Stand With Ukraine Campaign
Please be aware that some of the content of this training may be out of date. While we work hard to keep all of our trainings updated, the latest revision date for this training is April 2022.
Take Action & Important Resources
The campaign launched in late March 2022 to a great reaction on social media with a call to action to email the President. We hope you’ll take action by emailing the President and your members of Congress, and that you’ll share it with your friends, family and on social media.
For more details of the campaign and to take action immediately, visit our Take Action page here- Stand With Ukraine Flyers and Posters
- Stand With Ukraine Social Media Toolkit
- Download graphics here to share on social media, and order a yard sign, poster or stickers of our most popular designs
Background on the Campaign
The Russian attack on Ukraine is a tragic situation that is upending geopolitics and our global energy systems. It’s a rare moment that brings so much public attention to the politics of energy in the following ways:
- It has made clear the geopolitical consequences of having economies that are reliant on oil, when the global oil supply is controlled by oligarchs and dictators,
- It has focused people on the topic of energy security and has led to a renewed public push for domestic oil and gas production.
- It has created another moment where Congress and the President need visible public support for a transition to clean energy. They want to make the right energy decisions, and this campaign is to help let them know we’ve got their back.
We couldn’t keep doing “business as usual” and expect Congress or the President to listen to our message about climate action when they are understandably preoccupied with the urgency of things happening in Ukraine. We needed to update our messaging to make the connection between fossil fuel dependency and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The graphics we’ve designed encourage people to email Congress and the President to advocate for a quick transition to clean energy, similar to the ‘take action’ campaigns that we did last year in support of budget reconciliation.
We are also inviting other organizations, influencers, and thought leaders to share these graphics from their social media accounts (you can ask them too if you have relationships with important leaders!). The graphics are publicly available for download here.
Creative choices we made in planning this campaign
Above all, we knew we needed an emotion-driven campaign to generate attention and support. The narrative that we are countering, ‘Drill, baby, drill’, cannot be challenged with facts or information. We needed a hard-hitting message that could cut through the noise on social media and appeal to people’s desire to help Ukraine and channel their anxiety into a positive direction.
We chose World War 2 posters as a basis for our campaign. The posters communicate a can-do spirit that everybody needs to pitch in in order to defeat a threat, which both meets our challenge with climate change and also the tremendous courage shown by ordinary Ukranians. We hired a talented illustrator to update the WWII posters to reference clean energy by replacing guns, torpedoes, and baskets of vegetables with wind turbines, solar panels, batteries and electrical cords. We updated one of the most iconic images from those times, Rosie the Riveter, to show that electrification can help us end fossil fuel dependency. In addition, the artist recreated the character of Rosie to depict an African American woman, thousands of whom worked in the factories, offices, and shipyards during WWII but were unrepresented in the imagery of that time. There have been many recreations of Rosie as a Black woman over the years, and we’re proud to contribute a new design to honor those women with a clean energy message.
The posters lend themselves to some copy choices. Because the campaign is emotion-driven, it has sharper, shorter copy than our typical campaign, which is usually more informational. For example:
- First, the copy calls out Putin as an adversary who is enabled by Russia’s fossil fuel production. We know that CCL doesn’t usually call people out. In this case, we felt comfortable doing so with Putin.
- Secondly, the copy alternately suggests that we ‘go fossil free’ or ‘move to clean energy.’ Science tells us that we do need to largely transition off of fossil fuels. There are graphics for usage with each message, and you can choose the one you like.
- The email copy that gets sent to the President and Congress contains messages tailored to Republicans and Democrats that advocate for clean energy but does not mention going fossil free or Putin.
Printed Resources
If you’d like to use this campaign for tabling events, we have yard signs, full sized posters, and stickers available for a limited set of designs that you can order for a cost from our resources portal (formerly signs.com now called Private Print Store). Note: you must create an account before you can access our designs or shop. Do so by clicking the link, set up your account, then browse the styles here.
You can also download and print the flyers and posters of two of our images from home here: Stand With Ukraine Flyers and Posters.
We’ve also designed a flyer with the Rosie poster on one side and a description of the campaign with call to action and QR code on the backside. We also have quarter page versions of this. Private Print Store has all of those flyers available if you’d like to order them, or you can download the flyers to print yourself or send them to a local printer. We are in the process of providing flyers, posters, and yard signs featuring the Stand with Ukraine design too.
Talking Points
- It’s time to cut off Vladimir Putin’s main resource: oil money. America needs to transition to affordable clean energy to create new jobs and take control away from Vladimir Putin.
- The President and Congress are facing pressure to double down on fossil fuels. But they know that America needs to transition to affordable clean energy for our energy security and the climate. Let’s show them that Americans support moving to clean energy.
- Email the President and Congress to tell them you have their backs when they stand up to Putin by choosing affordable clean energy. Investing in clean energy means that we never have to buy oil from a dictator again.
- Ordinary citizens don’t have to sit by during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Instead, we can stand with Ukraine by encouraging the Congress and the President to invest in clean energy. We’ll take away Putin’s flow of oil money not just today, but forever.
Tabling Event Ideas
We hope that your chapter will use this campaign for your tabling events and presentations. Here are some ideas you might use. If you come up with other successful ideas, please tell us about them and send photos to marketing@citizensclimate.org. We would love to hear feedback from how the public reacts to this campaign and how you creatively use it to recruit volunteers and the public to take action!
- Order stickers of the Rosie design or the Stand with Ukraine design (coming soon!) and tell folks at your table you’ll give them a sticker if they take a moment to email the President from their phone right then and there!
- Print your favorite poster design on postcard stock and ask folks to write a handwritten note to mail to the President at the White House: President Joe Biden, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20500
- Don’t forget to instruct people to include their name, return address, and email address.
- Dress up like Rosie the Riveter or Uncle Sam or a WWII era character for your events to mimic the WWII vintage posters we are featuring.
- Rosie: buy a costume like this or accessories or make your own from items at your local thrift store with a chambray shirt or men’s blue coveralls and a red bandana
- Uncle Sam: buy a costume like this or accessories
- 1940’s era costume ideas: shop at your local thrift/vintage stores to design your own 1940s era character for tabling
FAQs
Why is this moment so important?
Our reliance on oil is harming the health and security of people around the world. Putin’s aggression in Ukraine is heavily enabled by Russia’s global supply of oil and natural gas. At the same time, prices in America have risen at the pump and to heat our homes. There is high pressure on Congress right now to double down on fossil fuel investments, increasing our dependence on fossil fuels right when we need to be moving away from them. One of the most important things any American can do to help Ukraine is to commit to clean energy and to let their elected officials know that we stand with Ukraine.
What policies can Congress pass to speed up a transition to affordable clean energy?
The budget reconciliation bill (called Build Back Better) that the House of Representatives passed in 2021 includes tax credits and other legislation that will speed up a transition to affordable clean energy. The Senate has not yet passed its own version of the budget reconciliation bill, but has the opportunity to do so in 2022. The Senate should include all the climate provisions in the House bill, and add an economy-wide price on carbon, which would speed up the transition to clean energy.
What is budget reconciliation, anyway?
Budget reconciliation is a process where adjustments to spending and revenue can be made with 51 Senate votes instead of the full 60 votes. The rules of what can be included in a budget reconciliation are strict and are governed by a nonpartisan Senate parliamentarian.
Is Build Back Better the same thing as budget reconciliation?
Budget reconciliation is a process where adjustments to spending and revenue can be made with 51 Senate votes instead of the full 60 votes. The rules of what can be included in a budget reconciliation are strict and are governed by a nonpartisan Senate parliamentarian. Build Back Better is the name of the bill that the House passed through budget reconciliation. It will be renegotiated and renamed in the Senate.
How is President Biden involved in budget reconciliation?
Budget reconciliation happens in Congress. President Biden is working closely with Congress, particularly the Senate, to determine what will be included. Because the Senate has 51 Democratic votes including Vice President Harris, every Democratic Senator must support the budget reconciliation legislation if it is to pass.
What else can I do?
You only need to email the President, your House Rep. and your two Senators. Then, share this campaign with any friends, family and coworkers who stand with Ukraine and want to do what they can to help. A great way to help Ukraine is to transition to clean energy.
Why is Rosie the Riveter Black?
We updated one of the most iconic images from those times, Rosie the Riveter, to show that electrification can help us end fossil fuel dependency. In addition, like many before us, we updated Rosie to depict an African American woman, thousands of whom worked in the factories, offices, and shipyards during WWII but were unrepresented in the imagery of that time.
Why are we focused on the President first?
It is our sense that the President and his administration play a key role in negotiations on reconciliation, and a key role in the response to the invasion of Ukraine and the resulting energy system destabilization. Congress is also key, but we want to make sure people start by writing the President.
Why did you choose WWII posters?
Responding to war requires actions both by governments and everyday people. We chose to work from World War II posters as they represent, for some, a time when people came together around a common effort to defend against a shared threat. In our updated versions, weapons become clean energy infrastructure, while solar panels and wind turbines replace torpedos and weaponry.
Please be aware that some of the content of this training may be out of date. We work hard to keep all of our trainings updated and the latest revision date for this training is March 10, 2022.
Intro & Agenda
(0:00)
Campaign Background & Objectives
(2:26)
(5:32)
Volunteer Resources
(10:18)
Tabling Event Ideas & Talking Points
(16:50)
- Ashley Hunt-Martorano
- Tony Sirna
- Download the Google Slides presentation.
- Download the video.
Intro & Agenda
(0:00)
Campaign Background & Objectives
(2:26)
(5:32)
Volunteer Resources
(10:18)
Tabling Event Ideas & Talking Points
(16:50)
- Ashley Hunt-Martorano
- Tony Sirna