Skip to main content
Audubon
  • Audubon Near You
    • Audubon Locations
    • Audubon Events
  • Press Room
  • Shop Audubon
    • Audubon Products
    • Gift Center
  • We Are All Audubon

    The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation.

    Bald Eagle. Photo: Howard Arndt/Audubon Photography Awards

    About Audubon

    • Audubon Network
    • The Flyways
    • 2016-2020 Strategic Plan
    • Leadership & Board of Directors
    • Reports & Financials
    • Audubon Action Fund
    • Fellowships
    • Careers
    • Our History
    • Contact Us
  • Membership
  • Donate
  • Take Action
    Close
    See all the ways you can help
    Or take action immediately with one of our current campaigns below:
    Create a Bird-Friendly Home
    Create a Bird-Friendly Home
    Birds Tell Us to Act on Climate
    Sign the Pledge
    Turn Lights Out For Migrating Birds
    Sign the Pledge
  • Membership
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
  • Donate
  • We protect birds and the places they need.
    • Climate
      389 | North American bird species are threatened by climate change
    • Coasts
      1,100 | Number of coastal sites where Audubon works
    • Water
      200,000 | Acre-feet of water set aside for conservation purposes along the Colorado River
    • Working Lands
      1.9M | Acres of farmland under bird-friendly land management practices
    • Bird-Friendly Communities
      800,000 | Native plants planted by Audubon members

    More Areas of Focus

    • The Audubon Network
    • Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
    • Conservation Policy & Advocacy
    • Campus Chapters
    • Audubon Science
    • Audubon Americas

    Special Initiatives

    • Migratory Bird Initiative
    • The Audubon Mural Project
    • Survival By Degrees
  • You are what hope looks like to a bird.
    Audubon members protect birds. Join today
    • Help power unparalleled conservation work for birds across the Americas
    • Stay informed on important news about birds and their habitats
    • Receive reduced or free admission across our network of centers and sanctuaries

    Join

    Great Egret. Photo: Dick Dickinson/Audubon Photography Awards

    Where Your Voice is Needed

    • Defend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
    • Help Reverse the Seabird Crisis
    • Protect Birds From Climate Change

    More Ways to Help

    • Give to Audubon
    • Become a Bird Advocate
    • Find an Audubon Near You
    • Make Your Home Bird-Friendly
    • Plant Native Plants
  • Discover the birds around you.
    Audubon Guide to North American Birds
    • Access a free guide of more than 800 species of North American birds
    • Discover the impacts of climate change on birds and their habitats
    • Learn more about the birds you love through audio clips, stunning photography, and in-depth text
    Audubon Bird Guide App
    The Audubon Bird Guide is a free and complete field guide to more than 800 species of North American birds, right in your pocket.
    Download Bird Guide app on the Apple store Get Bird Guide app on Google Play

    More Guides & Resources

    • John James Audubon's Birds of America
    • How to Get Into Birding
    • Binocular Guide
    • Spotting Scope Guide
    • Take Better Bird Photos
    • Travel & Bird Trails
    • Audubon for Kids
  • The latest on birds and their habitats.
    Bird & Conservation News
    • Migrating Male Birds Race Ahead to Keep Up with Spring’s Early Arrival
    • The 2022 Audubon Photography Awards: Top 12 Videos
    • Get a Birding Boost: Join the Great Backyard Bird Count

    Further Reading

    • Audubon in Action
    • Audubon Photography Awards
    Magazine Stories and Issues

    Special Offer

    • Get a full year of Audubon Magazine delivered
  • Press Room
  • Shop Audubon
    • Audubon Products
    • Gift Center
  • We Are All Audubon

    The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation.

    Bald Eagle. Photo: Howard Arndt/Audubon Photography Awards

    About Audubon

    • Audubon Network
    • The Flyways
    • 2016-2020 Strategic Plan
    • Leadership & Board of Directors
    • Reports & Financials
    • Audubon Action Fund
    • Fellowships
    • Careers
    • Our History
    • Contact Us
  • Audubon Near You
Type in your search and hit enter
Type in your search and hit go
Type in your search and hit Enter on desktop or hit Go on mobile device

Illustration: Thoka Maer


Your Guide to Climate Action 

Feeling like you can’t make a difference? That couldn’t be further from the truth. Here’s where to begin and how to ­amplify your efforts to make lasting change in the world.
 

Start the Conversation

1

Lead Your Community

2

Rebuild the Machinery

3

Join a National Cause

4

 
Illustrations by Thoka Maer
Reporting and editing by: Andrew Del-Colle, Breanna Draxler, Kevin Dupzyk, Rene Ebersole, Martha Harbison, Janet Marinelli, Andy McGlashen, and Hannah Waters.

Level 1 : Start the Conversation

We are facing a climate crisis of epic proportion—one that threatens life on Earth as we know it. For people and birds to have any chance of adapting, the response needs to be no less massive. But that doesn’t mean you can’t start at home. Personal actions reduce our own contributions to climate change, sometimes significantly. Just as important, they have a ripple effect: When people see others in their community taking action, they are much more likely to do so themselves. The technical term for this is “social norm,” but let’s just call it doing your part to help save the world. 

 

How to Find Your Climate Story

Climate Action Guide

We all have one, and identifying yours is the first step in becoming an advocate for climate action.

How to Become Solar Contagious

Climate Action Guide

Spread climate solutions by taking visible actions in your community.

How to Be a Low-Carbon Traveler

Climate Action Guide

Easy tips for getting from A to B without emitting so much C.

Take It From Me:
Inspiration from an electric vehicle owner

"Last year, my husband and I bought our first car since 2004. We wanted something that used as little fossil fuel as possible, but we were hesitant to get an all-electric vehicle that would require regular charging on our annual trip from New York City to the Midwest for the holidays. We ended up with a plug-in hybrid—the perfect compromise. The battery provides a 60-mile range per full charge for local travel, and the gas engine kicks in when we’re out of juice on longer drives. Now our biggest challenge is ensuring that the electricity for each charge is green, so we opt into our utility’s wind-energy plan at home." 

—Elizabeth Sorrell, Audubon's vice president of engagement, and a 2018 Chevy Volt owner

Climate Action Guide

Create a More Climate-Friendly Yard

America’s largest irrigated crop isn’t corn or soy—it’s grass.

36

Number of gallons of gas each person would save by swapping beans for a five-ounce steak one day a week for a year. Or, to put another way, that's a five percent decrease in a typical home’s annual electricity use.

Climate Coping Skill

BE REALISTIC Once you grasp the urgency of the climate crisis, it’s easy to feel bad about not doing more. "Coming from that mindset is natural and understandable, but it's counterproductive," says climate psychologist Renee Lertzman. We get the most done when we have compassion for ourselves, accept our shortcomings, and view each day as a chance to live closer to our values.

Cimate Action Guide

Give Your Home a Climate Overhaul

Having a low-carbon house isn’t just better for the world—it will also save you serious money.

Level 2: Lead Your Community

With your own carbon footprint under control, it’s time to level up your impact by encouraging those around you to take climate actions. But where to start? Consider the local communities and spaces where you already have connections and influence—your child’s school, say, or a social hub like a coffee shop. By merely showing up and making your case, you can lead others toward climate-friendly policies and practices. It’s not always easy, but it’s often productive—and rewarding. Along the way, you’ll develop new relationships and skills that will help you become an ace climate advocate. 

 

Climate Action Guide

Hit the Neighborhood

Climate-action tips for greening your town.

Take It From Me:
Inspiration from a first-time city councilmember

"I unexpectedly had the opportunity to run in a special election. I was a newcomer to St. Paul, though a lifelong Minnesotan. I had about 10 days to actually make a campaign. What should people considering this think about? Local politics can feel entrenched—like, oh, I have to have been a homeowner for 25 years in this community and have super-deep networks to jump in and try to lead. I didn't have any of that. I struck out on my own to say: I believe what our community really needs right now is a new perspective for the future."  

—Mitra Jalali Nelson, Ward 4 council member in St. Paul, Minnesota, one of 25 cities selected so far for the National League of Cities' Leadership in Community Resilience Program. 

How to Write a Letter to the Editor

It's more productive than a Facebook rant.

Pick Your Newspaper if you want to influence a specific decision maker, choose a paper they read. A local or regional print publication is a good bet.

Get to the Point Make one point in your letter, and make it well. Keep it between 150 and 200 words. 

Make It Personal Tell your climate story to emphasize why you care. Include no more than the one fact needed to support your main point. 

Don't Hold Back Tell readers what you want to get done or them to do. Be precise and aggressive. 

But Don't Be Too Aggressive Do not attack individuals or groups of people. Stick to your point. 

Find a Proofreader Before submitting your letter, have a friend or trusted colleague read it for clarity and errors. 

80

Number of years it can take a new build­ing to overcome the climate impacts of its construction. When possible, retrofitting existing buildings—for example, by upgrading HVAC or electrical systems—should be the priority for cities and towns.

Climate Coping Skill

STAY FOCUSED People confuse worrying about climate change with taking action, says psychotherapist Rosemary Randall. Getting involved with an organization, like Audubon, can help—it’s easier to make a tangible impact with a group, and that reaffirms your sense of agency. Terror is not a durable motivation. Much healthier: social justice and preservation of the natural world.

Why Towns Should Prepare for the Climate Displaced

Climate Action Guide

Climate change is already causing people to relocate. As more hometowns become inhospitable, yours might be able to help.

Illustration: Thoka Maer

How to Hack Your Local Food System to Prevent Waste

Climate Action Guide

Farm-to-table is the buzzword, but too often farm-to-landfill is the reality.

Why You Should Support Green Infrastructure

Climate Action Guide

By working with nature, not against it, we can mitigate climate disasters while creating vital habitat.

Level 3: Rebuild the Machinery

Ready to really start making an impact? Good, because now it’s time to tackle the entrenched systems and political stagnation that can greatly contribute to climate change at the state and regional levels. It’s here that we need to advocate for things like fast and innovative grid transformation, ­forward-thinking climate policies, and institutional reform. There’s no question that driving change is challenging work. The key is recruiting allies and being thoughtful about your strategies and goals. With the right partnerships and planning, you can wield influence that once might have seemed unimaginable. 

 

Climate Action Guide

Gather Your Forces

When fighting for a cause, you can't just mobilize—you have to organize.

5

Number of phone calls needed to make a South Carolina representative "feel like their doors are being blown off," says Tara Spicer, a Republican strategist in the state, which has a medium-size population. Adjust for the size of your state accordingly, pick your issue, and start dialing.

Climate Coping Skill

GET OUTSIDE Advocating for major change can be exhausting, so take time to remember what you're saving. Go birding, and go often. You can even turn this breather into an action by joining Audubon’s Climate Watch program, which tracks how climate change affects certain species. “I have a passion for counting birds,” says Leif Anderson, an avid Climate Watch volunteer. “It’s a fun, easy community-science project, and it’s something one person can do.”

Take It From Me:
Inspiration from a first-time lobbyist

"I didn't know what to expect on my first lobby day. I didn't know how close we would get to these individuals, or if we'd even get to talk to them. Luckily we did get to talk to a few, and the representatives, for the most part, we're really nice. Going in with that uncertainty is kind of exciting. But it's also encouraging when you get there and you have this whole group that you're planning out the conversation with, knowing that you're all there to support each other and get the same message across. That was neat and comforting. I look forward to my next one." 

—Sara Wrenn, member of the University of North Carolina Asheville's Audubon campus chapter, on attending a lobby day with Audubon North Carolina to advocate for rewewable-energy policy. 

Get to Know Your Public Utility Commission—and Pressure It

Climate Action Guide

These are the gatekeepers to the grid reform we need.

How You Can Help Fix the Electric Grid

Climate Action Guide

To make a real dent in climate change, we have to go big on renewables—but an outdated power grid is getting in our way.

Seek Influential Allies to Achieve Your Climate Goals

Climate Action Guide

To broaden your regional impact as a climate advocate, take a cue from these two cases.

 
Graph source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration