Clean Air Cool Planet is a New England based non-profit that mobilizes businesses, universities and communities to decrease their Greenhouse gases. CACP finds and offers solutions to their partners to mitigate climate change. Within the larger climate movement and Moyer’s MAP model, CACP functions as a Professional opposition organization (POO), a centralized organization at the regional level. While the POOs create a ripening condition for social change, a proliferation of such organizations can diffuse the movement. As Nordhaus and Shellenberger suggest in the “Death of Environmentalism,” the environmental movement needs to broadened. Climate change cannot be solely a franchise of the environmental movement. It needs to be connected to other issues like domestic security, jobs, and economic prosperity.

CACP already has a diverse network of partners that includes companies such as Shaw’s and Timberland and universities such as Middlebury and Bowdoin. We are supporting and helping strengthen their existing partnerships and potentially building new ones with Staples and Dragon Products (cement company). By conducting a survey we are studying their current and potential relationships and trying to understand what “tips” a company to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Based on our interviews with current and possible partners we hope to create a 5-year plan for CACP’s relationship with businesses and universities. The plan will provide next steps for taking action to broaden the climate movement through non-traditional partnerships.

Universities

• Create chapter model (e.g. Operation Smile, Amnesty International)
• Establish on campus internship to provide communication between CACP, environmental groups, administration and campus coordinators.
• Encourage new and creative approaches to the climate movement through art and music.
• Incorporate service learning projects with CACP.

Businesses

• Facilitate collaboration amongst their existing partners to share existing strategies and build new ones.
• Form potential lobbying group to change policies to reward progressive companies.