Climate change is my biggest environmental concern. I only have to read information published by climate scientists to be fearful. Please check out this website:  https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/  .   I have tried as an individual to help reduce my carbon footprint by using only solar power for my home and office and to run my part electric car. I am thankful for the options to be able to buy such technology.  Government subsidies made this possible for me.  I still feel powerless as an individual to make much of a difference.  Some individuals have much more power than others.  People high up in government or entrepreneurs and business people that have economic resources have much more power to make change than I do.  The President of the USA has maybe the most power to make change by effecting policy, inspiring others to act, directing resources, pooling experts, and using diplomacy to influence other countries around the world.  Some of the things the President could do would be to add more funding to climate science and research solutions, use the best economic minds in America to brainstorm the most cost effective methods of spending money to lower carbon emissions, work with other countries around the world in a concerted effort to reduce carbon emissions globally, and finally encourage the planning for future sustainable living options which will save resources and lives in the future ( especially in areas that will be most impacted).  Perhaps in the end it will be come down to the scientists coming to our rescue again just as they did to reverse the expanding ozone hole in the very recent past!  However there is a chance that if we reduce our carbon footprint we would give them more time to come up with solutions and time is scarce right now.

I have decided that my action in addition to reducing my own carbon footprint will be to write letters and emails to the President of the USA and to all of the candidates running for president of the US in the 2020 election-including democrats, republicans, libertarians, independents, etc. to make climate change a top issue in their campaign. My letters will be folded into the form of birds.  As a symbol of the destruction of life you will have to unfold the bird to read its message.  Hopefully we won’t have to experience destruction to get the message that we should have acted to prevent it. Climate change should not be a political football, it should be a priority for all parties and for all countries.

I am using a list of candidates from Citizens Count website www.citizenscount.org on March 3, 2019 and will continue to update the list and continue mailing folded birds with this letter below until the election in 2020. I invite others to join me!

Here is a copy of my letter and here is a link to how to create a bird fold. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux1ECrNDZl4

Folded bird with the following message printed on the paper:

Dear Senator or Representative or Candidate for President of the US,

I urge you to significantly increase funding for scientific research into climate change solutions and promote government policies that lower the world’s carbon footprint as quickly as possible as a way to make Earth habitable for future generations.  Put Climate Change on the top of your priority list.

Sincerely,

My name
My address
My phone number

Declared Candidates 2020*:

President Donald Trump

Email: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Address: The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Senator Cory Booker- Democrat from New Jersey

Email: https://www.booker.senate.gov/?p=contact
Address: 717 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Julian Castro- Democrat-Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary

Email: https://www.julianforthefuture.com/contact/
Address: To be found

Representative John Delany- Democrat from Maryland

Email: infor@johndelaney.com
Address:To be found

Representative Tulsi Gabbard-Democrat from Hawaii

Email: TulsiOffice@mail.house.gov
Address:1433 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand- Democrat from New York

Email: https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/email-me
Address:780 Third Ave. Suite 2601; New York, New York 10017
478 Russell; Washington, DC 20510

Senator Kamala Harris-Democrat from California

Email: https://www.harris.senate.gov/contact/email
Address: 501 I Street, Suite 7-800; Sacramento, CA 95814
112 Hart Senate Office Building; Washington, D.C. 20510

Senator Amy Klobuchar-Democrat from Minnesota

Email: https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-amy
Address: 425 Dirksen Senate Building; Washington, DC 20510

Senator Bernie Sanders-Democrat from Vermont

Email: https://www.sanders.senate.gov/contact/comment
Address:US Senate; 332 Dirksen Building; Washington, DC 20510

Senator Elizabeth Warren-Democrat from Massachusetts

Email: https://www.warren.senate.gov/contact/shareyouropinion
Address: 317 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Bill Weld-Republican-Former governor of Massachusetts, 2016 VP nominee for the Libertarian Party

Email: BWeld@mintz.com
Address: To be found

Andrew Yang-Democrat-Entrepreneur-made his name with nonprofit Venture for America

Email: https://www.yang2020.com/contact-us/
Address: Friends of Andrew Yang; P.O. Box 214; Midtown Station ;New York, NY 10018

Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper-Democrat

Email: https://secure.hickenlooper.com/
Address:Hickenlooper 2020; PO Box 6377; Denver, CO 80206

Possible Candidates: Senators and Representatives*:

Senator Sherrod Brown-Democrat from Ohio

Email: https://www.brown.senate.gov/contact/email
Address:503 Hart Senate Office Building; Washington, DC 20510

Senator Jeff Flake-Republican from Arizona

Email: To be found
Address:To be found

Senator Jeff Merkeley- Democrat from Oregon

Email: https://www.merkley.senate.gov/contact
Address: 313 Hart Senate Office Building; Washington, DC 20510

Former Representative Beto O’Rourke- Democrat from Texas

Email: https://www.facebook.com/betoorourke/
Address: 300 S Florence St.;El Paso, TX 79901

Representative Tim Ryan-Democrat from Ohio

Email: https://timryanforms.house.gov/contact/
Address:1126 Longworth HOB;Washington, DC 20515

Representative Eric Swallwell-Democrat from California

Email: https://swalwell.house.gov/contact/email
Address: 407 Cannon House Office Building; Washington, DC 20515

Possible candidates: Governors, mayors, and other elected officials*:

Michael Bloomberg-Democrat, Former New York City Mayor

Email: to be found
Address:To be found

Montana Governor Steve Bullock-Democrat

Email: http://governor.mt.gov/Contact/Share-Your-Comments-with-Governor-Bullock
Address: Office of the Governor; PO Box 200801; Helena, MT 59620-0801

Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Democrat; Mayor of South Bend, Indiana

Email: mayorpete@southbendin.gov
Address: 227 West Jefferson Blvd.;Suite 1400 N; South Bend, Indiana 46601

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti-Democrat

Email: mayor.helpdesk@lacity.org
Address:200 N. Spring Street; Los Angeles, CA 90012

Former Attorney General Eric Holder-Democrat

Email: To be found
Address: To be found

Washington Governor Jay Inslee-Democrat

Email: https://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/contact/send-gov-inslee-e-message
Address:Office of the Governor; PO Box 40002; Olympia, WA 98504-0002

Former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe-Democrat

Email: https://www.terrymcauliffe.com/
Address: To be found

Possible candidate: Former presidential ambitions*

Former Vice President Joe Biden-Democrat

Email: https://www.facebook.com/joebiden/
Address: To be found

Ohio Governor John Kasich-Republican

Email: https://www.johnkasich.com/contact
Address: To be found

Former Secretary of State John Kerry-Democrat

Email: https://www.facebook.com/johnkerry/
Address: To be found.

Former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley-Democrat

Email: To be found
Address:To be found

*Citizens Count website www.citizenscount.org on March 3, 2019