We served climate hope for breakfast

May 14, 2019

I’ve been thirsty for climate action a while. We all have. And now, with meaningful climate action in Washington, we can catch a few glorious gulps of climate action to quench our thirst.

Many of us gathered in Seattle last week for our annual breakfast. There, we took in what we’ve just accomplished and reminded ourselves that our clean energy transition is just getting started. 100% clean electricity is the foundation, and we're ready to keep on building—and accelerating our transition to a prosperous, just, and secure clean energy future.

At last week's breakfast, we premiered this brief video laying out our vision for 100% clean, and where we go from here. Check it out:

SHEW DESIGN

Our featured speaker, Senator Rebecca Saldaña, took the opportunity to talk about transportation—the single largest source of climate pollution in our region. As we think about how we get around day to day, she challenged us to remember that spirit of freedom we should feel while we envision and win “a green transportation system that works for all”—one that reduces and eliminates carbon emissions, and serves the basic needs of all communities, while avoiding and reversing the damage that fossil-fueled transportation has unleashed on our climate and our environment.

Washington is already on the right track, Senator Saldaña noted, with this year’s legislature passing measures to broaden access to electric vehicles and to promote the electrification of vehicle fleets, among other clean energy victories.

Extending that momentum, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan came to our breakfast pen in hand, and signed an ordinance requiring building developers to include EV charging infrastructure as part of new parking facilities.

Wednesday provided strong reminders that leadership from our elected officials matters. Broad support matters. It took all of you, all of us, to make this legislative session in Washington successful and it will take us all continuing together to transition away from oil and towards freedom from fossil fuels.

Thank you all for your support for Climate Solutions and for (lowercase) climate solutions, in all that you do.

Author Bio

Jonathan Lawson

Senior Editor, Climate Solutions

Jonathan provides editorial management and guidance for Climate Solutions’ communications channels, including the organization’s website, social media, and email. Before joining Climate Solutions in 2014, Jonathan served as Executive Director of the communications rights organization Reclaim the Media, where he played a catalytic role in fueling the growth of a national movement focused on media justice and democratizing media and communications policy. He also spent more than eight years providing communications strategy, digital communications and design to statewide labor organizations including SEIU and WFSE/AFSCME, writing op-eds by day and designing giant puppets by night.

A past board member of the Washington News Council and of Seattle Improvised Music, he is also a veteran of the Independent Media Center movement, and has worked in community radio since 1986; for 19 years he produced the weekly creative music program Flotation Device on KBCS. His articles on media and communications issues have appeared in numerous northwest and national publications. Jonathan holds a masters degree in Theological Studies from Harvard University and an AB in English and Religious Studies from Guilford College.