How you can Influence Fuel Efficiency Legislation at the State and Local Level
Any individual can make a major impact on state and local legislation if they are willing to work at it. While it is assumed that it takes a great deal of money and a large number of people to have any type of impact on any area politics, this isn't always the case. While it generally helps to have loads of money for advertising purposes to motivate the local population into action, you can do just as much with almost no budget, and a bit of determination.
The biggest thing to remember, is that change takes time, but with a great deal of determination, someone can really help to push along this change. The first important thing that is required to influence local politics is to ensure that you know what you're talking about. If you don't have the facts and can't provide the facts in an instant, then you aren't going to be seen as credible. Make sure that you obtain all of your facts, and that you are always carrying them around with you when discussing anything related to fuel efficiency legislation. The idea is to sound so professional and prepared that there is no way that you don't know what you're talking about. By providing proof through evidence such as government organizations, major non biased journals, and collegiate level studies, you can build your own credibility and obtain a great deal of support.
The next thing that you are going to want to do is raise awareness. In Alaska for example, most do this by going door to door and informing consumers on the weekends, when they aren't generally in as much of a hurry. By doing this and bringing along graphics, the message can be conveyed in a much more simplistic manner that is understandable without a lot of explanation, which is incredibly important in a meeting such as this.
You should also consider giving presentations at local community gatherings, schools, churches, and at other environmental groups. The more backing that you have from major organizations the better chance you have at swaying the local government through increased pressure.
During all of these talks, you should be carrying around a petition, obtaining signatures for the cause. By doing this, you are aiding your cause by showing that you have more than enough support for a new law to be created in order to aid your cause. The more support you can garner in writing the better off you will be, especially if you can prove that the majority of the constituency actually wants these changes. Then a politician really has little choice if they want to maintain their office into the future.
You could also consider creating a gimmick. This could be anything that draws the attention of the local media. This publicity can go a long way towards promoting what you are doing for free. Creating a gimmick that catches the attention of local media is actually relatively difficult however, especially in a major city, where there are so many news worthy events happening all of the time. The key is to do something completely outrageous in order to draw the most attention possible. A great example of this is when PETA had women in the winter time standing outside in Alaska in bikinis with signs that talked about the unethical treatment of animals by Kentucky Fried Chicken. This event didn't work too well as many would stop and eat at the restaurant to get a free look at the scantily clad women, but it got loads of media attention for several days. The event appeared in every local paper and every local news station as well as gained some notice worldwide. The idea is to come up with something that will be unique and draw people in.
Just remember, if you are smart, and dedicated you can make it happen, you just have to put a little more effort into it if you don't have the money to truly run a major campaign. The more support you can garner during this time, the better off your cause will be.
