Our Framework for Achieving Our North Star Goal
In 2004, the RE-AMP Network was founded to fight climate change pollution from electricity. Through a systems analysis that identified key levers of systemic change, members aligned strategies to maximize impact. It led to big victories like stopping new coal plants, strengthening of renewable energy standards, and increasing investment in energy efficiency.
Today, we have a stronger goal: to equitably eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors in the Midwest. Our goal has changed, but we still use systems analysis to understand pathways that reduce pollution and improve people’s quality of life. Read on to learn about how we work today to reach our audacious North Star Goal, to equitably eliminate greenhouse gas emissions in the Midwest by 2050?
How We Work
Our motto is “think systemically, act collaboratively.” That means that we don’t just find a smart person who can tell us how to fix something. We believe all of us are smarter than any one of us, and that we have to step back and look at why we have such polluting forms of energy, transportation, industry, and agriculture. And we also have to understand that the truly sustainable interventions are not going to come from the same thinking that gave us the pollution. We need to elevate the solutions that are being generated by those on the frontlines of racial and climate justice.
We invest in relationships, bold strategies, and practical skills through the Three Cs.
- Connections: We connect people to each other so that they can share ideas, understand each other on a human level, and form relationships that transcend any one issue.
- Collective Strategy Setting: Our mission is to set collective strategy and enable collaboration because we believe that strategies for the Midwest should come from the Midwest. We do this through ongoing, shared analysis, various forms of collaboration such as State Tables, Action Teams, and Hubs, we have an Annual Meeting and other gatherings throughout the year where we bring people together to set collective strategy.
- Capacity: When it comes time to put strategy into action, we want to be sure our members have what they need to be successful. We offer training, like a RE-AMP systems thinking academy, host workshops and webinars, share cutting edge research and analysis to ensure members have a constant infusion of new tools to ensure effective action.
Our Guiding Principles
Although we set our direction according to our North Star goal of equitably eliminating greenhouse gas emissions in the Midwest by 2050, sometimes things can get cloudy, and we need guideposts closer to where we stand now. To help us evaluate whether we are headed the right direction, members worked together to create these guiding principles. We use these to determine how we analyze a potential solution.
Below, we’ve listed just the main theme, but to really dig in and understand them, please take a minute to visit the page with the full descriptions.
- Center equity, inclusivity, justice, and healing
- Prioritize local ownership of process and outcomes
- Leverage systemic change
- Establish holistic, ambitious, and credible intermediate steps
- Promote regeneration through responses to a changing climate
What We’re Working On
We are currently focused on five aspects of equitably eliminating greenhouse gas emissions that can have a huge impact on changing the polluting systems we have now with ones that are better for people and the ecosystems that support us.
Transportation: Enabling people to get where they need to go without having to drive as much, and making all transportation options cleaner. Members can join our Transportation Hub or anyone can reach out to Gail Francis at gail@reamp.org to get involved.
Agriculture: Food and agriculture systems that nourish the land and pull carbon from the air. Members can join our Agriculture Hub or anyone can reach out to Gail Francis at gail@reamp.org to get involved.
Buildings: Affordable, healthy, comfortable places to live and work.
Energy Democracy: Investing in community-driven solutions to create energy system transformation toward clean and democratically owned energy.
- Integrated Voter Engagement: Supporting access to and engagement in democratic processes.
90 coal plants retired
Since 2005
2:5 wind/solar to coal ratio
1:10,000 (2005)
37% decrease in CO2
Since 2005
NOx down 76%
SO2 down 89%
CO2 down 37%
Since 2005
Ways to Contribute
Our Network offers a variety of ways for you to come together to meet people, learn, and strategize. Keep your eyes open from announcements across the Commons for opportunities including but not limited to:
- The Annual Meeting
- Issue Summits
- Community Strategy Conversations
- Town Hall Forums
- Small Group Strategy Conversations
- Action Teams
Resources
Some of these are available to members only. Please ask for permission before sharing beyond our Network.
- Visualizing Federal Funding-To help simplify the complicated federal funding landscape, RE-AMP has built a map to visualize the flow of federal funds. It looks at money from the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to eligible recipients related to RE-AMP Strategic Priorities.
- Transportation Planning for People and Climate– In this report, RE-AMP analyzed three types of plans in 25 different jurisdictions in the Midwest, and developed recommendations to help cities and counties plan for people and the climate.
- Transforming Agriculture in the Midwest– RE-AMP’s analysis of how we can accelerate equitably eliminating greenhouse gases from agriculture and food systems.
- Leading from the Heartland– RE-AMP’s original analysis of the progress and opportunities to equitably eliminate greenhouse gases from the power sector.
- Be Bold Services 2019 analysis of our Network’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats concerning equity.
- Race Forward’s Equity Impact Assessment Toolkit
- The Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing are an essential tool for trust-based communication. We have adopted the principles as a Network.
- Race Forward’s introduction to racial equity. This text focuses on the idea of choice points, and the importance of thinking ahead to be inclusive in decision-making.
- The Clean Jobs Midwest survey gives a detailed look at where the clean jobs actually are in the Midwest. You can find data by congressional districts, by county, by sector, and more. It also has personal stories about individual workers finding their livelihood with clean jobs.
- Facilitation and other support for stakeholder analysis and systems analysis is available through the RE-AMP Analysis Team. Contact Gail Francis at gail@reamp.org for more information.
- Use our Network’s social systems map to make connections with others who you might want to collaborate with. Contact Sarah Shanahan at sarah@reamp.org for more information.
- Video and phone conferencing support are available, contact Sarah Shanahan at sarah@reamp.org for more information.
