Citizen Actions are one of the many tools we offer busy people who want to speak out on issues they care about. In 2007, CREDO members directed nearly a million calls, letters and e-mails to targeted decision-makers — and got results.
States scrub coal-fired power plants.
With states all over the country set to approve
new coal-burning plants, members urged legislators to abandon coal
power. Florida, Iowa and Kansas halted plans for coal-burning plants.
Texas called off eight plants. All in all, 30 coal-fired plants were halted.
Target scotches PVC.
PVC is a dangerous toxic used in thousands of
products. Wal-Mart, Ikea, Microsoft and Nike all agreed to phase out
PVC. Target, the nation’s second-largest retailer, refused. Members
urged Target to favor safer alternatives and Target agreed.
Congress raises wages, fuel standards.
Members have repeatedly asked Congress to raise the federal minimum wage and fuel-efficiency
standards. We finally got results, as Congress agreed to both.
California gets more sun power, less firepower.
Thanks to members’ calls
and letters, legislators passed and Gov. Schwarzenegger signed bills to
boost solar power and track the use of handguns in crimes.
Massachusetts protects clinics.
For years state law has allowed abusive
anti-choice activists within a mere six feet of women on their way into
family-planning clinics. We asked members to urge legislators to
establish a buffer zone around clinic entrances and they responded with
a 35-foot zone, the strictest in the nation.
Oregon gets healthier, greener, cleaner.
Members’ calls and letters
achieved remarkable results in Oregon. They helped pass legislation to
rein in urban sprawl; a law that requires insurers to cover prescription
birth control; a rule that calls on utilities to get 25% of their power
from renewable sources by 2025; and an updated bottle bill to curb
plastic containers.
Washington douses toxic flame retardant.
PBDE is a toxic flame retardant
and it's everywhere: in your furniture, your mattress, your body. A
study of breastfeeding mothers in the Northwest showed PBDE levels 20 to
40 times higher than nursing mothers in Europe, where PBDEs are
prohibited. Thanks to members' calls and letters, legislators voted to
ban all PBDEs, the nation’s first such law.
To make your voice heard year-round, CREDO members can enroll in our Automatic CitizenLetters® program. Click here to learn more.