350 Wenatchee Climate Conversations NCW

When we get a win, we celebrate—especially when we show what we can do as Third Actors!

In late February, three days after the invasion of Ukraine, we started pushing hard for the Biden administration to invoke the Defense Production Act to build millions of heat pumps to help cut the demand for oil that powers the Russian war machine (and wrecks the climate). Today, the administration did pretty much that.

These heat pumps won’t actually be sent to Europe, but since the oil market is global, every barrel we save cuts down on Putin’s leverage. Many thanks to the Biden administration for moving—and moving pretty fast. (In DC time, February to June is almost overnight).

Most of all, though—thanks to you. You got behind an idea. You pushed creatively—with letters and emails and phone calls and banners and posters and songs. And then you won.

We celebrate when we win because it’s joyful, and because it spurs us on to more and bigger fights—but also because it proves what we can do when we work together.

This is Third Act’s first big victory. It won’t be our last.

Bill McKibben for Third Act