Resource Library

Ever wonder how environmental advocacy in the Trump era matches up to the Obama era? Earlier this year, Lab member Luis E. Hestres (h/t) and colleague Matthew C. Nisbet assessed the strategies environmental and climate advocates have employed in Year 1 in response to the challenge of an Administration much more hostile toward our issues. This week, we look at the major themes from Hestres & Nisbet’s review of Obama-era and 2017 advocacy, and what our community has learned to effectively ramp up engagement in 2018.

Last week, the NY Times ran a piece profiling six Americans who had recently shifted their opinions on climate change. It got forwarded around a bit (at least within the Lab team’s admittedly climate nerdy universe), so this week we look at how those six profiles do—or don’t—mesh with other research about changing minds on climate change.

Peer-to-peer texting has grown quickly from a promising campaign trend to a valuable organizing tool. Subsequently, a set of “good practices” for its use in the climate and clean energy space is starting to emerge. Last week, Lab members came together for a conversation to share insights and learnings* from their peer-to-peer texting programs.

The emerging body of “best practices” around peer-to-peer texting programs shared during this webinar includes: (1) Make a plan and factor in the learning curve. Create a calendar to make sure volunteer shifts match with campaign needs since it takes time for staff and volunteers to learn new technology and data processes. Don’t forget to factor in necessary training (and re-training); (2) Build personal, ongoing relationships. If possible, have the same volunteers text the same list of members and supporters to build trust and consistency in the relationship; (3) Test everything! Since the platform is relatively new, there is much to be learned – including motivating message content, layering with other modes of contact, which emojis generate the most actions, etc.; and (4) Honor opt-outs and don’t over-text.             

Talking about climate, especially with folks whose politics are different than our own, can be…challenging, given how polarized the issue has unfortunately become. At the same time, those types of face-to-face conversations are arguably one of the most critical approaches for moving past the social media echo chambers, and engaging Americans on this and other potentially divisive issues. This week we share work that several groups have done to use conversation to find common ground on climate (and in some cases mobilize people to act), and review the evidence behind the effectiveness of dialogues to improve public engagement, and ultimately move the needle on climate and clean energy.