The United States risks jeopardizing global power and national security if it fails to lead the world in the quest for cleaner and more efficient energy systems. Geopolitical lines of power are being redrawn now as major global players – except the United States – move aggressively and strategically to gain hegemony in this new energy landscape. That’s according to a new report from the CNA Military Advisory Board (MAB), a panel of the nation’s top retired generals and admirals. Advanced Energy and U.S. National Security warns that ceding U.S. leadership on advanced energy triggers serious national security risks. Cater Communications released the report, securing widespread coverage by top international, national and Beltway outlets, including Reuters, Bloomberg, the Financial Times, the Washington Examiner, The Hill, POLITICO’s Morning Energy, The Huffington Post and SNL Energy.
We are on the cusp of one of the fastest, deepest and most consequential disruptions of transportation in history. By 2030, the converging technologies of electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles and ride-hailing platforms will spawn a new business model that will end individual vehicle ownership, decimate the oil industry and restructure the global economy, all while saving consumers thousands of dollars each year. That’s the provocative finding of the landmark report from RethinkX, an independent think tank led by Tony Seba and James Arbib. Cater Communications worked with RethinkX to produce, design and release Rethinking Transportation, and build its Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter presence. The report garnered over 850 media stories in 50 countries including BBC World Service, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Fast Company, NBC News, Reuters, The Telegraph, Time, NPR, CBC, The Huffington Post, VICE, CNBC, Edmunds, Business Insider and more. The report reverberated throughout the business and financial sectors, prompting op-eds from Australia to Atlanta, as well as generating attention in policy circles, including citations and interest from state legislatures across the country.
Ahead of this year’s America’s Cup in Bermuda, 11th Hour Racing organized the #EatLionfish Chefs’ Throwdown, where top chefs from around the world competed to produce the tastiest solution to the problem of invasive lionfish. Lionfish – which are visually intimidating, with up to 18 venomous spines – are native to the Indian and Pacific oceans, but have invaded the Caribbean and the Atlantic, where they have no natural predators. They are voracious, long-lived and fertile, and lionfish populations are exploding, destroying coral reef ecosystems and native fish. As water temperatures increase, so do lionfish populations.
Cater Communications worked closely with 11th Hour Racing and other partners to garner widespread coverage of the the event – which took place in Bermuda – including Reuters (TV and wire story), Associated Press, PBS Newshour online, Voice of America TV, Christian Science Monitor, The Leonard Lopate Show and Edible South Florida. The throwdown featured one chef from each of the countries participating in the America’s Cup and the debut of a lionfish-catching robot prototype. The winner of the competition was chef Chris Kenny (pictured above), representing the British team Land Rover BAR.
Mark Ruffalo’s 100% campaign joined forces with the nonprofit organization Soulardarity to surprise five Highland Park, Michigan residents with solar-powered lights for their homes and businesses. The residents received these lights as reward for their 100% leadership on clean energy and giving 100% to their community. Cater ensured these “surprise moments” were covered by NowThis, The Detroit News, the Detroit Free Press and the local Fox, NBC and ABC TV affiliates.
The Environmental Protection Agency released a final determination of fuel economy standards, closing its mid-term review without any changes. Consumer, business and academic leaders voiced strong support with the help of Cater Communications, underscoring the economic case for the standards and earning coverage in Christian Science Monitor, The Hill, The Detroit News, Consumer Affairs, Green Car Reports, Hybrid Cars, The Detroit Bureau and more.
In March, President Trump announced that his administration would reopen the mid-term review of these money-savings standards, which could result in a rollback of miles-per-gallon rules. Cater Communications released same-day statements and hosted a press call with consumer and business groups that earned coverage in The New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, NBC News, CBS News, Fox Business, CNN Money, Forbes, NPR, The Hill, Automotive News and more. In addition, Cater Communications placed op-eds for these leaders in newspapers across the country including Detroit News and Free Press.
California is home to the nation’s most ambitious climate change policies, but it’s also home to some of the world’s dirtiest oil. Two new reports from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace document incredibly diverse oil fields, ranging from some of the world’s cleanest oil, to oil that rivals Canadian tar sands. Need to Know: The Case for Oil Transparency in California details how a lack of transparency in oil production could impede the state in meeting its climate goals, and highlights opportunities for the state to manage this risk. Drilling Down on Oil: The Case of California’s Complex Midway Sunset Field provides an up-close look at California’s largest, oldest, dirtiest and most productive oil field. Cater Communications released the reports, securing coverage from ABC Bakersfield, Politico, Energywire, Long Beach Press, Capitol News Radio, KPBS, Valley Public Radio and other outlets.
As President Trump reopened the mid-term review of fuel economy standards, California chose to double down on its clean cars program to the benefit of 13 other states – and 113 million Americans – that have also adopted it. Leading up to the California Air Resources Board hearing where this decision was made, Cater Communications worked to connect consumer, business and clean vehicle experts with media, resulting in coverage from the Associated Press, Bloomberg, NPR, ClimateWire, Greenwire, Environmental Leader and Morning Consult.
In support of California’s pioneering efforts to save consumers money, reduce health impacts of pollution and spur investment in advanced vehicle technologies, Cater Communications helped place op-eds by the Consumers Union’s Shannon Baker-Branstetter in the Sacramento Bee; pediatrician Dr. Afif El-Hasan in Fox and Hounds; and Nancy Pfund, managing partner of the venture capital firm DBL Partners, in Automotive News.
The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization Next 10 commissioned research offering insight into three major issues facing the California legislature this year: the state’s transportation funding shortage, its housing crisis and the economic impact of climate change policies. As Gov. Jerry Brown prepared to sign SB 1, a $52 billion transportation funding package, Beyond the Gas Tax: Funding California Transportation in the 21st Century, produced by Beacon Economics, found that while SB 1 was necessary to address the transportation funding gap, California should consider a transportation funding system that does not rely on fossil fuel sales. Cater Communications released the report, generating coverage in outlets across the state including The San Diego Union-Tribune, Streetsblog, Southern California News Group, Los Angeles Daily News, NBC Bay Area, Southern California Public Radio, KPBS and the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
With over 100 housing bills before the state legislature, Next 10 commissioned Right Type, Right Place: Assessing the Environmental and Economic Impacts of Infill Residential Development through 2030, which found that a focus on infill housing could meet demand for housing while boosting the economy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and benefiting residents. The report was produced by UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment and the Terner Center for Housing Innovation, and released by Cater Communications. Stories appeared in top California outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, Southern California News Group, Mercury News, NBC Fresno, San Francisco Chronicle and Curbed LA.
Smart housing developments aren’t the only way California can boost its economy while cutting emissions. The Economic Impacts of California’s Major Climate Programs on the San Joaquin Valley, a study produced by UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment and commissioned by Next 10, found that California’s climate programs have brought $13 billion in economic benefits to the state’s economically vulnerable San Joaquin Valley, supporting over 100,000 jobs. Cater Communications released the report, earning widespread coverage from the Los Angeles Times, Fresno Bee, Capital Public Radio, Valley Public Radio and others.
Stop Fooling CA, a social media campaign designed and executed by Cater Communications, acts as a watchdog for the oil and gas industry. Recently, we developed a video series that exposes the impacts of urban oil extraction on vulnerable communities in Los Angeles. The series, #BadNeighbors, captures the voices and stories of people living next door to oil drilling, putting human faces on the problem of health impacts. The hashtag was trending the day of the launch, and the five videos made over 5 million impressions, were viewed more than half a million times and were shared by more than 70 organizations. The series was also featured on KCET news and inspired pieces on CBS, FastCompany, NowThis and DeSmogBlog.
Hundreds of scientists and thousands of supporters gathered in Boston’s Copley Square outside of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference in reaction to recent Administration attacks on evidence-based decision-making and its embrace of “alternative facts.” The rally featured prominent scientists speaking about the importance of scientific research in forming policies. Cater Communications assisted in messaging, conducted extensive outreach, arranged interviews and prepped experts for media engagement. The rally earned coverage in more than 300 media outlets, including the AP, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Economist, The Guardian, Gizmodo, BBC News, The Daily Mail, Mashable, Scientific American, ABC News, U.S. News & World Report, Vox, The Hilland Christian Science Monitor. The New York Times live-streamed the rally.
The International Council on Clean Transportation – the independent research organization that uncovered the VW emissions scandal – released a new report showing that the EPA overstated the cost of efficiency technologies needed to meet federal fuel economy standards for cars and light-duty trucks by as much as 40 percent, leading to exaggerated industry cost claims. Cater Communications released the findings, which earned coverage in The New York Times, The Washington Post, NY Daily News, Reuters, Forbes, ClimateWire, The Drive, Inside EPA, Ars Technica, Green Car Congress, HybridCars.com, Green Car Reports and more.
When the Netherlands decided to hold a VIP conference with California leaders focused on clean energy business and investment opportunities, it called Cater Communications. Cater worked with the Consulate of the Netherlands to produce the event, tending to details big and small; from designing the layout, managing vendors, developing graphics and signage and facilitating presentations, to building a social media presence and providing on-the-ground support the day of the event. The summit, called Climate Is Big Business, featured California Gov. Jerry Brown, Dutch Minister for the Environment Sharon Dijksma, Secretary of CalEPA Matthew Rodriguez, as well as thought and business leaders including Amory Lovins, Andrew Steer and Adair Turner.
Empowered by Light, a nonprofit that helps remote communities throughout the world develop renewable energy projects, recently announced plans to return to Nepal with partner Empower Generation to take on two new projects: installing a solar system to light and power an isolated ranger outpost in UNESCO World Heritage site Chitwan National Park; and providing local women with tools and training to sell low-cost, clean energy technologies to communities living around the park. The two organizations also released a stunning 20-minute film, Bufferzone, that details the unique challenges facing the region, and highlights the role renewable energy plays in protecting endangered species and boosting economic development. Cater Communications released the announcement and the new video, securing thousands of video views and coverage in multiple outlets, including EcoWatch, CleanTechnica, Planet Experts, Sea Change Radio, Eyes on Conservation, The Revelator and TGEink.
There may be restrictions on where and how Big Tobacco can advertise, but the industry still has many tricks up its sleeve to get people hooked. That’s why the American Lung Association in California asked Cater Communications to create and execute a promotional campaign to call attention to the ways Big Tobacco is intentionally marketing its products to children. Cater created seven unique ads and launched a targeted online and outdoor advertising campaign in Fresno, California. Cater ran ads on Google Adwords, across social media and in the Fresno Bee, in conjunction with physical placements inside of buses and on two full-sized billboards in the Fresno area.
The New York Energy Democracy Alliance called on Gov. Cuomo to fill at least one of the three open seats on the Public Service Commission with a “People’s Commissioner” committed to serving the best interests of the people and the environment of New York. Working with Cater Communications, EDA’s “People’s Commissioner” campaign earned significant media coverage across the state, including an op-ed and editorial cartoon placement in the Albany Times Union and multiple TV, radio and online news stories.