EC Wire

Writing a letter to the editor in your local newspaper can help others understand energy issues. Your opinions help shape our movement and so when you send your letter, please also send us a copy —we would love to read it.  And, if your letter is published, please let us know.

Getting published

• Word count: A letter to the editor is normally between 150 and 200 words. 
• How to submit: These can be submitted as a handwritten letter or on the newspaper website.  It is a good idea to check the newspaper website to find out how they want to receive the letter.
• Tone: Letters are more likely to be published if they constructively add to the debate so stay focused on sharing facts and personal anecdotes about the issue and how it affects you.

Writing your letter

• Describe your perspective:
  • Some publications have this as part of the letter, and some include it at the bottom.
  • E.g., “As a mom of two, energy costs are important to me.”
• Try to tie your opinion to a recent news event or article that has been covered by that paper:

• A letter to the editor is more likely to get published if it is linked to a recent story or news event.
• E.g., “In response to R.E. Citizen’s letter ‘The High Cost of Shuttering New York’s Southern Tier,”, I’d like to say that I couldn’t agree with him more.”

• Be the reporter of your opinion:
  • Tell the editor what you think about the issue and your suggested solution. Expand on your opinion to the extent you think is necessary—but keep it as short as possible.
  • E.g., “There should be no glee over shutting down our Gulf energy production. This misguided decision hurts workers, families, and U.S. energy security.”
• Conclude:

• Remember to include your name and any affiliations.
• Example:

• Mary Brown,Owner of Brown’s Florist, Member of [town] Chamber of Commerce,Energy Citizen

A photo is worth a thousand words.  It can evoke emotions and it can change the world.  Here are some tips to help you take great photos.

Great photos have four basic elements in common:

• The audience can understand what the photo is about.
• The photo background is not distracting.
• The photo evokes an emotion.
• The photo is in focus.

Know your camera
Read the manual: Know how your camera works before you go out and shoot. Experiment with different modes and the flash. Take some test shots.

The “rule of thirds”
The “rule of thirds” is a very basic way to improve your photo’s composition or to help it look more natural.  See the frame below. Now, imagine the lines cut the image into thirds both horizontally and vertically in your viewfinder, like a tic-tac-toe game board.  What you end up with is 9 parts or squares. Place the most interesting elements of the image into the “points of interest” outlined below in red.

Fill the frame
Get close to your subject or use the background for context. Be aware that the audience will view the entire image, not just the subject. Remember too that although you don’t want a pole sticking out of someone’s head, don’t miss a great shot because you’re trying to stick to the rules.

Move!
Moving around can yield some really interesting results. So get down to your subject’s level, lie on the ground, stand on a box, move to the side, get behind them, get closer. 

Take candid shots
Posed shots are not always best. Catch your subject doing their best work — in the street trying to get people to sign a petition, holding a sign at an event, or talking to interested parties. Look for emotional, spontaneous actions and capture them.

Lighting
Experiment with different lights; shoot on cloudy days and on sunny days.  However, in general, unless you want to go for a silhouette, shoot with the sun or primary light source behind you.

Tell a story
Photography is visual storytelling. So think about what you want your images to say. If you are putting together a series of photographs, remember that stories usually have a beginning, middle, and end. 

Ethics in citizen-advocacy photography
Digital photographs can be altered. But in citizen advocacy, photos are meant to be a truthful record of a person or situation and so altering reality is considered unethical. That’s why it is important you don’t alter your photographs. This means you can’t use photoshop to remove a pole sticking out of a person’s head and you can’t add content that wasn’t there either; it is lying. Of course, you can remove red-eye, lighten the tone, or crop a photo to improve appearance and composition. 

Happy Photo Taking!

 

Wondering how you can help support US energy production during recess?  Personal, handwritten letters are highly effective and increase the chance your letter will find its way to your lawmaker’s desk.  Here are some tips for putting your thoughts on paper.

Getting started.

Be specific about the issue you are writing about. What change do you want to see? What message do you want to deliver?

Check out information on the Energy Citizens website and from other sources.  This will help you support your view and argue your case, and may include:

• Statistics—has any relevant research been done that could support your case?
• Context—what actions have been taken by the government?
• Other interesting facts—has the issue received any media attention?

Ideas for where to search:

• Energycitizens.org
• The website of the government department responsible
• Federal or state government websites
• Political party websites

Write to your politician.

Letters are most impactful if you write to the person who represents your district.  Senate.gov and House.gov both have features that can help you look up your Members of Congress and their contact information.

Putting pen to paper

Language

Use clear English but remember you are expressing your point of view, so it is good to use phrases such as “I feel” and “I want to see.”

Be polite

Being rude reduces the chance the politician will read the letter.  You can be firm and state your case without being rude.

Layout

Contact details:

• Include your mailing address so the lawmaker can write back.

Form of address:

• Dear President Obama
• Dear Secretary (last name)
• Dear Senator
• Dear Congressman
• Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms/Dr (last name)

Introduction:

• Briefly state your issue.
• Briefly state what you want the lawmaker to do about it.

Body:

• Focus on two or three main points that support your view. Use examples from your research as evidence.

Conclusion:

• Reiterate your view expressed in the introduction.
• Ask the lawmaker to keep you informed.
• Conclude with a standard, polite closing phrase (e.g. regards, yours sincerely) and your signature.

In an electronic age, people don’t send handwritten letters to Congress very often, which means your handwritten letters stand out.  It is easy to host a letter-writing party, and you can get people to take action while having fun and learning more about why we need to develop our own energy resources. 

Here are some tips to make your letter-writing party a success:

Make it fun.
There are many ways you can emphasize the “party” in “letter-writing party” to make it fun for your friends and neighbors:

• Have a potluck or a picnic.
• Make it a movie night or host brunch.
• Bring in a guest speaker to host a discussion on energy citizenship and our need for domestic oil and natural gas.
• Create a fun activity or game to help people get to know each other.

Of course, you can always come up with your own creative idea.  The key is to make being there a valuable experience for the people who come.

Get people informed.
Writing letters together allows people to share ideas, collaborate, and feel part of a movement.  As the host of the party, it’s your job to show people that writing letters is important and effective. Things to share include:

• Whom you are writing to and why.
• What you’re asking for and why.
• Why letter-writing works.

Be prepared.

Make writing letters as easy as possible for people.  You can provide everything or make bringing supplies part of the letter “potluck.”  Make sure you have:

• Paper
• Pens
• Stamps
• Envelopes
• Addresses of recipients
• Tips on writing effective letters

Ask people to do more.
If your letter-writing party gets people excited about taking action to support energy security, you’ll want to take advantage of that excitement:

• Encourage them to spread the word among other friends and neighbors. 
• Ask them to sign up on the Energy Citizens site. 
• Encourage them to hold their own letter-writing party.

These are just a few suggestions; you should feel free to be creative about ways people in your community can do more.

Get everyone’s contact information.

Your letter-writing party can lead to more participation if you follow up with everyone who attended.  Make sure you have everyone’s phone numbers and email addresses so you can plan other events in the future.  And don’t forget to let them know when there are opportunities to take action on the Energy Citizens site.  

Report back.

We want to share your action and successes with others, and be able to tell members of Congress about what you are doing in their districts.  Let Renee (info@energycitizens.org) keep track of the number of letters you generate and take photos so we can post them to our site. Your actions can inspire others to follow your lead!

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