CCLers Share Stories At ‘Hometown To The House’

By Jamie DeMarco

For over a decade we have talked to Congress about the need for bold, bipartisan solutions to climate change. This year at our national conference, we didn’t just talk to Congress—we took the conversation to the public.

We set up a stage on the west side of the Capitol and spent the day sharing testimonials about the climate crisis and what we can do about it during an event called “Hometown to the House.” The stories were moving, inspiring, and for many of us who were there, emotionally cathartic. It was a profound and open dialogue that deepened our experience of the conference and brought this conversation directly to the people.

Joachim Tucker, a 12-year-old who lives near Lake Tahoe, shared about the fear he has of wildfires in California:

“Just three months ago, we saw a forest fire that burned down an entire town 55 miles from where I live. Every time a major forest fire happens, the ash and smoke fills our backyard. The ash just comes down on top of our house. That’s really scary. Some people are saying it’s our generation that’s going to fix this mess. We all made this mess together, and we’ll all clean it up.”

Throughout the conference, and even ahead of the conference, people created compelling images representing their hometowns all over the country. To conclude the event, we put these images together to make an American flag, symbolizing how united our country is in the need to address the climate crisis.

This conference, we publicly brought the stories of our hometowns to the doorstep of the House of Representatives. Thank you to everyone who participated.