Climate change is wreaking havoc on our planet. This we know. But how do you successfully motivate our elected officials to make positive, life-saving policies when it comes to the shifting climate?
Anyone who’s familiar with New Mexico understands that creating positive change takes time, patience, and a good story.
After seeing my work with “Community Voices,” I was contacted by my client to develop a collection or “bank” of stories from everyday New Mexicans about their experience with climate change.
Over time, the storybank evolved from talking about the negative impacts of climate change (see Burned: A Story of Resilience) to stories about what was being done to address climate change.
Approach
The majority of the project was outreach intensive; working to gain trust in vulnerable communities. Some of the deliverables for this project included:
- Reviewing the landscape of existing climate/environment coalition partners to efficiently leverage existing networks and resources
- Drafting language for partners to use in soliciting potential interview subjects, including e-blasts, social media/web language, etc.
- Identifying gaps within these coalitions and exploring additional avenues and communities for potential new and undiscovered voices
- Collecting names, contact info, and story details from partners and advocates
Results
While a majority of the storybank was used to support the work of my client and other coalition partners, some of the collected stories have been featured on partner websites and communications materials focused on the equitable transition towards sustainable, clean energy.