Our Mission

ecoAmerica moves society toward climate solutions by inspiring and empowering trusted national institutions and their millions of stakeholders in local communities across America to visibly act and advocate. Our mission is built upon our commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

Our Principles

Ambition

Climate action and advocacy must include everyone, every day and work toward immediate comprehensive solutions, not incremental progress. We need to stop burning fossil fuels now.

Justice

If we solve climate challenges for the least of us first, we’ll solve them for all of us. Climate solutions are only effective when they address economic, democratic, health, and other injustices. ecoAmerica embeds justice in all of our work.

Restoration

We need to shift focus from mitigation to restoration in all climate solutions. Healthy nature can restore itself, heal the planet, and heal society.

Moving Society Toward Climate Solutions

We need the widespread engagement of Americans on climate solutions in a way that inspires them to reduce their own emissions and empowers them to invite their neighbors, workplaces, communities, and policymakers in climate action and advocacy. ecoAmerica’s unique strategy does just that.

  • We build national leadership by inviting diverse health, faith, and civic leaders to guide and support inclusive sector-based climate programs.
  • We reach Americans that others cannot at scale, by partnering with over 100 trusted national organizations that have credibility and deep reach into every community in the nation.
  • We embed justice in our work.
  • We ensure effectiveness by conducting attitude, communications, and social science research and by tailoring our core programs for each of our partners.
  • We build local climate leadership with ambassadors, localized resources, and sector-based campaigns to activate public support and political resolve for climate solutions.
  • We train and support thousands of local activists with tailored resources and sophisticated online platforms like Litmos and Mobilize to empower action and full-spectrum advocacy.

Our research shows people need to know how they can make a difference. They need the support of their families, neighbors, and colleagues. They need their trusted leaders in their local communities to lead. ecoAmerica builds and activates climate activists and communities across America.

ClimateRx

ClimateRx

is a campaign within our Climate for Health program designed to spark conversation and action on climate change and health at the point of care. Harnessing the power of health professionals’ direct interaction with the American public, ClimateRx delivers QR-code-enabled badges that trigger interest and action on climate change in trusted care-forward settings.

One Home One Future

One Home One Future

is a multifaith campaign within our Blessed Tomorrow program focusing on generational climate justice, the campaign brings vitality and energy to religious communities at the local, regional, and national levels. Participating congregations hang One Home One Future banners on the exteriors of their house of worship, and commit to inviting, supporting, and activating clergy, congregants, and their local communities in meaningful and just climate solutions.

Supporting Our Partners

Supporting Our Partners

ecoAmerica programs employ our research and build our partners’ capacity to be visible climate leaders, providing the rationale and resources to inspire and empower local and national climate action with their professionals and the public. We provide sector and organizationally-tailored resources including:

  • Strategic Guidance and Planning to develop climate policy and effective climate programs.
  • Moving Forward and Let’s Talk Climate guides with comprehensive steps for effective climate action, advocacy, and communications.
  • Climate Ambassador Training to build knowledge and confidence for full spectrum advocacy.
  • Climate Action Sheets for individuals in their homes and communities, with policymakers, and on key climate topics.
  • Regular webcasts, blogs, and newsletters with the latest news, inspiration, and opportunities for action.
  • Critical research to make climate change personally relevant and motivating.
  • Annual in-person forums and quarterly sector leadership convenings to share learnings and best practices.

ecoAmerica's Impact and Measurement

ecoAmerica addresses climate change from a societal movement perspective. We inspire and empower a broader diversity of Americans to act and advocate for just and equitable climate solutions, filling a needed gap in the climate movement. We will know that we have succeeded when:

  • A critical mass (15-25%) of the top national American health, faith, and civic institutions make just and equitable climate solutions a top priority.
  • These organizations shift to visibly leading on climate and are inviting their professional members to do the same.
  • These organizations are “leading by example” by demonstrating the importance, feasibility, and practicality of climate solutions.
  • An increasing majority of their members feel motivated and empowered to engage on climate and be part of the solution above 60% and increasing year over year.
  • Through institutions and their professional members, 40% of Americans are being inspired, engaged, and invited into climate solutions. They understand that a) we can solve the climate challenge, b) doing so will reap a multitude of benefits, and c) through their own behaviors and advocacy they can make a difference.

HOW WE MEASURE IMPACT

ecoAmerica measures impact in three ways including reach, activity, and shifts in motivation and action.

  • Reach — size, scale, and diversity of our partners (constituencies, regions); number and diversity of ambassadors and local climate leaders; campaign reach.
  • Activity — the visible activities of our partners and members to engage members and society with statements, programs, events, action, and advocacy efforts.
  • Shifts in Motivation and Action — measured through surveys and qualitative before and after case studies, the shifting attitudes (permission, motivation) and personal and public policy behaviors toward climate action more quickly than the American public baseline.

National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO)

National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO)

13,000 public health leaders; 1,500 local health departments; a partner since 2022

After participating in the Climate for Health Executive Committee for many years, CEO Lori Freeman was ready to further elevate NACCHO's climate leadership. Then COVID-19 struck. Through persistence and determination, by 2022 our partnership was launched. NACCHO began featuring the Climate for Health Ambassador training in conferences, expanding climate education, and strengthening sustainability and climate resources. With guidance and resources from ecoAmerica's Climate for Health program, the NACCHO Climate Action Toolkit website was launched in March of 2023. In the first few months, hundreds of NACCHO members took the training and joined the Ambassador program. And in 2023, NACCHO hosted its first formal climate change track at its annual conference, empowering its 13,000 members to act and advocate for climate solutions as a matter of public health.

The Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Church

6,294 churches and 1.678 million baptized members, a partner since 2015

When he took the helm of the Episcopal Church (TEC), as Presiding Bishop, Rev. Michael Curry recognized that addressing climate justice was critical to the mission of the church. He brought together church leadership for a weekend consultation at his home and invited ecoAmerica President Bob Perkowitz to present and join the meeting. The ensuing partnership included an ecoAmerica-produced video featuring Bishop Curry that was on display at COP25, a new church website, resources, and a customized Episcopal Climate Ambassador training program. TEC's commitment to climate justice continues to grow. The profile for the 28th Presiding Bishop, released in May 2023 states, "We have discerned that the environmental crisis is one of the most pressing issues facing our world today and that it must be an absolute priority over the next 10 years.”

Growing Climate Solutions

Growing Climate Solutions

Southwest Florida, launched in 2019

Prior to 2019, it was common for relatively conservative-leaning Southwest Florida to avoid saying the words “climate change” despite the area having some of the greatest exposures to climate impacts. After Fox News aired ecoAmerica's research showing that a majority of Southwest Florida's residents were concerned about climate change, Growing Climate Solutions (GCS), supported by our Path to Positive Communities (P2PC) program, emerged as a regional leader that mobilized local organizations, increased public awareness, and laid a path for solving climate change. P2PC provided the strategy, model, research, and resources for GCS's success which has reached thousands through direct engagement, webinars, a high-profile speaker series, and local leadership. After being rescheduled due to Hurricane Ian, in 2023 GCS hosted a sold-out climate summit including dozens of community stakeholders, 29 civic organizations, 20 elected and appointed officials, and over 250 local residents. The resulting April 2023 report identifies the unique climate challenges that the community faces with agreed-upon prioritized local actions and solutions relevant to the five-county region.

Join Us!

You can contribute to a sustainable future with both financial gifts to ecoAmerica and by inviting others in your community to join you in climate action and advocacy. Your financial support to ecoAmerica is vital to helping us equip major national institutions with all of the tools they need to prioritize climate and engage their members to act on and advocate for solutions. We depend on the generous support of donors and key constituents who share our philosophy that climate progress starts with people. Visit ecoAmerica.org to learn more about our work and commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

For more information on supporting ecoAmerica's work with gifts of any size, please contact:

Robbianne Mackin, Chief Development Officer

917-226-7595 | [email protected]

Donate Now

In addition to checks and credit card donations, we accept gifts of securities, planned gifts, memorial or tribute gifts, and matching gifts from corporate giving programs.