Happy Friday and happy graduation to those marking the end of high school, college, or grad school. ??My son Jack got his high school diploma on Thursday and we have the virtual ceremony on Saturday. It isn’t the same as the real deal, but I’m glad his school was able to mark the occasion the best and safest they could.??
??Join us TODAY for a FREE webinar with Jeff Bridges (yes, the actor): This afternoon at 3pm ET, the republicEn community is invited to join award-winning actor Jeff Bridges and former U.S. Congressman Bob Inglis for an exclusive conversation about climate change. ??
During this interactive virtual event, we will discuss the documentary Living in the Future’s Past (produced by Bridges and featuring Inglis), the challenge of addressing our changing climate, and how conservatives have immense power to make a difference.
Please join us!
EVENT DETAILS
Climate Chat with Jeff Bridges
Date: Friday, May 29, 2020
Time: 3:00-4:00 p.m. EDT
??COMING SOON: EcoRight Speaks Podcast: We are so thrilled to announce that after much discussion, we are launching a new podcast, EcoRight Speaks, scheduled to release on June 9th, with episodes dropping every Tuesday after that.
I had the distinct pleasure of recording a few of these episodes already, and for a sneak peek into what you can expect, let me just say the conversations have been so fun and IMHO, engaging. Among the first batch to release will be a conversation I had with County Youth Chair/Spokesperson Lance Lawson and his dad, Brian Anderson, subject of Lance’s January 2020 op-ed, How I convinced my dad climate change is real (Tampa Bay Times). Lance, a recent graduate of Bayside Christian High School who is planning on attending William and Mary in the fall to study political science en route to law school and an eventual running for office, walked me through his very data-driven process of learning about an issue, and how he uses facts over passion in his arguments.
He’s also charming and funny, and we had a good laugh.
I also talked with Nick Huey (no picture, sorry) and had a riveting conversation with Mary Anna Mancuso (she’s En!??)about all our favorite eco-friendly products. I’m not going to lie, we really geeked out on this episode. My hope is that as a result of our conversation, you find something new and sustainable that you can weave into your life. ??
??Congratulations! We are so proud of Edward Maibach, University Professor in Communication in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at George Mason University for winning The Beck Family Medal for Excellence in Research and Scholarship, which honors a faculty member for groundbreaking achievements. Ed, a big friend of the EcoRight, is founding director of Mason’s Center for Climate Change Communication (4C) and is an international authority on the public understanding of climate change. His research addresses the communication and behavior change challenges associated with climate change, such as where and how citizens learn about the issue, and has impacted public policy discussions nationally and globally. His work has been featured in Week En Review, and we salute him.??
??You don’t know Jack yet! In early May we were thrilled to welcome Jack Pleasants to the team as our Social Media Manager. He is entering his senior year at Yale, is currently working from his parents’ home in Northern California, and is already proving to be a messaging whiz. We thought it might be fun to get to know a few things about him, so we put him on the spot to answer some key questions. He learned about us from his pal, our last summer intern and spokesperson Ben Mutolo, and he says that to him, the EcoRight “represents a critical group, a group bigger than a lot of people realize, but a group that is still concretizing its fundamental approach or strategy. The EcoRight is essential because the U.S. needs an enduring, efficient, bipartisan policy on climate change (which will ultimately benefit the country and world tremendously). The EcoRight can make that happen!” The six people he’d have at his dinner table are Bono, Martin Luther King, Jr., Kobe Bryant, Harriet Tubman, Lao Zi, and Taylor Swift (I really want to overhear the conversation this group would have) and his favorite pizza is Hawaiian. For one more fun fact, Jack offers that he loves the blues. “Look up Albert King’s ‘Blues Power’ at the Fillmore East, or ‘Blues at Sunrise’ with Stevie Ray Vaughan. If that doesn’t get you in a good mood, I don’t know what will.” ??
As we move into June, wishing you all continued good health.