Becoming the top national ambassador for an energy policy group

Context:

The American Conservation Coalition is a youth-driven policy group that mobilizes students to engage in market-based energy policy. The idea is to engage groups like right-wing politicians who are otherwise not included in climate discussions to find a common ground in policies favoring the free market.

After growing up in the Midwest and witnessing many Republican communities deny climate change entirely, I saw the benefit in the broader organization approaching energy policy in a way that benefited both the planet and the market to incentivize voters. Therefore, I decided to found the Columbia, Missouri chapter and was recognized nationwide as the Top Ambassador of 2023.

Approach:

My work focused on three areas: mobilizing a student community, petitioning, and creating public forums to discuss climate policy solutions.

Building the Campus Chapter

In Columbia, Missouri, I founded and scaled a campus chapter to a 20-member team. Throughout the year, I hosted multiple events, including policy writing sessions, climate communication seminars with staffers in Washington DC, hikes, and trash clean-ups.

We primarily focused on researching relevant state policies impacting Missouri residents, determining our stance on the policies, and emailing Missouri state legislators.

Petitioning for Federal Policy

One of the large stances of the American Conservation Coalition is to expedite the approval and construction process of nuclear energy.

I would petition at various locations throughout Columbia, Missouri to gain support from students for changes to federal policy. I did this through teaching students about current policies, what nuclear energy is, and which policies could be implemented. I gained the support of over 500 students, which was used to demonstrate the impact of policies to federal legislators. This directly resulted in me winning the Ambassador of the Year award for receiving the most support nationwide.

Regional Climate Policy Forums

As the founder of the chapter, I was included as a spokesperson in broader regional initiatives. This included representing the American Conservation Coalition at conferences like the Midwest Climate Collaborative and St. Louis Earth Day Festival.

I taught 20,000 people attending these events about the mission and purpose of the American Conservation Coalition, policies they could enact in their own communities, and how students were represented through the organization.

This also included me publishing an op-ed through the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Columbia Missourian that was circulated amongst 1M people.

Result:

I received national recognition for my leadership and program development. I was selected as the Top Ambassador of 2023 at the American Conservation Coalition’s annual Eco Rights Gala in Salt Lake City, Utah. Over my year working with the ACC, I was able to reach 20 students in Columbia, Missouri, to engage in climate policy initiatives, gain support from 500 students through petitioning, and educate 20,000 attendees of regional climate forums.