To raise awareness about climate change and invoke action on the part of policymakers and citizens, RPCV4EA embarked on a Letter to the Editor (LTE) campaign. The campaign started in Fall 2020 and continues today to leverage RPCV’s unique experiences and community mobilization to influence climate change legislation locally and globally.
The LTE campaign has included a media training by Sam Daley-Harris, articles about how to write effective LTE, a call to action, and a new monthly LTE writing group.
The monthly LTE writing group is a time for RPCVs to come together to write and edit LTE; everyone is welcome to attend to share ideas or get support with writing their LTE. The monthly meetings are held the fourth Tuesday of every month at 8:00pm EST/ 5:00pm PST and led by RPCVs Dylan Hinson and Arianna Richard. See the RPCV4EA calendar of events for more details.
The campaign is paying off! Several LTE from RPCVs have been published in national and local media:
- Dylan Hinson, RPCV4EA LTE Lead, had his LTE published in his local paper, Ashland Tidings. Dylan referenced experiencing droughts during his Peace Corps experience in Namibia and linked it to local climate concerns and the Carbon Dividend Act.
- Evelyn Ganzglass, a member of the NPCA Board of Directors, had her LTE about refrigeration systems that release hydrofluorocarbons into the atmosphere published in the Washington Post. This was her first LTE, written as a result of the RPCV4EA media training she received from Sam Daley-Harris.
- Kate Schachter, RPCV4EA Co-Founder, had her first ever LTE published in the New York Times. Kate responded to the news article, “Biden Will Roll Back Parts of Trump Agenda With Strokes of a Pen,” drawing attention to the damage of 'America First' policies, citing her Peace Corps experience in Ghana and imploring us to work together for the planet.
- Meg Kinghorn (Kiribati 1987-1989) had a Letter to the Editor published in the Charleston Gazette-Mail. Her letter, "Climate change must be addressed, here and globally" linked climate change's effects where she served in Kiribati - rising sea levels - with the floods and droughts affecting farmers where she lives now in West Virginia. Meg writes, "We need not one solution but many to tackle this global crisis."
We invite you to participate in our LTE campaign. View the resources on our website, join the monthly LTE writing meeting, and monitor your local newspaper for opportunities to respond and raise awareness. Earth Day, celebrated this year on April 22, is a great opportunity to take action. See our list of Earth Day activities, including the next LTE meeting on April 27, online here.
Article updated on April 16, 2021