Leadership is established, the army for energy independence is growing, and the battles are already underway, in both the public sphere and behind the scenes.
Growth Energy, the new face for ethanol since last fall, has some new faces of its own: CEO and former head of the National Farmers Union Tom Buis, board Co-Chair and four-star Gen. Wesley Clark, and advisor and former Congressman Jim Nussle. They are new leaders in the fight against ethanol’s opponents, but they are familiar to all Americans as dedicated public servants.
But the national figures in Growth Energy are only part of its identity.
Growth Energy’s eTeam now has more than 1,000 members, a growing force across the country that has been writing letters to news editors, seeking and correcting misinformation online, and engaging their families, friends and neighbors.
It’s an effort to put faces behind the benefits of ethanol. Ethanol is important to more than just the people working in the plants. It’s important to farmers, who see a better market for their crops; rural citizens, who see their entire economy improve; and really all citizens in the United States, who now take an active part in improving the environment and weaning our nation off dependence on oil barons.
Those people are already making themselves heard, through letters to editors, online comments in stories and on blogs, contacts with elected officials and more. Hopefully you have already seen the results of these people’s hard work in your community.
The time and effort investment can be large or small, and Growth Energy has a full staff whose main role is to support whatever action you’re willing to take. Here are just a few ways to participate:
Internet action
Every day, dozens of articles are published online by newspapers, TV stations, magazines and internet-exclusive outlets. And those stories turn into hundreds of blog posts throughout the day.
Most of these articles and blogs provide comment areas, where often heated debates are occurring. Unfortunately, much of the rhetoric today is still misinformed and anti-ethanol. The ethanol industry needs people willing to take a couple seconds from time to time to comment online under both positive and negative articles.
Write a letter to the editor
The opinion section in your local, regional or national newspaper is meant to be a forum for readers. There is no shortage of topics surrounding ethanol, from the latest good news to the latest attack against the industry. Growth Energy will provide information to help write a letter to the editor and even find out the proper method for submitting work to your community’s newspaper.
Contact local, state or national representatives
Your representatives really do care what you think. Their sole purpose is to represent their constituents, but it is up to us to let our feelings be known. Make no mistake, they are hearing from ethanol’s opponents. So an e-mail, letter, phone call or just a comment when you run into them at the grocery store or county fair goes a long way.
Speak to local community groups
Members of local service clubs, business organizations and other community groups often have the opportunity to give a short presentation about an issue in which they have experience or passion. Growth Energy can provide power point presentations, handouts, slides, even full speeches to help make an impressive presentation about the ethanol industry.
Growth Energy’s goal is to make it as easy as possible to get involved. Every individual’s effort to spread the truth will play an important role in securing the public’s trust.
