Hello and happy Friday!
In case you haven’t heard by now, our podcast is live. We are overwhelmed with the support and kind words and offers to participate from our dear EcoRight community. Thank you for listening. And please continue listening and reviewing, as your enthusiasm is what fuels us.
This week’s must listen: Come on, you knew this was coming. If you haven’t subscribed, please look up the EcoRight Speaks on your favorite podcast app and sign up to get us delivered to your device every week. On Apple Podcast, you can give us a rating (five stars is best) and #ProTip, if you add even a one-line review, it helps boost our profile. In our inaugural episode, after an intro from Bob Inglis, I chat with our Spokesperson, Mary Anna Mancuso, a political strategist who lives in Florida. We talk about shifting attitudes in the Republican Party when it comes to climate change, from “it isn’t happening” to “it’s happening but the climate has always been changing” to “yes, human-caused climate change is real.” We call out Florida’s active climate members like Rep. Francis Rooney, Rep. Brian Mast, Rep. Matt Gaetz, and Governor Ron DeSantis, then in the later half of the episode, we trade eco-friendly product recommendations. For those eager to investigate our favorites, check out the shared links below.
Mary Anna has been published twice as a Spokesperson, first in the Palm Beach Post and later in the Invading Seas. Check out her writing and definitely let us know what you think of the episode!
Links to a few Eco-Friendly Products mentioned in the episode (and some that ended up on the cutting room floor, but not because we don’t love them):
Albatross Designs Butterfly Razor: Tired of never finding the right replacement cartridges and/or the waste associated with disposable razors? While there is an upfront cost for the handle, the blades are cheap and Albatross will repurpose your used blades, keeping them out of landfills. (Mary Anna and I both use.)
Bite Toothpaste Bits: Mary Anna has been on the hunt for a bitable toothpaste that didn’t leave her mouth feeling chalky and this one fit the bill. Chelsea hasn’t tried the product yet, but Mary Anna is a big fan.
Lush Shampoo Bars: Tired of how quickly it seems we go through plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles? Try these shampoo and conditioner bars!
Dropps: Both their laundry and dishwasher pods come in fresh, clean scents and a recyclable cardboard box. No plastic jugs in the ocean. These do the tough job even on sticky teenage boy workout clothes.
Next week: Lance Lawson talks about how he convinced his father (also our guest) how climate change is real. Tune in!
Clean energy is part of the solution: Our friends from American Conservation Coalition Campus, the American Conservation Coalition’s advocacy arm, rolled out a week-long ad campaign airing on Fox News, emphasizing the importance of clean energy to the coronavirus recovery efforts. “How we rebuild is how we’ll be remembered,” the narrator states. “Join the young conservatives fighting for a clean future.”
“Tens of millions of people are unemployed, and their jobs might never come back,” ACC Campus President and founder Benji Backer said in a statement. “We know that transitioning to a clean energy system will create millions of jobs, spark the innovation we need to dig ourselves out of this recession, and spare future generations the astronomical costs of delaying climate action.”
This week’s must read: Spokesperson John Sweeney is coming at you this week from Human Events, where he was published with his latest op-ed, The Case for EcoNationalism. “America First environmental advocacyor an American form of “EcoNationalism”would align well with modern conservative ideology. Conceivably, its central tenets would include energy independence, clean energy innovation, economic protectionism, and the patriotic conservation of America’s natural beauty,” John writes. Check out the rest of his piece for more on his EcoNationalism and carbon tariff theories!
Wonder twin powers, activate: Two EcoRight champions made guest appearances at the Citizens Climate Lobby’s virtual June meeting (where we usually convened with the Conservative Caucus for a happy hour, which I am really missing this year, but I digress). Indiana Senator Mike Braun and former Florida Congressman Carlos Curbelo both videoed in, and you can watch their remarks here. Braun comes in around the 15:30 mark, and talks about his co-founding of the Senate Climate Solutions Caucus with pal, Senator Chris Coons. He also highlights the Growing Climate Solutions Act, a farmer-focused climate bill he recently introduced with bipartisan and agriculture support. “As a main street entrepreneur and conservationist, I know firsthand that if we want to address our changing climate, we need to facilitate real solutions that our farmers, environmentalists, and industry can all support,” he says.
In his segment (around the 19:00 mark), Curbelo talks carbon pricing (his 2018 bill was the first introduced by a Republican since Bob Inglis did his in 2010) which he hails as “a conservative idea…because it is economically sound.” Going on, he says, ” carbon pricing acknowledges, recognizes that pollution has a cost. Now that cost isn’t transparent. No one knows exactly what it is.”
Today is Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. I have been reading Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi, a book I cannot recommend enough. If you’re interested, consider purchasing it from your local, independent bookstore!
May this day and all your days be well.