Navin Desai, Georgetown Day School
In a nation where the government dictates what and will be done about issues facing every one of us, influencing policy is imperative in shaping both the future of our country and the entire planet. Given the urgency of climate change, advocating for bills is even more impactful when it comes to environmental issues.
Here is your quick how-to guide for contacting legislators:
- Find them!
There are many ways to figure out who your representative(s) and senators are. The easiest method is simply to use a website.
Try visiting MyReps, entering your address and looking through the results.
If you want to advocate for a federal bill, locate your two senators and representative(s) — you’re now ready to move on to the next step!
- Go to their contact page
Once you have identified who you would like to contact, type in your search bar “[legislator’s name] contact.” The first link will likely guide you to their email/contact page. If not, click around until you find it!
- Write to them!
Now that you’ve landed on your legislator’s contact page, it’s finally time to write! If there is a bill you are already eager to advocate for, now is the time to do so. If you simply want to influence policy but don’t yet have a particular bill in mind, here are a few incredibly impactful options:
- Build Back Better Act
- Environmental Justice For All Act
- CLEAN Future Act
Regardless of why you’re here, it is still a great idea to advocate for the bills listed above! If you would like to send a pre-drafted letter instead of creating one from scratch, a great place to visit is the Voices for Our Future website!
Have fun making an impact!
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