Dear Climate Ambassador,
I hope you are staying safe and well during these challenging times.
Over the last few weeks, you haven’t heard from me as much as I would have liked.
This is because the NFWI Public Affairs team have been busy working with The Climate Coalition on an exciting plan…. organising the first virtual mass environmental parliamentary lobby!
What is a virtual parliamentary lobby and why should I take part?
A virtual parliamentary lobby is just like a normal meeting with your MP, but instead, it’s done digitally using the conference call software, Zoom.
We are at a turning point. As we start the long road to building back from the ongoing health crisis, we can choose to tackle climate change and nature’s decline, and rebuild a resilient economy that benefits everyone in society. Or we can let the moment for change pass us by, go back to our old ways and wait for new crises to hit.
As a large number of you did last year, we all need to come together and tell politicians that ‘The Time Is Now’ to put a healthier, greener and fairer future at the centre of plans to rebuild a strong economy.
As Climate Ambassadors, we would love you to be part of this virtual lobby. and would like to invite you to sign-up and have a cup of tea and a chat with your MP.
How do I sign up?
Clicking ‘register here’ below will take you through to The Climate Coalition’s website where you can input your details. Should you give your permission, this would also allow The Climate Coalition to email you to keep you updated with any important information before and shortly after the virtual parliamentary lobby.
Importantly, do also let our Public Affairs team know via the ‘Contact NFWI’ below when you have registered for the lobby, in order for us to answer any questions you may have ahead of the day- whether they be policy, technical or anything in between!
| Register here |
| Contact the NFWI |
Will I have help in the lead-up to the lobby?
Following your registration, you will be sent an email from The Climate Coalition with digital resources and documents to help prepare you for the lobby.
These resources include:
- A Lobby participant guide which contains:
- A template letter you can send to your MP to ask for a meeting
- Steps to take to prepare you for the lobby
- Some helpful Zoom meeting tips.
You can also find these resources in the link below.
From Monday 15th of June, a more detailed policy briefing will be available from The Climate Coalition website, alongside a supplementary quiz which you can use to start the meeting with your MP. The quiz will based on the main environmental measures we are calling for as part of the lobby.
On Tuesday 30th of June- the day of the lobby- there will also be a central Zoom Hub running throughout the day which you can dial in and out of as you wish. This will include plenty of talks, panel events and tips and advice from people who have already met their MP about their experiences.
More details on this will follow.
Members of the NFWI Public Affairs team will also be on hand to answer any questions you may have ahead of, during and following the lobby.
| Lobby resources |
Will I be doing the meeting on my own?
No! Like the 2019 ‘The Time Is Now’ lobby, The Climate Coalition would like as many people as possible to join the meeting with your MP.
MPs have already been contacted to ask them to block out an hour of their day on the 30th of June to meet with their constituents.
As MPs offices will be co-ordinating the Zoom meeting details. it is likely that you will be in a meeting with people you do not know, but who all care about achieving a greener, healthier, fairer future.
To help you meet some of these people beforehand, The Climate Coalition have set up regional Facebook groups, which are available for you to join.
A list of these groups can be found below, and will also be sent to you should you register to participate in the lobby.
As always too, the NFWI encourage you to buddy up with WI members- or Climate Ambassador networks!- who also live in your constituency to join the meeting.
| Find your regional Facebook group |
I want to take action- what do I need to do next?
In summary, the steps you need to take to get involved are:
- Register on The Climate Coalition website using our WI link.
- Contact the NFWI to let the Public Affairs team know you will be taking part.
- Receive the confirmation email from The Climate Coalition, which will include a lobby participant guide.
- Use the template email contained in the participant guide to contact your MP to ask for a meeting.
- Invite other residents of your constituency to join your meeting.
- If you have access to Facebook, consider joining the applicable regional Facebook group run by The Climate Coalition and get chatting to like-minded people in your constituency.
- On the 15th June, you will receive a more detailed policy briefing and quiz.
- Following your first email, if your MP hasn’t yet given you a meeting time slot on the 30th June after a few days, do follow up via telephone or email to confirm the meeting.
- When the time of your meeting has been confirmed, contact The Climate Coalition and the NFWI to let us know when your meeting will be taking place.
- On the 25th of June, you will be sent a checklist to help you prepare for your meeting with your MP.
- On the 30th June– the day of the lobby- meet with your MP, join the all-day Zoom call to hear environmental talks, panels and tips, and make sure to enjoy your day!
Do let the NFWI Public Affairs team know if you think you would find a virtual Zoom lobbying training session useful- this would be provisionally held in the week before the virtual parliamentary lobby.
As always, if you have any questions ahead of, or following your registration at the lobby, please don’t hesitate to contact me or the wider Public Affairs team.
I’m really looking forward to working together with you on the lobby- together we can help to ensure that our post-COVID-19 future is cleaner, greener, healthier and fairer.
Take care,
Fiona