Organizing 101 How to develop democratic, renewable energy in your community
We know we can run our country on 100% renewable energy. To get to 100%, there are some steps you can take as an individual but there are others that can only be done as a community.
So let’s get it done! This tool kit has the following to get you started: -Some background on the Gasland grassroots model -Are you an organizer? -What is a community team and why should you start one -Starting a community team worksheet
Gasland Grassroots Model
Our background: Millions of people saw Gasland and Gasland Part II on TV, which greatly raised awareness of what fracking is. and had grassroots screenings where we showed up in person. There have also been hundreds of community screenings led by local groups. Those screenings were opportunities for communities to come together to fight fracking. We’ve seen people digest, understand and spread complex information at lightning speed. We’ve seen the power that united communities can have. Dozens of towns, counties, states and even countries have now banned fracking. We believe communities have the same power to understand and develop renewable energy.
Are you an organizer?
Yes. Yes, you are. How do we know? Because everyone can be an organizer. Don’t get intimidated by the word or what you think it means.
Trust us.
You don’t need to memorize tons of facts and become an expert. You don’t even need to be very ‘organized’ in your own life. You just only need to care about developing renewable energy. You need to believe that moving to 100% renewable energy is the right choice for us, whatever the reason.
We know you care.
We do too. Now for the tougher part. You need to reach out to people and tell them why you care. If all you can do is reach out to a couple friends, that’s okay. If all you can do is create a piece of art or a story, that’s okay. It You may not notice it right away. But trust us, when you get a bird’s eye view like we have you can see that those little ripples make waves.
Together, we can do this.
What is a community team? A community team is a group of people who work together to make a change in their communtiy . It’s as simple as that.
Why should you start a community team? Because we’re better together. There’s a lot you can do on your own, but there are people you don’t know, skills you don’t have. If you reach out to your neighbors they might know those people you don’t, they might have the skills you don’t. There are things that are easy to get done, but when it comes to the tough stuff, you’ll want someone by your side.
What does a community team look like? Teams will look different in every community but a model we’ve seen work is the snowflake model. The Obama Campaign used the snowflake model to build neighborhood teams that turned out voters on election day. The snowflake model is effective because it creates a system in which communtiy team members share responsibilities based on their individual skill sets.
This is how the Obama campaign structured their neighborhood teams. They had a team leader, and four captains. Each captain of those captains was a ‘core team member’ that had a different area of responsibility. These core team members worked together to lead the dozen or so other volunteers that were apart of the neighborhood team.
Here’s a structure we think could be a good model for what we’re trying to accomplish. Community Captain
Individual Solutions Captain
Team Leader
Events & Outreach Captain
Data Captain Team Leader - If you’re starting a community team, you may be a great team leader, or maybe someone else will be good in a leadership role. A team leader can commute with everyone, and keep them motivated and focused. Individual Solutions Captain - This is someone who’s really interested in getting community members to switch power providers or install rooftop solar. Community Captain - This person is interested in getting local busniesses and muncipalities to go solar. They might also help gather commitments from people who can work to develop community for futre campaigns to get better community solar laws. Data Capatain - The data captain keeps track of how many people your team switches to renewables and keeps us posted through our software, Nation Builder. This position is good for computer people, or people who want to help out but would prefer not to be out in the community talking to people about renewable energy. The Events & Outreach Captain - We’ve found that cultural events which bring the comunity together are strong motivators for action. This person would be interested in planning events like screenings or bringing the Solutions Grassroots tour to town.
You know your community and its needs best, so trust yourself if you feel a different model will work better for you. Don’t get hung up if the people around you don’t fit these descriptions. The idea is to work together on this in a way that gives people responsibility in the areas where they feel they can contribute.
Starting A Community Team
We’re asking you to change the world, but we’re not asking you to do it all at once and we’re not asking you to it alone. So let’s start with who you know. town to 100% renewable energy? (you won’t believe how much 4 people can accomplish) Go ahead write their names down right now.
1 2 3 What do these people care about? What groups are they connected with? (It doesn’t have to
What are they good at? Are they good communicators? Do they love to talk to everyone they see? Are they good with computers? Are they creative? The best part about a team is that everyone is good at different things.
Now that you’ve begun to think about who could work with you on this, let’s start thinking about how you should ask them. Why did you choose the people that you did? Are they close to you? ( friends, family, ect.) Are they deeply involved in the community and do they care about what happens to it? Are they concerned about the environment?
Mosty likely you thought about inviting these people because they care about your community, or the environment. If they care about the community or the environment, let them know that joining a community team is one of the most important things they can do right now to protect either.
The most important thing to remember when asking people to join you is: be yourself. You care about this and that matters.
Now let’s get those people in the same room together. Potlucks are great events for a team to come together and get to know eachother.(and learn what everyone likes to eat!) Local coffee shops, cafes and community centers are also great places to meet.
So what’s the point of this meeting? - Get to know eachother -Figuring out -Start outlining some goals
Remember to:
Set a date for the next meeting. Don’t let anyone leave the room with out a task to be completed by the next meeting.
Setting goals
How Renewable Energy can benefit culture & democracy The Solutions Grassroots Tour
