Campaign Victories
Campaign Victories
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Moving Beyond Coal: 2008 – 2012
In 2008, with the coal-industry proposing the construction of 150 new plants across the country, Green Corps helped launch Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, activating thousands of citizens to beat back this “coal rush.” Their organizing was instrumental in convincing the Houston-based coal giant Dynegy to drop its proposals to build six new coal plants in communities from Michigan to Louisiana. Since then, Green Corps organizers have worked to retire existing coal plants on campuses and in communities. Their efforts have won coal-free commitments from Penn State University, SUNY Binghamton, UNC-Chapel Hill, Ohio University, Clemson University and Miami University. In 2011, Green Corps continued its partnership with Sierra Club on the Beyond Coal Campaign, organizing more than 2,000 volunteers and generating nearly 30,000 petition signatures urging eight cities and 12 university campuses to reduce their dependence on coal.
Defeating Prop. 23 in California: 2010
With Texas oil companies spending millions to fund Proposition 23, a deceptive ballot initiative that sought to abolish California’s landmark anti-global warming law, the CREDO Victory Fund Against Prop. 23 and Texas Oil Companies called on Green Corps to launch a grassroots campaign to mobilize environmental voters. A team of 11 Green Corps organizers opened “No on 23” campaign offices across the state. They recruited and trained an army of 1,500 citizen volunteers to organize 170 protests at Valero gas stations (Prop. 23’s biggest funder) and host phone-banks to turn out environmental voters to the polls. By Election Day, Green Corps organizers and their volunteers had contacted more than 110,000 California voters to vote No on Prop. 23. And their work paid off. Prop. 23 was defeated, by 61% of California voters.
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Increasing Clean Energy in Missouri: 2008
With clean energy policies blocked by special interests at the federal level, environmental organizations launched a campaign to expand clean, renewable energy in Missouri through a citizen’s ballot initiative. In the fall of 2008, a team of eight Green Corps organizers worked on behalf of Missourians for Cleaner Cheaper Energy to turn out voters in support of a ballot initiative that would require utilities to increase their use of renewable energy to 15% by 2021. First, Green Corps organizers registered 5,000 young people to vote on college campuses, simultaneously recruiting a student volunteer base to help spread the word about the statewide clean energy initiative. Then, Green Corps organizers and their volunteers generated more than 23,000 citizen pledges to vote for the initiative. Election Day resulted in a victory with 66% of the vote, making Missouri the 27th state to implement a Renewable Electricity Standard, but only the third to do so by referendum.
Protecting the Arctic Refuge: 1995 – 2005
For more than 10 years, Green Corps served as the grassroots field team to help defeat drilling on Alaska’s pristine North Slope. In the fall of 2005, pro-drilling forces in Congress and their allies in the Bush administration were pushing to include Arctic drilling as a provision in the federal budget bill. Drilling proponents hoped to use this back-door strategy to avoid drawing public attention to the issue. On behalf of the Alaska Coalition, Green Corps organizers leapt into action and brought more than 5,000 concerned citizens to an Arctic Refuge Action Day in Washington, D.C. Never before had this many Americans converged on the capitol to lobby on a single environmental issue. Due to the public outcry mobilized in part by Green Corps organizers, drilling in the Arctic Refuge became the key issue blocking the federal budget process, and ultimately, the House and Senate both voted to oppose Arctic drilling in December 2005.
Stopping Cruise Ship Pollution in our Oceans: 2003 – 2004
With cruise ships releasing hundreds of thousands of gallons of sewage into some of the world’s most pristine ocean environments, Oceana launched a campaign to convince Royal Caribbean, one of the most profitable and polluting cruise lines in the industry, to clean up its fleet of ships. Between 2003 and 2004, Green Corps organizers helped launch and win the Oceana Stop Cruise Pollution Campaign. Based in port cities and key markets, Green Corps organizers conducted public education events and generated more than 2,300 boycott pledges and hundreds of phone calls to company CEO Richard Fein. They conducted targeted outreach to key constituencies and allies, including scuba and surf groups, port officials and travel agencies. In response to the public pressure, Royal Caribbean agreed to install pollution control technology on all of its ships.
Shifting the Office Supply Industry Toward Sustainability: 2002 – 2003
With paper production destroying 5 million acres of southern forests each year, Dogwood Alliance, ForestEthics and other environmental organizations launched the Paper Campaign in 2000—with the goal to shift the office supply industry toward recycled paper products. In 2002, Green Corps organizers helped launch the effort to convince Staples, the industry leader, to adopt an environmental sustainability policy. They trained 150 activists and conducted demonstrations at Staples stores that gained the attention of regional managers across the country. In 2002, Staples agreed to phase out paper products made from endangered forests and ensure 30% post-consumer recycled paper content for all of its paper products. Then, in 2003, Green Corps organizers worked on behalf of the Paper Campaign to help convince Office Depot to issue a similar recycled paper policy. Today, because of strong demand for recycled content from companies such as Staples and Office Depot, U.S. producers of recycled paper fiber are operating at peak capacity.
Stopping Privatization of New Orleans’ Water: 2002
In cities across the world, corporations have sought to take over municipal water systems, pushing contracts that remove a city’s ability to control water price and quality. In case after case, privatization has been damaging to the environment and consumers. In the fall of 2002, residents of New Orleans were fighting against several multinational corporations that had placed bids on the city’s water supply. Working on behalf of SEIU, ACORN and Public Citizen, a team of Green Corps organizers built a powerful community coalition of five labor unions and 90 community groups aimed at protecting New Orleans’ water supply. They mobilized hundreds of volunteers to demonstrate public opposition through car caravans, lawn sign displays and rallies. Within three months, the coalition was successful in convincing the Water and Sewage Board to reject all of the corporate bids, making it possible for residents to maintain control of their public water system.
