On Feb. 7, 2013, HEAL Utah, the Utah chapter of the Sierra Club and Utah Rivers Council presented a citizen advocate training called “Green Lobby Night.” About 50 people were present at the training to learn how to make changes using the political landscape.
HEAL Utah’s Policy Director Matt Pacenza presented information on how to create political change through ways other than face to face contact with legislators.
“Each of you has the power of one, but you also have power beyond that,” says Pacenza. Bringing friends and family to rallies and hearings will magnify each person’s power.
Whether speaking at a hearing or emailing a legislator, it is important to be clear, concise and polite.
According to Pacenza, letters to the editor are still a good way to express an opinion. They reach a lot of people, and the letters to the editor pages are among the most read.
“Try to be really short, blunt – to the point,” says Pacenza.
Most importantly, Pacenza says that you need to tell your story. Human beings have a hard time with statistics. Telling them a story about how a bill will make your life better because of the changes it will make in air quality, for example, will bring the point home better than any discussion about 2.5 ppm with percentages and other numbers.
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