Running Greener Campaigns
As Democrats, we often run campaigns on a platform of environmental sustainability. We are the party of science. The side that knows climate change is real and here. The people looking to save future generations.
But if we examine our collective campaign practices, we find significant amounts of hypocrisy. From killing trees and sending millions of direct mail pieces that just go in the trash, to the littering impact of plastic yard signs, to the emissions from the miles and miles spent on the campaign trail knocking doors and attending meetings — politics is not exactly the most sustainable industry.
Here are a few ways we have found to reduce the environmental footprint of our campaigns:
More sustainable campaign offices
A lot of the same rules that you use to be green at home apply to the office as well. Turn off lights when you aren’t in a room, adjust thermostat settings to conserve energy during off-hours, and use smart power strips that can be programmed to turn off all electronics when the office is closed.
Office supplies are going green too. Everything from clipboards and binders made from recycled materials to energy efficient printers are on the market nowadays. Organic cleaning products. Bamboo desks. Recycled markers and pens. The list goes on and on.
You can also stock offices using thrift stores, supporter donations, and other upcycled supplies that keep more materials from being thrown into landfills.Intentional food and beverage choices
Campaigning can be fueled by coffee and pizza deliveries, but these habits can be hard on the planet. Consider these more sustainable alternatives:
To reduce waste in landfills, invest in a coffee maker and/or a water dispenser and stock the office with mugs and reusable water bottles. For canvassing, ask volunteers to provide their own water bottles.
Encourage staff to pack their lunches in reusable containers instead of ordering large delivery meals. This reduces waste from disposable packaging and encourages healthier eating habits. If you are going to order takeout, order from a local business rather than a national or international chain to reduce your impact on the supply chain and all its environmental impacts.Less printing
Direct mail. Yard signs. Remit envelopes. Business cards. Bumper stickers. Door hangers. Walk packets. Buttons. Shirts. And on and on it goes.
Campaigns produce an incredible amount of junk. (No offense, fellow campaigners — but it’s true.) One of the best ways to reduce our collective environmental footprint is to stop creating so much collateral.
A smart digital buy can reduce the number of mailers you need to send. There are digital business cards now. Remit envelopes are classy, but not required to gather donations. Yard signs don’t win elections, and shirts are absolutely unnecessary. Bumper stickers don’t even stay in your district!
Cut it out. Or at least down. And for the things that can’t be avoided, find a (union) printer who uses recycled paper and compostable yard signs.Remote work
I’m just gonna say it: the traditional campaign office is a thing of the past. Unless you are running a gigantic field program with multiple full time staff members and daily phone banks and/or canvass kick offs — you do not need a headquarters.
Cutting the HQ will not only save you an expensive line item in your budget, but it will reduce emissions from commuting, electricity use, and waste from food, paper, and plastic.
Anything is better than nothing.
It’s up to you to customize a solution that will work for your campaign and your budget. But the goals should remain the same: reducing gas and electric use, eliminating single use purchases as much as possible, and ensuring that when you do produce waste, it’s done in a less harmful way. Despite how vast and complex the climate movement has become, it’s often still as simple as reduce, reuse, and recycle.
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