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The partisan divide on climate action may be shrinking. A recent Monmouth University poll indicates that two-thirds of Republicans agree that climate change is happening, compared to 49 percent three years ago.  This coincides with the introduction of the first bipartisan climate bill in Congress in a decade. A growing chorus of local and national conservative and center-right groups are emphasizing that climate action shouldn’t be a partisan issue, that we need people all political stripes to address this growing threat.

That’s why Rachel’s Network has partnered with republicEn, the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN), and DEPLOY/US to help fund a unique collaboration in support of republicEN’s 2018 and 2019 EnCourage Tour. Since 2017, the tour has partnered with local conservative and climate organizations and political leaders around the country, to conduct climate-solutions town halls, panel discussions, and educational tours. Many of those who attend these events have never before engaged on climate change in a public forum.

Funding is enabling republicEn, the tour’s host, to partner with EEN and DEPLOY/US to reach new thought leaders in the faith community, strengthen coordination among different constituencies, and gain deeper understanding of the opportunities for and challenges associated with broader right-of-center field coordination.

“DEPLOY/US believes the next “big bet” for US climate action is greater strategic collaboration among right-of-center climate and clean energy groups. We’re excited to have this opportunity to partner with republicEN and EEN to develop new insights about how this can best be supported,” said Andrea Yodsampa, CEO of DEPLOY/US.

“Climate change is the top funding priority for our members, and they recognize that political action and collaboration is the key to making progress.” said Rachel’s Network President Fern Shepard. “republicEn, EEN, and DEPLOY/US are creating space for these necessary conversations.”

Already in 2018, the EnCourage Tour visited 13 cities across the country, for a total of 40 events with 1576 participants. Stops included a climate impacts study tour in Utah with Congressmember John Curtis, a discussion with faith leaders in San Antonio Texas and Republican women’s clubs in Charleston South Carolina, and keynotes at colleges like Washington State University, Wheaton College, and SUNY Binghamton. The Tour intends to visit even more cities in 2019.


Rachel’s Network, a nonprofit organization named in Rachel Carson’s honor, promotes women as impassioned leaders and agents of change dedicated to the stewardship of the earth. The Network builds productive alliances among members and offers services that empower them to lead.

DEPLOY/US is focused on building the ecosystem of funding, communications, and coordination support necessary for the enactment of bipartisan federal climate policy, starting with growing right-of-center leadership on the issue.

The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit that equips, inspires, and mobilizes people of faith to worship God and love their neighbor by caring for creation. Founded in 1993, EEN is the leading evangelical voice in the field of creation care advocacy and education.

RepublicEn.org is a nonprofit educational project of the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University and the only conservative organization with a primary focus on educating conservatives in the heartland about climate change.

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