The Climate + Energy Project (CEP) is partnering with the Environmental Voter Project (EVP) to increase voter participation in climate related policies to build long-term climate resilience in Kansas.
The Climate + Energy Project is a nonpartisan 501(c)3 nonprofit that builds resilience in Kansas through equitable clean energy solutions and climate action. CEP has a long history of working in Kansas to build momentum around clean energy and climate resilience policies, including the Save Kansas Solar campaign, Climate + Energy Voters Take Action and the Kansas WEALTH partnership. In 2017, CEP joined a network of organizations funded by the Kansas Health Foundation to implement Integrated Voter Engagement into its work.
The Environmental Voter Project is a non-partisan nonprofit dedicated to increasing voter demand for environmental leadership by identifying inactive environmentalists and then turning them into consistent voters. Founder and Executive Director, Nathaniel Stinnett, launched the project in 2015 to close the gap of registered voters who understand climate change and want to see action on climate related policies but don’t show up at the polls. The group estimates that they’ve been able to convert just over 733,000 of those people into regular voters in the last five years.
Earlier this year, EVP announced it would expand into five new states, including Kansas. It encourages voters to sign a Voter Pledge and then works to turn out the vote in local and state elections.
“This new partnership with the Environmental Voter Project represents a natural evolution of our work at CEP,” says Executive Director, Dorothy Barnett. “We use a systems-based approach to tackle the various climate challenges impacting health and economies across Kansas. Bolstering the voice of the electorate around these issues is critical to the future success of our state.”
The partnership with the Environmental Voter Project falls under CEP’s new Kansas Climate CORE, which stands for Community Organizing for Resilience + Equity. CORE Leaders will have access to training opportunities, peer learning, voter education and community engagement. Kansas Climate CORE Leaders will help increase voter awareness and engagement on the links between health, climate, energy, and solutions that build community resilience.
Learn more about the Kansas Climate CORE, sign the Voter Pledge, & register for phone bank training on our website.
For additional information or media inquiries, please contact Dorothy Barnett at (785)424-0444 or barnett@climateandenergy.org.
