Dear Friends,

Well, Super Tuesday is past us; we know the State of the Union, and we don’t really know the state of the race. We’re obviously in for a murky, tense eight months as our country decides its future and and clearly the stakes couldn’t be higher. Just to give one example, a new study indicates that a second Trump term would add four billion extra tons of CO₂ to the atmosphere, roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of Europe and Japan combined. Oh, and perhaps cost us our democracy.

Which is why I’m incredibly glad that together, we’ve built this force called Third Act. We have tens of thousands of volunteers ready to go to work, which translates into millions of postcards and phone calls and door knocks, which in turn translates into those small margins that will doubtless decide our fate.

And we’ve got another—more unique—role to play: age is, like it or not, going to be a central issue in the presidential race; we are well-placed to argue that there are plenty of advantages that come from having been around a while. So we head into this work chins up. If not confident, then at least certain that we will do all that we can, and that it will make a difference.

As Al Gore reminded us on our massive national All-In call last week, we can still imagine a good future for our country and our world—but we actually have to build it. No one else is going to. So try not to let worry trouble your sleep; we’ve got about 240 days to work, and we’re going to need them all!

Bill McKibben
Third Act

On March 6, we hosted our All-In call with former Vice President and climate activist, Al Gore as our featured speaker. We were also joined by Third Actors Lisa Finn and Kurt Reider, on how they started their journey with Third Act.

Earlier this year, Third Act Bay Area gathered for their first monthly postcard writing party. Fueled by soup and bread, together they completed 200 postcards to voters in CA-22 and NY-03, helping secure Democrat Tom Suozzi’s win to replace disgraced, corrupt Congressman George Santos. This is what Third Act is all about––creating community while making a difference!

With our partner Activate America, Third Act has set out to write 50,000 postcards before election day! Join us, and hey, why not make it a party?

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is weaponizing governmental power to protect the fossil fuel industry by alleging “antitust” violations in an effort to stop corporate climate action. The Congressional subpoena claims that asking a company to reduce carbon pollution infringes on the freedom of all Americans. We need to tell them this is a load of hooey––and quickly.

Third Act partner and shareholder representative As You Sow is trying to send 3,000 more letters to Congress by March 25. Tell Congress to end its attacks on shareholder rights and climate progress!

This winter, we sent hundreds of handwritten letters, gathered thousands of petition signatures, and made countless commitments to Nonviolent Direct Action in Washington DC––a coordinated effort that persuaded Secretary Granholm and President Biden to put an unprecedented pause on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Export Permits! There’s lots of legal skirmishing underway, but as of now the best guess is that it will take the administration some time to come up with new criteria for deciding if and when to grant permits. Read an update and outlook on the pause by Bill McKibben.

This victory matters, but there’s still work to do. Fax the CEOs of the big Wall Street banks and tell them to recognize this momentous step and pause further financing of LNG Exports. No actual fax machine required!

Come write a Letter to the Editor with fellowship from Third Actors around the nation and live support from Third Act staff. We’ll use a digital tool that will auto-deliver your personal message to local newspapers!

Third Act Lead Advisor Akaya Windwood is at it again: holding unscripted, cross-generational conversations on the roles younger and older activists are playing in our shared work, and what we can be learning from each other.

Learn how the US electricity system works, uncover the hidden world of Public Utility Commissions, and understand why these under-the-radar state agencies are so critical to our clean energy future.

As part of our Senior-to-Senior Intergenerational Voter Registration Initiative, we’re teaming up with The Civics Center to train ambassadors to contact and activate high school educators and student leaders to make sure millions of newly-eligible youth are registered to vote!

Third Act Oregon (TAO) officially launched on February 22, 2024, with speeches by Senator Jeff Merkley, Bill McKibben, and the coordinating committee. TAO has five different teams and 300-plus volunteers in just one year, and they have big plans.

Third Act
PO Box 445
Nassau, NY 12123
United States
info@thirdact.org

If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe.