Top 5

Top 5 October 2020

Oct 23, 2020

1) MEMO: LCV Action Fund’s 2019-2020 Endorsements

LCV Action Fund recently published a memo that reviews our list of endorsements for this election cycle. The memo highlights endorsements for pro-environment, pro-science candidates in some of the most competitive races across the country, as well as noteworthy environmental ads and moments from the campaign trail.

We encourage you to check out the memo and learn more about LCV Action Fund’s endorsements in 175 federal races so far, including 24 for the U.S. Senate and 150 for the U.S. House of Representatives. Of the candidates we’ve endorsed to date, 40% identify as candidates of color and 52% identify as women, which makes this year’s set of endorsements the most diverse ever and more reflective of our country. Read the full memo, which includes links to view the candidates’ most noteworthy ads, here.

2) Chispa Storybook: Celebrating our Culture through Storytelling

LCV’s Chispa program builds the power of Latinx families and other communities of color in the fight against climate change and environmental injustice. Through grassroots community organizing, Chispa (“spark” in Spanish) elevates the voices of Latinx community leaders who work to advance a just and equitable clean energy future.

In late September, Chispa published its multimedia storybook, a collection of moving, important stories centered on the leadership of Latinx communities in the fight for environmental justice. Even though Latinx Heritage month ended on October 15, you can still help circulate important and powerful stories focused on Latinx CULTURA and contributions to the environmental movement by viewing (and sharing!) the Chispa storybook.

Related: Watch “Fight for Madre Tierra”, a short film by Chispa Communications Director Pita Juarez. The film centers on Chispa National Deputy Director Estefany Carrasco, a first time voter, immigrant, and climate activist, who shares her personal story of resilience and leadership as she fights for her family, her community, and #MadreTierra.

3) Green Wave 2020 Launches

On October 2, LCV, in partnership with Sierra Club, EDF Action, the NRDC Action Fund, and the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund, launched Green Wave 2020, a joint project to mobilize each groups’ members to help elect environmental champions to the White House and Congress in November. Green Wave 2020 is prioritizing 30+ federal races — including the race for the White House — where the endorsed candidate has a strong environmental track record or platform and is often running against a candidate who denies the scientific reality of climate change.

In coordination with individual campaigns, 70+ professional organizers across 15 states will work to mobilize environmental group members to volunteer their time to encourage people to vote. To ensure the health and safety of all involved, Green Wave organizers are mobilizing members through remote phone and text banking and are promoting early and mail-in voting when it’s emphasized by the candidates’ campaigns. Read more about the launch of Green Wave 2020, via The Hill, here.

4) GiveGreen Raises Record-Breaking $40+ Million in Contributions this Election Cycle

GiveGreen is making history — again. After raising more than $5 million in only three weeks, LCV Victory Fund, NRDC Action Fund PAC, and NextGen America announced that over $40 million has been raised for pro-environment federal and state candidates through GiveGreen so far in this election cycle. (Just three weeks ago, GiveGreen hit a over $35 million milestone.) This fundraising total shatters numbers from previous cycles and cements GiveGreen as the biggest single-issue fundraising platform.

LCV’s state affiliate, The GiveGreen platform offers donors a strategic vision for supporting candidates who will take concrete action on climate change and other environmental priorities and work for lasting change in our political system. Still unclear on the GiveGreen strategy and the impact you could make by using it as your political donation platform? Watch GiveGreen’s new YouTube video for a succinct explainer.

5) States Leading the Way on 30×30

LCV state affiliate Conservation Colorado, in partnership with Western Resource Advocates, unveiled a first-in-the-nation report highlighting pathways to protect 30 percent of Colorado’s land and water by the year 2030. The new report, Colorado Pathways to 30×30, highlights the state’s opportunity to lead the way on the science-based imperative of protecting 30 percent of the world’s land and water by 2030, a goal known colloquially as “30×30.”

Colorado’s report is just one example of the growing 30×30 movement across the United States. In early October, California Governor Newsom announced by Executive Order that his state would work to achieve the 30×30 goal. In a response statement, LCV and California LCV noted Newsom’s efforts to make up for California’s previous lack of bold action and to step up where the state’s legislature has failed.

 

Want even more news? Check out LCV’s latest news here.