“The first time I heard about global warming I did what most people do,” says Phil Mitchell. “I tuned out.” But the more Mitchell looked into what scientists were saying about the state of the planet, the more he realized the detrimental effects of worldwide climate change.
Mitchell founded 2People (www.2people.org), an online citizen network committed to building public mandate for real solutions to the climate crisis. With over 700 members in the U.S., and representation in more than 38 countries, the site aims to close the gap between what is scientifically necessary to address global warming and what’s politically possible.
He also established the Greater Seattle Climate Dialogues (www.climatedialogues.org), a campaign of environmental learning and discussion that begins with small, community-based conversations, resulting in an expansive coalition of partners, sponsors and endorsers who can advocate for policy change on a broad scale.
“No reasonable person wants to pass on a dying and unstable world to their children,” says Mitchell. “They’re just not connected, they are not empowered.” 2People and the Climate Dialogues offer both a virtual and real world forum where people can come together to affect change.
—Amy Besunder