Announcing Green Wave 2020: Joint Electoral Effort of Major Environmental Organizations
Sierra Club, EDF Action, NRDC Action Fund, NWF Action Fund, & LCV Join Forces to Mobilize Members in Support of Environmental Champions for Congress and the White House
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WASHINGTON, D.C.- A coalition of five of the nation’s leading environmental organizations announced the launch of Green Wave 2020 Friday. Green Wave 2020 is a joint project of Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, EDF Action, the NRDC Action Fund and the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund to mobilize each groups’ members to help elect environmental champions to the White House and Congress in November.
The Green Wave 2020 organizations have worked together to prioritize over 30 federal races where the targeted candidate has a strong environmental track record or platform, and is often running against a candidate who denies the scientific reality of climate change. The project will be staffed by over 70 professional organizers spread across 15 states. In coordination with individual campaigns, the organizers will work to mobilize environmental group members to volunteer on elections to help the environmental community build a Green Wave that is big and strong enough to turn the tide in Washington D.C.
To tackle the unprecedented challenges created by the COVID 19 pandemic, Green Wave organizers will provide remote phone- and text-banking opportunities for members, as well as use other online tools to engage members and supporters. Where the candidates’ campaigns emphasize early voting and/or mail-in voting, Green Wave 2020 volunteers will be promoting those efforts.
“When we join together, our power as a movement is magnified. The stakes for the environment, for our climate, and for communities suffering the worst consequences of toxic pollution across the nation have never been more stark than in 2020” said Sierra Club President Ramon Cruz. “This unprecedented mobilization of our collective membership, including millions of members nationwide, will also help build lasting infrastructure in key states and districts that environmental champions running for office can rely upon for future election cycles.”
“Polluters have had their way in Washington for the past four years, and this election is our chance to change that,” said Kevin Curtis, Executive Director of NRDC Action Fund. “We need a Congress that will put a stop to Trump’s all-out assault on public health, clean air and safe drinking water. We need committed lawmakers who will help Joe Biden rebuild our country, create green jobs and put our country back at the forefront of helping to solve the climate crisis. Green Wave 2020 is yet another example of the growing power and effectiveness of pro-environment politics in races across the country.”
“From acting on climate change and America’s wildlife crisis to rebuilding a more just economy as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we need leaders who will meet this moment with unprecedented resolve and solutions. We are proud to join with our peer organizations to ensure wildlife advocates and everyday champions are a force to be reckoned with this election,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund. “Green Wave also will ensure the strides we take this election spark even greater civic engagement and activism that reverberate in 2020 and beyond.”
“As wildfires rage across the West and hurricanes slam into the Southeast fueled by climate change, it’s never been more important that we work together to elect leaders who will build back better for a cleaner and healthier future for all,” said LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld. “We were already in the fight of our lives, and now with the devastating passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, there is even more at stake. LCV and our members are proud to be a part of the Green Wave that is working to elect environmental champions who support just and equitable solutions to the climate crisis.”
“The stakes in this year’s elections are incredibly high,” said EDF Action President Joe Bonfiglio. “The stability of our climate is on the ballot. Environmental justice is on the ballot. The rule of law is on the ballot. This is an all-hands-on-deck effort and our members are ready to support candidates who will work for a cleaner, safer, and healthier future.”
Green Wave 2020 will mobilize thousands of environmental group members to reach out to hundreds of thousands of voters to make sure their voices and their votes are counted this Election Day.
