At CCAN, our main mission is to achieve climate and clean-energy policy advancements. Of course, we’re also determined make sure existing policies and programs have their full effect.

So, for our friends in DC, here’s a reminder to take advantage of the wonderful free home energy-audit program that the Department of the Environment established a few years back. If you own a single family or town home with 4000 square feet or less of floor space, you’re eligible for a cost-free professional assessment of your home’s energy use courtesy of the District's Home Energy Rating System program. All you’ve got to do is register for an audit and a professional from a certified home energy auditor like our friends at Elysian Energy, LLC will be in touch to schedule an appointment.

If you think this sounds like a good deal, then make sure to get your audit scheduled ASAP. Currently there's no guarantee that the District will renew the program after July 30th, and once people get wind of this, there could be a rush of customers vying for the limited remaining appointments.

Audits typically take a few hours and can help you identify cost effective ways to cut your energy bills and your carbon footprint. Plus, you’ll be helping to support local green jobs. Thanks to the HERS program, Elysian Energy for example is able to support six employees in the District.

And remember, such programs only exist because of the encouragement the District government has received from grassroots advocates. So once you’ve gotten your audit (or if you’ve already had one) please send a note to your city council members asking them to maintain and grow funding for these kinds of programs through the city’s Sustainable Energy Trust Fund.

For more info on the HERS program click here to visit the DDOE site, or visit Elysian's site. And when you sign up for the audit, don't forget to mention that CCAN sent you!

If anyone has any doubt that the climate movement is forging ahead after the rocky road we've traveled from Copenhagen to the Senate dead-end, they should just consider what happened on October 10th, 2010. The sheer mind-blowing scale of 350.org's 10/10/10 Global Work Party shows that far from losing momentum, the global climate movement has only picked up steam in countries across the world. Indeed, despite all the political blows we've been dealt this past year, people rallied behind climate action like never before

Check out this video put together by the Energy Action Coalition! It was taken at the Hands Across the Sand event in front of the White House- one of hundreds of events throughout the world.

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This Saturday, going out to a local ball park could be a fun evening with a "green" theme. Bethesda Green, a non-profit working to help Bethesda, Maryland, green itself is having a fundraising event with the semi-pro Bethesda Big Train. The Big Train is truly that 'family friendly park', small, low cost, and almost always with things going on.

This will be quite a busy night at that ballpark. Putting aside watching a game, Bethesda Green will be joined by The Big Green Bus, which is a Dartmouth College student project taking a vegetable oil powered bus around the country for climate change awareness (and action) and The Honest Tea company.

Putting aside that Green element, this will be a busy evening with "Carnival Night", Teacher Appreciation Night, Great Book night with a number of authors ...

Much more pleasant then going to the Nationals' "green" stadium.

Sigh ... if the stadium were only at a Metro stop ...

Want to save some $ while supporting sweet local businesses like Sticky Fingers (mmm, vegan treats!), Clean Currents (yay! wind cheaper than coal!), and Zipcar? (ok, so Zipcar's not local. They're still pretty awesome.)

Now you can with LiveGreen, a new organization where, for a membership of only $13, you get special deals and discounts from local eco-friendly businesses, from energy auditors to yoga studios to clean energy businesses. Check it out!

Now that's what I call going green.

A little snow won't stop us. Of course the Capitol Climate Action will go on as planned! We expect 2,500 dedicated activists to stand tall at the Capitol Power Plant and demonstrate that the course of history bends toward progress.

You can follow the day as it unfolds at http://www.capitolclimateaction.org/

From It's Getting Hot in HereBreaking news - and the organizing hub for the Capitol Climate Action is lit up right now!Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid just made an announcement moments ago - calling to switch the Capitol Power Plant entirely off of coal! Just 4 days before thousands of people are mobilizing at the facility for the largest act of civil disobedience in US history for the climate - this statement shows the power of grassroots action!The Capitol Power Plant has been controversial for years - as an antiquated, inefficient facility that is the largest source of the pollution in Washington DC. While efforts to clean up the plant and switch off its usage of coal have been attempted for years (including by Pelosi and the Greening the Capitol Initiative), powerful coal state interests (namely Senators Mitch McConnell and Robert Byrd) have blocked attempts to end it's usage of coal. This plant symbolizes the stranglehold coal has over our climate, our environment, our communities, and our political process.In the past 2 weeks, the Capitol Climate Action Coalition (made up of over 100 organizations from across the country) sent letters to Congress, informing them of our intent for peaceful action March 2nd at the Capitol Power Plant that is  reflecting the urgency and seriousness of the climate crisis.  And as the media buzz and public interest grows for this historic mobilization - we are flexing out political muscles, showing that people are demanding real change in our climate and energy policies.As Pelosi and Reid accurately noted:

Taking this major step toward cleaning up the Capitol Power Plant's emissions would be an important demonstration of Congress' willingness to deal with the enormous challenges of global warming, energy independence and our inefficient use of finite fossil fuels. We strongly encourage you to move forward aggressively with us on a comprehensive set of policies for the entire Capitol complex and the entire Legislative Branch to quickly reduce emissions and petroleum consumption through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean alternative fuels.

This statement today by Pelosi and Reid shows the power of grassroots movements to spur our leaders into action. As Congressional leaders are recognizing that better solutions exist for their own backyard - we must keep the pressure up to ensure that coal is phased out across the country, and replaced with clean, renewable, just solutions that solve the climate crisis, and support our communities.Thousands of you are already planning to join us March 2nd in DC - to make sure that our message is not simply about cleaning up one facility - but about climate justice for all.  We still have non-violence trainings  all weekend, and for people choosing to peacefully engage in civil disobedience or participate in the support rally -you can still  join us in keeping this momentum up!

"I think it's time we take a stand on global warming," says James Hansen in this video calling on all of us to take part in the March 2nd civil disobedience on Capitol Hill. Just days after the Washington Post reported that the pace of global warming is likely to be much faster than recent predictions, the scientific community is calling on all of us to ramp up our efforts.



Join us on March 2 as we participate in the largest civil disobedience on global warming in history.

On March 2, a mass action will occur at the coal-fired power plant that brings energy to Capitol Hill, bringing attention to coal's contribution to the climate crisis and its threat to the health of future generations. The Capitol Climate Action, www.capitolclimateaction.org, represents the beginning of a mass mobilization for climate justice and energy solutions.

Participants engaging in civil disobedience at the coal plant are committing themselves to practice the nonviolence principles of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Just as the civil rights movement was rooted in nonviolence, much was inspired and sustained by the faith community. In keeping with this tradition the Capitol Climate Action will be preceded by a prayer vigil offering an opportunity for people of various faiths to offer prayers for the success of this action and calling upon their spiritual resources to ground them in this important work for a cleaner, brighter, future for all of creation, in what Dr. King would call "the fierce urgency of now."

The Prayer Vigil will occur at the staging area for the action, at Spirit of Justice Park (about three blocks from the coal plant), C St. SE & New Jersey Ave. SE (two blocks west of Capitol South Metro), from 12:30 to 1 pm, on Monday March 2. Banners from worship communities are welcome.

• Opening: Lakota prayer to the 4 directions/Chant --Rose Khalsa 5 mins.



• Prayer: Muslim --Ibrahim Ramey 3 mins.



• Song: Bright Morning Star-- Rev. Fred Small 3 mins.



• Prayer: Rabbi Arthur Waskow 3 mins.



• Singing: Emma's Revolution "Peace, Salaam, Shalom" 3 mins.



• Prayer: Rev. Graylan Hagler 3 mins.



• Reflection: Rabbi David Saperstein 3 mins.



• Testimonial: Pete Ramey (Appalachian Mountain Stewards) 4 mins.



• Mountain Prayer- Kolya 1 min.



• Song: Luci Murphy "The Tree of Life" 3 mins

The buzz around the Capitol Climate Action is hot! The action has over 60 endorsing organizations and over 1500 people are registered and willing to risk arrest. It's taken on a life of its own