Opening Statement at the CLIMATEWORK Seminar
Learn more and view our recent launch webinar hosted by:
Alan Caron, President | Blue Loon Lakefront Homes
Cathy Lee, Managing Partner | Lee International
Doug McKeown, Board Chair | Woodard & Curran
Kristina Egan, Executive Director | GPCOG
I want to start by telling you a little about this new organization, how it was created and what we hope to do going forward.
First and foremost, ClimateWork Maine was created because of the urgency of climate change and the need for action.
Over the last year, a group of twenty or so dedicated and talented leaders have been working to lay the foundations of an organization that will be in this for the long haul.
We start with three basic premises.
The first is that we cannot succeed with our state's ambitious plans for climate without the active engagement of the businesses of Maine. That is a matter of simple math. There are 147,000 small and medium businesses in Maine. If they are not taking action on climate, our ambitious state goals cannot be met.
Second, we need an organization of, by and for businesses, where they can learn from each other and speak with one voice.
Third, growing numbers of businesses understand what climate change means for them, and for our economy, and want to be part of the solution.
But, in too many cases, they don't know where to begin, or what is the most effective thing for them to do. They need guidance and support, and to be networking with others who are already taking action.
With those things in mind, our goals are:
1. To help more businesses to take whatever action they can, now, that will move us forward on climate
2. To help those businesses that may need to reinvent themselves to survive the changes we'll face
3. To help new and emerging businesses that will become the foundations of a more sustainable prosperity in the future
We want to be clear on this point: ClimateWork Maine is about action. Practical, measurable action. There will be speeches and debates and policies to consider, but at the end of the day, we must be able to measure action on the ground.
Our theory of change is simple, and our targets are clear. We are focused first on those companies that are forward-leaning, informed and ready to act. You might think of that as the leading 1% of businesses in Maine, which is about 1,500 businesses. As they act, they will inspire the ten percent to follow, which represents about 15,000 businesses in Maine. Over time, that ten percent will inspire the majority of businesses in this state to step up and take action.
We will not invest time and energy in people or companies that are determined not to act, or even to acknowledge that climate change is a problem. There is not time for that.
What we want those leading businesses to do is not overly complicated.
· fix your buildings to make them as efficient as possible
• change the way you heat those buildings
• convert your vehicles and fleets to electric
· understand the way that your purchasing and materials selections affect climate change
· share what you learn and do in order to inspire others
To accomplish those things, we will need an organization with two great wings, working in harmony. On wing will engage with our members to move them forward, while always working to expand our membership. The other wing will constantly communicate with the larger business community to move more business toward action.
Over the coming year, we hope to speak to every Chamber of Commerce and business-focused organization that will have us. We will also begin this month with a monthly newsletter called Action Items, which will be full of things that can be done, new technologies, trendlines and inspiration.
Finally, we are planning the first of what will become an annual summit in Augusta on Maine's economy and climate change, that will provide an extraordinary opportunity to network, to learn and to engage.
We are working to expand the scope of the climate conversation with people who have not always been part of it, but who must be. As President John Kennedy once famously said, “We do this work not because it is easy, but because it is hard.” Mobilizing the business community to take action on climate change will not be easy. But it is essential to our overall success.
ClimateWork Maine has great potential to help accelerate that change, within the business community, and to change the arc of Maine's future. But to reach that potential we need your ideas and energy and help. So join us now as we put our shoulders and our hearts to this task.