Weekly Briefing: Praise For Mark As CCL Leadership Transitions To Madeleine

December 8, 2021

In a letter to CCL supporters this week, CCL Executive Director Mark Reynolds announced that he will be joining CCL’s governing board next year, and current CCL President Madeleine Para will take the reins.

“Mark’s extraordinary vision and inspirational leadership as CCL’s first executive director has been transformational for hundreds of thousands of climate advocates,” Zaurie Zimmerman, chair of CCL’s governing board, said in a press release. “Months of planning and Mark and Madeleine’s long partnership ensure a successful transition, as Mark passes the baton at a peak of CCL’s success.” 

The press release also includes quotes from Ross Astoria, CCL’s first board chair, and Mary Selkirk, chair of the board’s nominating committee. They expressed excitement at Mark’s contributions as a board member and confidence in Madeleine’s incoming leadership.

Looking ahead to 2022, Madeleine said, “CCL is poised to take some big next steps as an organization. It’s a true honor to be in the position of guiding those next steps. With the dedication of an incredible staff and the enthusiasm of volunteers across the country, I look forward to seeing what we can do together.”

For those who wish to share photos, stories, and appreciation for Mark, we've set up a Kudoboard for volunteers and supporters to post messages.

Say Thanks to Mark!
In other news this week: 
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• Encouraging sign for price on carbon: Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), a longtime advocate of carbon pricing, told Roll Call last week, “I'm still optimistic we will add a polluter fee to the Build Back Better legislation here in the Senate, something that will both generate needed revenue and allow us to lock arms with our allies.”
• Give your input into additional climate policies: CCL is committed to advocating for carbon fee and dividend. But in 2022, we expect to expand our focus to include additional climate policies. Want to share your thoughts on what those might be? Fill out this form from CCL Strategy Director Tony Sirna.
• More cosponsors for H.R. 2307: Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) and Rep. Kathy Manning (NC-06) signed on this week as cosponsors of the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. That makes 92 House members who’ve signed on to this breakthrough carbon pricing legislation. 
• CCL on LA radio: CCL staffers Steve Valk and Jerry Hinkle were on Los Angeles radio last Saturday talking about how we can generate the political will to put a price on carbon. They were interviewed on Matt Matern’s Unite and Heal America show. Listen to the podcast of their conversation with Matt here.
• Donate to CCL: At Citizens’ Climate, we believe everyday people — empowered with accurate information, effective training, and access — can move our government to take meaningful action. We need to keep the pressure on Congress to get important climate legislation across the finish line in 2022, which is why we need to raise $1.5 million by Dec. 31. Can we count on you to pitch in?

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Featured Lever This Week 
Grassroots: AZ CCLers go to Festival of Science

CCLers in Arizona organized a State of the Climate Panel at this year’s Flagstaff Festival of Science. Chapter leaders Shawn Newell and Josh Roubik set up and helped present the panel. 

“I wanted to do it [...] because climate change is a huge science issue, so it should be part of the festival,” Shawn told the Arizona Daily Sun in a recent article. “It was terrific for them to let us talk about political policy solutions at a science festival.”

Josh went on to explain the importance of a carbon price as one of the most powerful examples of a local and individual solution to climate change.

Read the full story!
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Take action this week  

If you have a little time: Share Senator Hickenlooper’s tweet

Sen. Hickenlooper (D-CO) tweeted his support for a price on carbon last Wednesday, explicitly stating, “Let’s fight climate change with a price on carbon.” You can view and share that tweet here.

If you have more time: Join the December national call

Join us for this month’s national call, taking place on Saturday, Dec. 11, at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. The call will feature guest speaker Isatis Cintrón Rodríguez. Isatis is the Latin America Regional Coordinator for CCI and a CCI founding board member, and attended COP26. You can find more information here.

You can also connect with your nearest CCL chapter to take action in your community, or join one of CCL’s national online Action Teams to take action on specific topics like agriculture, health, faith, and more. 

Browse CCL Community’s Event Calendar to find upcoming events, trainings, and calls you can join.

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Upcoming Trainings 

12/9: New State-Level Climate Co-Benefits Tool — Join CCL Research Coordinator Dana Nuccitelli for a review of a new tool from Dr. Drew Shindell's lab. Join us!

12/16: Telling Compelling Climate Stories Workshop — Join Peterson Toscano, Citizens' Climate Radio Host, for a training that focuses on the value of storytelling and how to harness and tell our own compelling climate story. Join us!      

Need training on the basics? Catch our next session of Core Volunteer Training, made for newer volunteers:

12/14: Communicating with Conservatives — Join Nate Abercrombie, CCL's Conservative Outreach Coordinator, for a training on communicating with conservatives about the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. Join us! 

To see other topics and past trainings, visit the Training Topics page of CCL Community. 

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This week on the CCL blog:  

ICYMI — Longmont City Council endorsement: CCL’s Longmont chapter in Colorado shares how they secured a municipal endorsement and four lessons learned along the way. Read more.

A letter from Mark: CCL’s Executive Director Mark Reynolds shares news about leadership changes within CCL and what to expect for the future. Read more.