Weekly Briefing: Happy New Year! Help us show up strong for the climate in 2026

Dec. 31, 2025

The final day of 2025 — and of our year-end fundraiser — is here. We're just shy of our goal of $1.25 million, with $47,000 left to close the gap. Time is running out to help fund Earth's lobbying team in 2026! Will you make a donation?

Your gift helps us mobilize citizen lobbyists at critical moments to help turn advocacy into law. This year, we helped advance the conversation on permitting reform, prevent the worst climate rollbacks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and secure strong, bipartisan votes for the Fix Our Forests Act in the House of Representatives and Senate Agriculture Committee. You've been a vital part of those wins through your efforts as a CCL volunteer — thank you for your hard work this year.

Reaching our $1.25 million year-end goal ensures we can deliver this level of citizen power in every key moment of the year ahead. We'll be more effective than ever, with our robust new relational advocacy training program beginning to roll out in January. Your support will deeper and sustain this work throughout 2026 and beyond.

I'll Donate Now!

In other news this week:

Ricky Bradley appointed Executive Director of CCL and CCE: After a successful six-month interim period, the Citizens’ Climate Lobby and Citizens’ Climate Education governing boards have officially appointed Ricky Bradley as Executive Director of both organizations. "Ricky has the heart of a CCLer and the strategic chops to take us into the next chapter as an organization," said CCE board chair Dr. Sandra Kirtland Turner. Read the full press release.

Take action this week

If you have a little time: Close out the year with your CCL Wrapped. If you haven't already, don't forget to check out your official CCL Wrapped! See what we did as a team in 2025, and celebrate your individual stats. Solving climate change is a longterm project, so it's important to recognize our progress along the way. Take a moment to be proud of yourself for all your effort in 2025!

If you have more time: Think about your 2026 climate advocacy resolutions. 'Tis the season! Don't forget to include your advocacy work in your New Year's Resolutions. What will you do in 2026? Whether it's diving into our new trainings, visiting Washington D.C. to lobby in person, or helping your local chapter thrive, we're excited to see what you will achieve in the new year!

Featured: Luke and Aldo's Puppy Pledge It

CCLer Luke Clarke has a three-year-old rescue dog named Aldo. “This boy needs exercise,” Luke said. “I am excited to support Citizens’ Climate Education and its work to build the political will for a livable climate. Let’s tie the two together.”

That’s the theme for Luke’s pledge-a-thon to support Citizen’s Climate’s year-end fundraiser. Throughout the month of December, Luke has walked Aldo at least one mile for every donation he has received — and he’s currently at the top of the individual fundraiser leaderboard, bringing in $1,650 so far!

Together, they’ve done walks in beautiful Colorado snow, sun, and mountain trails. Pictured above, Luke says, “Aldo and I walked 2.4 miles on South Table Mountain, sharing the trail with cross-country skiers, joggers and more than a few dogs with hikers.” At that point in the pledge-a-thon, he had 11 donations and had walked seven miles, and both numbers have kept ticking up since then. Thanks to Luke's family, friends, and members of his Golden-Jefferson County CCL chapter for their donations and support.

Can you guess what kind of dog Aldo is? “It’s tougher than you might think,” Luke says, so he reveals the secret to each donor in his thank-you message. See all of Luke and Aldo’s photos and updates on their Pledge It page, and give a last-minute donation to find out Aldo’s breed!

Check out CCL's Pledge It home page to see all the active pledge-a-thons and chapter fundraising teams.

Upcoming trainings

1/8: Introduction to Permitting Reform Basics - Permitting reform has emerged as the biggest and most important clean energy and climate policy area in the current session of Congress. But what are 'permitting' and 'permitting reform,' why does CCL consider it such an important climate solution, and what is the data underpinning that conclusion? Join CCL's VP of Government Affairs Jenn Tyler and Research Manager Dana Nuccitelli to learn the answers to these questions and why CCL is leaning into permitting reform as the key climate policy solution of 2026. Join us!

1/15: Understanding the Permitting Reform Landscape - Permitting reform is a complex topic that touches on many politically sensitive topics including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), judicial reforms, and federal involvement in interstate project permitting processes. Join Jenn Tyler and Dana Nuccitelli to learn about the permitting players, politics, problems, and how and why CCL is engaging in this challenging landscape. Join us!

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