CCL NEWS RELEASE
The New Mexico State chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) will host a virtual presentation open to the public Nov. 5 featuring author and hunger eradication activist Sam Daley-Harris. According to Sam, “agonizing, protesting, and turning off the news” aren’t our only options for making a difference on the issues we care about. There’s another way—what Daley-Harris calls transformational advocacy, a form of advocacy where you work to change an issue, and you are changed in the process. It’s not the only solution needed, but it is one essential missing piece: citizens awakening to their power.
Here are two examples.
Maxine Thomas said that she had a heart for service but was clueless about advocacy, especially political advocacy. After being trained and meeting with her Indiana members of Congress, Maxine said, “I was euphoric. I was on this high and felt I was part of something revolutionary.
Ellie Sparks said she was experiencing what she called “climate trauma”. She would read Bill McKibben’s book Earth and weep at home and weep at work. After being trained and meeting with 20 Congressional offices over four days, Ellie called the experience “sacred and profound.” From “I was clueless” to “I was euphoric”; from “climate trauma” to “sacred and profound”, that is transformational advocacy.
Stories like this are part of the completely revised and updated edition of Daley-Harris’ book, Reclaiming Our Democracy: Every Citizens’ Guide to Transformational Advocacy (Rivertowns Books 2025, paperback).
Feeling fed up with what’s going on in the world isn’t a flaw—it’s fuel, and Sam Daley-Harris wants to show you how to use it. All members of the public are welcome to join the presentation followed by Q&A on Wednesday, Nov. 5 from 6:30-7:30pm MST (Logon via Zoom, Meeting ID: 343 696 4851, Passcode: 696696).
“Sam was one of the original mentors to Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s founding members,” said Sara Ann Mason, resident of Los Alamos, State Coordinator for Citizens’ Climate Lobby in New Mexico, and a volunteer with the organization since 2021.
“He focused on eradicating hunger, and then by working with other organizations like CCL, he’s shown that his methods are applicable to a wide range of issues. We’re excited to learn from him so we can be most effective with what we care about most: building political will for bipartisan federal action to support the climate and energy infrastructure we need, not just in New Mexico but in the whole country,” Mason said.
In addition to hosting events like these, the New Mexico State chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby regularly meets with the offices of Sen. Heinrich, Sen. Lujan, Rep. Stansbury, Rep. Vasquez, and Rep. Leger-Fernandez to urge them to support effective climate and energy policy.
For more information, email Mason at
mason.saraann@gmail.com
Citizens’ Climate Lobby is a national nonprofit organization with local chapters across the country. The group has been the primary catalyst for the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. To learn more about our work, visit citizensclimatelobby.org.