Renewable energy isn’t just clean — it’s resilient, too. After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, the renewable energy nonprofit Empowered by Light joined forces with solar company Sunrun and nonprofit organization GivePower to bring solar panels and solar-powered water purifiers to fire stations on the island. They quickly restored reliable power for emergency services and provided enough clean water for up to 2,000 people a day. Cater Communications joined the team, securing coverage in national outlets including Mother Jones, Grist, Sea Change Radio, and a viral NowThis video which was featured on Bernie Sanders’ Facebook page.
America’s oil dependence poses a clear national security threat. With the administration considering a rollback of fuel economy standards that keep our nation’s oil use in check, veterans of Operation Free asked Cater Communications to develop and execute a Veteran’s Day campaign to support strong national miles-per-gallon rules. The campaign was multi-layered, including social media and print news components. Cater carefully crafted a set of graphics and GIFs and drafted an op-ed that was placed in the Detroit Free Press, all of which were amplified with a package of social media tools including suggested posts for Twitter and Facebook.
Americans who care about national security, a strong economy, and healthy families also care about clean energy. Hundreds of conservative activists from across the country converged on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC this fall to participate in the third annual Conservative Clean Energy Summit. The event, hosted by the Christian Coalition and Young Conservatives for Energy Reform, grows momentum for conservative-led clean energy reform on the state and federal levels. Cater Communications developed and executed the event’s media and social media strategy, securing attendance and coverage by news outlets including PBS Newshour,NowThis, Reuters, CQ Roll Call, POLITICO’s Morning Energy, Bloomberg and more. The event’s official hashtag, #RightOnEnergy, appeared in more than 300 Tweets and received more than 1.7 million impressions.
No matter what’s happening inside the Beltway, communities around the country keep pushing for clean, efficient, locally controlled energy. Mark Ruffalo’s 100% campaign surprised Atlanta and Bay Area leaders with billboards and a movie trailer celebrating their efforts to promote 100% clean energy for 100% of the people. These surprises - orchestrated as part of the 100% campaign’s ONE100 Awards program - honored men and women of diverse ages, colors, and ethnicities for their leadership in moving their communities to a healthier, more equitable, more sustainable future. Cater Communications secured coverage about the surprises in TV, radio, print and online news outlets.
Months after the May release of its groundbreaking report predicting major disruption in the transportation sector by electric, shared, and autonomous vehicles, RethinkX’s role as the global media’s go-to resource on disruption, systems dynamics, and the future of transportation continues to grow. So far, Cater Communications has helped the think tank secure over 3,000 media stories in 80 countries with recent coverage including the Washington Post, Bloomberg, The New Yorker, Reuters, Fortune Magazine, National Geographic, The Guardian, Forbes, Marketplace, Quartz, NBC News, The Detroit News, and Fox News.
Despite Cassandra-like warnings about California’s ambitious climate change policies, the state’s economy has been booming, not busting. In fact, Next 10’s 2017 California Green Innovation Index shows that between the passage of key climate legislation in 2006 and 2015, California's GDP per capita grew at nearly double the rate experienced by the United States as a whole.
Despite this decoupling of economic growth from GHG emissions, the GII’s ninth edition — produced by the nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank Next 10 and released by CaterCommunications — flagged a worrisome uptick in transportation emissions. The Index found the uptick threatens the state’s climate goals, requiring a new generation of climate policies designed to deliver steeper reductions. Cater Communications worked with Next 10 and Beacon Economics to edit and launch the report, securing coverage in over 75 outlets across California and the country, including The New York Times, Vox, Bloomberg, Wired, Fast Company, Politico, Axios, San Francisco Chronicle, KQED, The Sacramento Bee, LA Daily News, Mercury News, InsideClimate News, Grist, The Drive, E&E News and many others.
California business leaders know from experience that acting on climate change is good for business, growing jobs and the economy across the state. So as the legislature debated key climate bills this summer, a coalition of major California businesses spoke up. Cater worked with the Better World Group, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Ceres, Los Angeles Business Council, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, Sierra Business Council, and other business organizations to get their message out. In addition to releasing sign-on letters and producing social media collaterals, Cater Communications worked with partners on op-eds placed in outlets such as the Los Angeles Daily News, Press Telegram, Press Enterprise, Mercury News and the East Bay Times. Business voices were also featured in radio and print outlets including theMercury News, KPBS and KVCR.
The World Health Organization says that one in four people will be affected by mental or neurological disorders during their lifetimes. Journey’s Dream, a new nonprofit, serves as a portal to innovative and effective treatments, useful resources, and a supportive community for those struggling with mental illness. Inspired by devastating personal struggles with mental health and recovery, the Journey’s Dream team aims to empower, provide hope, and help chart pathways to health and well-being. The organization’s kickoff event, held at Soldier’s Field in Chicago, featured powerful testimony from celebrities and practitioners alike, and featured a moving performance by Jefferson Starship's lead singer Cathy Richardson. CaterCommunications developed and executed their media strategy, securing coverage by ABC7 Chicago, WILX-TV, WGVU-FM, the Naperville Sun, and Stories of Hope.
Since the Trump administration took office, popular money-saving fuel-economy and emissions standards have been under threat of a rollback. Cater Communications worked with leaders from military, business, consumer, finance, industry and technology sectors to make the economic and national security case publicly, in the media, and at agency hearings. We staffed the recent EPA hearing, to connect leaders with media including The New York Times, Bloomberg, Bloomberg BNA, Detroit News, Automotive News, Argus Media, Inside EPA and E&E News. We also testified on behalf of Maine auto dealer Adam Lee. Cater worked with leaders on op-eds including in USA Today, where Lee made the case for needing strong standards to stay competitive; in the Detroit News, by The International Council on Clean Transportation; in The Hill, by Consumers Union (the policy and mobilization division of Consumer Reports); and in CNBC, by the New York City comptroller.
The “glider” rule was intended to prevent the sale of old polluting engines in new chassis, disguised as new trucks. If left unchecked these engines would cause more than 12 billion dollars in health impacts over the next decade. Leaders of the trucking industry, like Cummins, Eaton, FedEX, and others, worked closely with the previous Administration to craft the rule and strongly support it. Recently EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced he intended to rescind it. Pat Quinn, executive director of The Heavy Duty Fuel Efficiency Leadership Group, which includes these and other businesses, testified at an agency hearing earlier this month and with the help of Cater was covered in the Washington Examiner, American Trucker, Trucking Info, Fleet Owner, Transport Topics, and more.
Energy-as-a-service is poised to grow into a $221 billion global business by 2020, according to Navigant Research. That’s the market that Dynamic Energy Networks (DEN) aims to tap. DEN announced its launch and strategic alliances with Schneider Electric and The Carlyle Group in November. The startup has established a platform to own and operate microgrids and distributed energy resources to provide predictable pricing and efficient, reliable energy to organizations and institutions such as campuses, hospitals, and the military. Cater assisted in the launch, developing DEN’s visual branding and securing coverage in high-profile industry publications.