A story by Barbara Moss on Kelly and Kristi Patterson. This article is also featured in the April 2025, issue of The Ripple.

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We each find our own ways to deal with the bad news of our rapidly changing climate. Experts tell us that personal consumer and lifestyle choices can help, but that large-scale policy changes are essential. How can individuals influence the creation of policy with a positive impact on climate issues? Twins Kelly and Kristi Patterson can offer some guidance. They asked themselves that question about seven years ago and discovered Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) at a social event. Since then, their involvement and optimism have grown, and they can confirm that people have more power when they work collectively through a unifying organization.

Kelly describes the stages of participation in CCL: “[Most people] attend our introductory Zoom call for new people that is held weekly and [afterwards take]a call with a veteran member of the group. Then [you can] start attending chapter meetings to learn more. If you want to ramp up your involvement, the next step is to do the Climate Advocate Training, either over Zoom or at a CCL conference; this lasts about two hours. You learn about CCL and our history, what we stand for, our principles, and some basics on policy we support.”

She continues, “CCL has hosted many state, regional, and national conferences, and we encourage people to attend those to learn more about anything from how to talk to [skeptics] about climate change to nuclear energy. If you go to Washington D.C., to lobby, there is a two-day conference to learn and do training on lobbying. I feel like it’s all pretty easy but just takes some time to dedicate to it. CCL also does a couple of trainings a month over Zoom as new things come up—like a deep dive into a new bill. You don’t have to know everything or be a policy expert to get involved.”

Kelly currently serves as the local chapter leader, so is speaking from a position of experience and authority about CCL’s activities. She claims that lobbying and political activism were not in her skill set when she joined. Here’s her description of what happens on a trip to Washington, D.C.: “When you sign up..., you will be emailed a lobby schedule beforehand that tells you what congressional office [you will visit], when the meeting is and where, who is on your lobby team, and who is leading the meeting. You will meet with this team when in D.C. to plan the agenda. After a two-day conference, nearly all lobby meetings happen on the third day, so you’ll spend that day going from meeting to meeting.”

Both Kelly and Kristi make these trips to exert influence on government officials. They acknowledge that while there is serious work to be done, there is also a social component and an opportunity to get to know fellow CCL members well. As with many activities, the appeal of community and the accountability to a bigger entity keep individuals engaged.

As CCL’s chapter leader, Kelly has leveraged her tech skills—she has a full-time job in IT at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center—as well as her comfort conversing with strangers. Kristi is employed as a data analyst with J.M. Rodgers. Since joining CCL, she has had two children. Career, motherhood... yes, it’s difficult to be a climate activist as well. But it is clear that one strong motivation—no, an imperative—for this work is the sisters’ concerns about “leaving the world a better place for the future generations.”

What are the tangible rewards of membership in CCL? Besides enjoying time with like-minded friends in the nation’s capital, the Pattersons note these outcomes: “Seeing the needle move” on a representative who has agreed to co-sponsor a bill. Having crucial legislation pass or a solar farm get approval. Watching democracy in action and being inspired by a thousand people who care deeply about the same issue. Simply knowing that you are working on an undertaking of immense significance.

There are other reasons these young women are willing to invest their precious free time, often including vacation weeks, into CCL. Kristi has observed increasing support among lawmakers on the political right. In 2021, the Conservative Climate Caucus was created within the House of Representatives, and climate-change-related bills are no longer uniformly opposed by Republican officials. Kelly routinely tracks U.S. greenhouse gas emissions; the small, though steady decreases energize her to continue her efforts.

What about today’s political and cultural divide? Is there hope? The sisters remind us that 90% of Americans “believe” in global warming, and many often just need the right conversation to incite them to action. CCL is a non-partisan organization and coaches members to find common ground when encountering opposition and also not to expect change overnight. Kelly acknowledges that the scariness of the climate issue causes us to feel anxious or to ignore it. Yet she and Kristi have gained useful knowledge and experienced personal satisfaction in working with CCL, and they encourage anyone with even a little curiosity to attend a chapter meeting. Here’s Kelly on what happens: “About a dozen of us gather either over Zoom or at a library to get announcements, brainstorm ideas for future events, hear from a speaker on a climate topic, and usually get a chance to discuss current news topics at the end.”

Readers may be saying to themselves, “I cannot be a lobbyist.” “I don’t have the time.”“I am not a good speaker.” “It would be terrifying to talk with a politician one-on-one.” “I am not a scientist and don’t learn facts easily.” Citizens’ Climate Lobby can still use you. You can send an email, make a phone call to leave a scripted message for a state congressperson, or just attend a chapter meeting to enhance the power of collective engagement. You could staff a table at an Earth Day fair or a church forum. Yes, other CCL volunteers, including Kristi, who is the chapter’s lead festival organizer, will help you learn how to promote the group and climate-change activism at public events.

Even the most enthusiastic and committed CCL members can become discouraged. Both women note how slowly Congress moves. Meetings of legislators can be boring. Change is often difficult to detect, until one looks back over several years. Some members are passionate about the work; some recruits fade away quickly or never find a niche. Yet while discouraged by increasing annual averages in global temperatures, the national organization claims to be reaching some of its goals. Both Kristi and Kelly agree that a win may be achieving what’s possible rather than what’s optimal.