Powering Change: All about Effective Storytelling – February 2025

Against the backdrop of coordinated political attacks on our communities and movements, I believe storytelling is how we fight back. Those in power and decision-making authority need to know the harms caused by the sudden cuts to federal funding for critical climate investments, as well as the tangible benefits communities and people have gained and can continue to gain from advancing clean energy for all. 

That is why earlier this month, I (KyungSun), Maliyah at the Lab, and Maddie Krieger & Elice Rojas-Cruza at Climate Power (pictured above) headed to Rootscamp, a newly revived unconference of campaigners, strategists, and organizers. There, we shared lessons from our movement’s clean energy storytelling efforts and why it remains a critical strategy now: 

1. We have public opinion on our side. Polls show Americans believe clean energy should stay. We made this happen! The stories we told, the doors we knocked, and the digital ads we ran helped move the needle. We elevated some of our favorite examples like Generation 180’s “I’ll Drive What She’s Driving” EV campaign to Climate Power’s En Accion project to mobilize Latinos in the green economy. 
2. Effective stories come from real people, about real impacts. With the Lab’s Clean Energy & IRA Hub partners like Climate Power, we discovered the key ingredients that make stories effective and persuasive: Testimonials from real people about how they’re benefitting from clean energy. Plus, our movement now has accessible and cost-effective tools to test our messages to ground our stories in evidence. 

Climate Power’s tests showing storytelling is the most effective medium to drive support for clean energy investments. To see more of their messaging insights, check out their work here.

So what is a good story anyway and how do we make sure it’s effective?

During our Powering Change training, Solar United Neighbors and Generation 180 talked through some strategies for engaging your audience and choosing stories that build support for clean energy, based on lessons learned from their own campaigns. 

Solar United Neighbors (SUN) is a group of “solar organizers, educators, communicators, and policy and technology nerds”. They encourage people to go solar while representing solar owners and clean energy advocates by sharing relatable stories from around the nation. In our jam-packed webinar, they shared successes with a recent 13 state storytelling campaign called the  Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). 

Janelle Durst share some key takeaways – 

• Take time identifying your leads or storytellers. Important questions to ask: What communities do they come from? What perspective do they have? Where do you have capacity or connections? 
• Be transparent about the process and logistics. This includes getting consent about sharing their story with the public/media, sending them questions you plan to ask and allowing them to review the final product. 
• Identify and communicate a clear call to action. What do you want the reader/viewer to do? How do you want them to get involved? How can they support you? 
   

Check out their resources, guides, and case studies to learn more about their work. 

Generation 180 is another nonprofit with national reach, “inspiring and equipping individuals to take action on clean energy.” They lead campaigns nationwide that educate on how to electrify some of the biggest sources of carbon emissions like homes, buildings and transportation. Generation 180 leans into a narrative approach to clean energy advocacy partnering with artists, comedians and storytellers to give people meaningful ways to take action. Kay Campbell shared more about school electrification stories that received over 800,000 impressions and ways to promote stories on a small budget. 

• Get creative with partnerships! This can include social media influencers, similar groups with larger networks, or state and local media outlets.
• Join working groups and cross pollinate your stories. Creating or sharing a quick, user-friendly toolkit is a great way to offer value to the public and share your story. 
   

Let’s work together to continue expanding our understanding of what works. 

Whether you’re defending clean energy bills and projects in your state, pressuring developers to commit to their community benefits agreements, or expanding your base of supporters and volunteers, we’d love to hear how we can help strengthen your storytelling & messaging. 

Need more data, tools, or resources to help tell your story? Click here to visit our Clean Energy & IRA Hub, a community tool where you can find relevant research, our recorded trainings and our new Community Data dashboard. 

Lotus & KyungSun