Compared to America as a whole, Vermonters are substantially more concerned about climate change, yet only a small percentage are currently taking political action to address the issue.
Those are the findings of a new poll conducted by the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) and FM3 Research, and the basis of a new climate campaign from VPIRG to persuade thousands of climate-concerned Vermonters to become more active.
On Wednesday, March 2, VPIRG announced its “Keep Vermont Cool” climate campaign during a virtual press conference. A video of the event is available upon request.
Dr. Megan Malgeri, Physician and Member of the Vermont Climate & Health Alliance, and Anna Seuberling, Board President of VPIRG, shared their experiences and expertise surrounding climate change impacts at the intersections of their work and Miranda Everitt, Vice President of FM3 Research, shared polling results from a recent “6 Americas” climate survey conducted by VPIRG and FM3 Research.
During the 30-minute press conference, Keep Vermont Cool campaign manager Jordan Heiden provided a broad overview of the new campaign stating, “This will be a multi-phase campaign that celebrates Vermont’s great outdoors and welcomes people to join the fight for climate action by meeting folks exactly where they are, building strong connections, and generating an even stronger social and political impact. We aim to activate 25,000 new climate voters in the coming year.”
The multi-phase campaign will begin with VPIRG’s largest digital engagement activation to date, encouraging Vermonters to join the movement, attend virtual and in-person events, and sign the petition to get off fossil fuels, switch entirely to renewables, and save money by saving energy. Those pieces will later align with VPIRG’s summer canvass, the largest voter contact initiative in the state. Roughly 75 – 100 canvassers will knock on doors and talk with Vermonters about climate change in all 251 Vermont towns from May – August. Vermonters will be encouraged to take part throughout the entire journey so all voices, perspectives, and experiences can be elevated and celebrated.
Lily Seward, VPIRG’s Climate & Energy Fellow shared, “This will be the largest summer canvass operation in VPIRG’s 50-year history and will likely be the largest face-to-face voter contact operation in Vermont history.”
Vermonters can Keep Vermont Cool by visiting KeepVermontCool.org or by following @KeepVermontCool on Instagram and Twitter and joining VPIRG’s Keep Vermont Cool Facebook Group. There will be exclusive events, resources, and giveaways throughout the campaign. Please email Campaign Manager Jordan Heiden at jheiden@vpirg.org with any questions.
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