Professional Documents
Culture Documents
As we find ourselves surrounded by the tatters of the climate debate in the U.S.
Congress, it seems fitting to take a moment to step back and ponder where we go from
here. While the blogosphere is buzzing with assignments of blame for the failure of the
Senate to act, we are much more concerned about how we move forward with urgency
and clarity of purpose. Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury to pack our bags and go
home as the Senate did only moments ago. We just staggered through the hottest six
months in recorded history worldwide. People everywhere are being impacted by the
damage we have done through decades of carbon loading, and it is clear that our ailing
planet will not sit idly by as our political leaders have done.
The central aspirations of our campaign as embodied in the 1Sky Solutions which have
been endorsed by more than 600 allied organizations nationwide continue as our north
star:
We feel it is imperative to pause, ask tough questions about what went wrong and why
we as a community failed to achieve our aspirations, and – more importantly - to look
carefully at what is most needed given the new legislative and political landscape.
Toward this end, we are holding a retreat in mid-November with key allies, organizers,
1Sky staff and board, but also with leaders from other sectors to help us see in fresh
ways, and to explore what role 1Sky can best play as we move into the next chapter.
As we prepare for the strategic discussions we will be having, six key lessons strike us as
salient and worth offering now for discussion and debate. We don’t pretend to have the
answers, but we are committed to grappling with the tough questions and to road-
testing solutions. Our thoughts at this time:
We offer these thoughts humbly as renewable fuel for thought. Do you agree or
disagree? What are your key takeaways? Please join is in a conversation here. Clearly
none of us have the answer or we wouldn’t be in this fix, but we believe that we can and
we must do better.
*All members of the 1Sky board join this letter in their individual capacities,
rather than on behalf of other institutions with which they are affiliated.