What We Do

Our Climate empowers young leaders to advocate for equitable and science-based climate policy.

Since 2014, we have trained and mobilized thousands of young people across the country to advance state-level policies that sharply reduce emissions and ensure a just transition to clean energy. Through structured curriculum, our students learn powerful advocacy skills to advance intersectional climate justice solutions. Our Climate leaders contribute to our campaigns by creatively organizing their communities, sharing their stories with wide-reaching media outlets, and connecting with decision-makers. 

In the past year, we’ve celebrated the passage of 12 state climate policies that Our Climate youth leaders advocated for:

In the past year, we’ve celebrated the passage of 12 state climate policies that Our Climate youth leaders advocated for:

  • The Climate and Community Protection Act in New York; 
  • The Climate Pollution Limits Bill in Washington;
  • Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s Executive Order to cap carbon pollution in the industrial, transportation, and natural gas sectors in Oregon;
  • 2050 Roadmap Climate Bill in Massachusetts;
  • The HEAL Act in Washington;
  • The Clean Fuel Standard in Washington;
  • The Working Families Tax Credit in Washington;
  • Capital Gains Tax in Washington;
  • Police tactics reform to ban chokeholds/no-knock warrants in Washington,
  • Farmworker Overtime in Washington;
  • Growth Management Act in Washington
  • SB 289 (a racial justice policy preventing biased crime in Oregon Parks)
  • The Energy Affordability Act in Oregon
  • SCR 17 (racial and environmental clause in approaching environmental policy in Oregon).

We have engaged young leaders in ongoing efforts to pass comprehensive policies. Since January 2021 we have:

  • Engaged over 10,000 students from 28 campuses across the United States in efforts to support policy through legislative advocacy, media engagement, and campus organizing;
  • Organized over 142 legislative advocacy events, workshops, and trainings to educate students about grassroots advocacy, legislative engagement, and climate solutions;
  • Empowered students to participate in over 41,000 legislative actions advocating for climate justice policy, including letter writing, petition signing, and direct lobby meetings;
  • Published 85 media pieces and blog posts to share youth stories and amplify the need for immediate climate action.

Our team has greatly built the capacity of our youth engagement and leadership development programs to provide meaningful opportunities for rising student leaders across the country. We have:

  • Recruited and hired 103 Fellows and Field Reps across the country in our 2021 cohort; 
  • Offered structured curriculum for Fellows and Field Representatives on intersectional justice, just transition, storytelling, and other advocacy topics; 
  • Reached over 5,000 young people through our podcast and educational webinars covering a range of topics, featuring speakers from Green 2.0, Climate Nexus, The GREEN Program, Organizing for Action, Friends Committee on National Legislation, When We All Vote, and other partners in the climate justice movement.

Our Climate’s leaders have elevated the conversation about concrete climate policies around the country and have:

  • Reached more than 8 million people online through videos, digital actions, student stories, and our podcast Is It Hot Enough For Ya?
  • Received media coverage from local and national outlets, including The Hill, USA Today, The Boston Globe, Teen Vogue, and Grist.
  • Won two international awards: the MIT Climate CoLab Judges’ Choice Award and the Keeling Curve Prize.