Dear Nation Member:

My name is Chris Miller, and I have been a member of the Seventh Generation Community for about a year. I work in our Corporate Consciousness unit, focusing on issues of sustainability and corporate social responsibility. I feel incredibly fortunate to play a small role in a company that's making a big difference.

I left a five-year stint running Greenpeace's global warming campaign to come to Seventh Generation, and I continue to spend a good portion of my time working on climate change. To my mind, there is no more important issue.

Each generation of Americans has faced a profound challenge. From the Great Depression to the Greatest Generation that beat back the rise of fascism, Americans have continually risen to meet great challenges. Now it is our turn, and climate change is our challenge. We will be judged by succeeding generations on whether we met this challenge head on, or instead condemned future generations to inhabit a planet that bears little resemblance to the one we now enjoy.

We have made climate change a priority at Seventh Generation, taking steps to reduce the impact of our products across their lifecycle. We have also made investments in our employees, supporting their personal efforts to reduce their carbon footprint, both at home and at work. And we have joined a group of progressive businesses called BICEP (Businesses for Innovate Climate and Energy Policy), which includes companies such as Nike, Starbucks, Levi's, The Gap, and Ebay, to lobby for strong science-based legislation to tackle climate change. There is still much work to be done, which is why I write to you today.

After years of inaction, the United States Congress is on the verge of acting on legislation that would for the first time set limits on our country's greenhouse gas emissions. It is truly a historic moment; however, the bill is far from perfect. The powerful fossil fuel lobby has been successful in weakening key provisions of the bill. But make no mistake, this legislation would usher in a new era of environmental protection. It makes important investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and green job creation. For the first time since the industrial revolution began, this bill will permanently turn the curve on our country's greenhouse gas emissions, reducing global warming pollution by roughly 4% below 1990 levels by 2020. This falls well short of the 25% to 40% below 1990 levels that the broad consensus of the scientific community says is necessary to adequately address the problem, but there is no doubt it sets us on the right path, and we believe it deserves support.

That's why Seventh Generation and the other BICEP companies are calling on Members of the House of Representatives to support the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES), and to vote against any efforts to further weaken the bill. I would like to invite you to join us at this crucial moment.

Please consider taking three minutes to make your voice heard by calling your Representative in Congress. It's fast and easy. All you have to do is call the Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121 and ask the operator to transfer you to your Member of Congress. If you don't know his or her name, don't fret, the operator will. Below is a brief script you can use, or feel free to put it in your own words. Your Representatives really do care what you have to say, and it's important that they hear from their constituents, because no doubt, they are hearing from the oil and coal lobbyists.

Hi, I'd like to leave a message for Rep. ________. I am calling because I care about protecting our planet for future generations, and I urge Rep. _________ to support the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, the ACES bill. It's also important to me that Rep. _______ vote against any amendment that would further weaken the bill. Thank you.

Thank you so much for being a part of the Seventh Generation Nation, and thanks for protecting our planet, for the next seven generations and beyond.

Yours in action,
Chris Miller
Corporate Consciousness
Seventh Generation

photo: Warren Rohner