 CCLI’s Drive for
Sustainability 2008
Project Results Project Summary Santa Fe New Mexican News Article
The Climate Change Leadership Institute, a New Mexico non-profit and 501(C)3 organization, along with committed businesses, environmental organizations, educational partners, foundations and volunteers are together doing a dynamic campaign called The Drive for Sustainability. The project’s purpose is to generate heightened public awareness and concerted action in civil society by caring students, citizens and consumers alike on behalf of propelling bold energy stewardship in America. Instead of going to politicians and corporations first, this project will go to the people (young and old) and public partners enlisting them to make a personal commitment to the clean power cause and in turn, ignite our Nation.
Beginning Martin Luther King Day 2008, we will drive for sustainability in a clean energy vehicle (shown above) to schools, civic institutions, public gatherings and high profile places statewide – connecting with thousands of people along the way and hundreds of thousands through the media and internet – to amass the Stewardship America Movement (SAM) for pollution-free energy. We will form 100 partnerships in civil society and activate 1,000 students to lead by conducting Stewardship Workshops. We will enlist 10,000 citizens to take the Power Pledge. We will build momentum with an on-line and hand-on initiative to develop meaningful alliances. We will hold a non-partisan Election Day/Eve Rally to Our Responsibility in order to get out the vote, showcase the people’s commitments to the cause and announce winners of a special Clean Energy Raffle. Finally, we will build statewide and national alliances and submit a Call to Character to the powers that be – all to generate the critical mass that’s so critically needed for America to serve as a beacon of light to the world for being responsible to future generations.
 We will help educate and activate partners in civil society to increasingly be part of the clean energy and conservation solution by conducting stewardship workshops in the capital city and statewide (with a growing list of participants including charter schools, high schools, student social justice clubs, community colleges, universities, institutes, civic groups, tribal communities, small businesses, public safety associations, religious groups and many others).
 We will be working with families and citizens at large, encouraging them to take meaningful steps to declare their energy independence from fossil fuels, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and embrace clean, efficient and renewable power. We will help people realize that as a result of their choices and efforts they can improve their health, financial and national security and at the same time be responsible stewards of the earth. All power pledge participants will become part of the Call to Character that will be delivered to elected officials and heads of business at the year’s end.
This year and beyond, with e-mail and in person, we will be developing meaningful stewardship alliances with caring individuals, families, schools, civic groups, associations and many other members of our civil society. Vanquishing the old guard of greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuel energy will take much more than single handed declarations. In this brave new era of (inter)action, we will be forging vast partnerships, judiciously (net)working together and becoming a forceful, cohesive movement that makes America the world leader of pollution-free energy stewardship.
Rally to Our Responsibility
 On Election Day/Eve 2008, we will hold a culminating rally to get out the vote, present student leadership projects, showcase partnership commitments and announce the Clean Energy Raffle (to include a Prius, bike and other sustainability prizes). All project proceeds will go to fostering on-going, sustained impacts through CCLI in the form of: 1) Direct Action Grants, Stewardship Workshops and other Change-Making Education Campaigns in successive years; 2) Innovation Grants and operational support for start-up community based renewable energy enterprises; 3) Sustainability Internships for promising students; and 4) annual Climate Courage Awards to those in civil society, government and business who bravely make a difference.
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