia Public Service Commissioners to transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewables. These are 5 elected officials that regulate the power and natural gas companies that provide for about 2/3 of the state’s electricity This has a HUGE impact on if we have clean energy, and they regulate our bills. It was discouraging to watch the Public Service Commissioners dismiss the concerns of cities and advocates for clean energy, including the City of Decatur - who did have the science and the data on their side. Ultimately, it came down to the level of public pressure and awareness. There simply wasn’t enough.

So, the next few months we are focusing on increasing our membership. We believe that Decatur citizens can come together and set an example for other communities to follow. Thank you!