National Plug In Day will be held on Sunday, September 23, 2012, and is an unprecedented nationwide observance drawing global attention to the environmental, economic and other benefits of plug-in electric vehicles through simultaneous events staged in cities nationwide.
Plug In America, the Sierra Club, and the Electric Auto Association are teaming up to plan for this effort, which will sound the bell through plug-in parades, tailpipe-free tailgate parties, test-drives and other grassroots activities.
The goal of National Plug In Day is to get owners of plug-in cars together with the general public. The general public can then talk to the owners of these vehicles and hear what the cars are like to live with in the real world. We are hoping that this will motivate more members of the public to consider a plug in vehicle for themselves the next time they are thinking of purchasing a new vehicle.
It is my hope that this year’s event move from being solely United States observance to being an event that includes many more cities in the U.S. and many international one as well. To make this happen we need organizers everywhere. The Sierra Club is offering assistance to what they call “City Captains.” City captains will be the point of contact for organizing the National Plug In Day event in a particular city.
Below the fold is an Email with contact information to get started.
Dear Electric Vehicle supporter,
Will you serve as a “city captain” (local event organizer) for this year’s National Plug In Day? Several of last year’s city captains have signed up, but we are looking for additional talented volunteers.
Sunday, September 23 will be the 2012 National Plug In Day. Sierra Club, Plug In America, and the Electric Auto Association are pleased to team up again this year to work with local partners to organize this second annual effort, which will call attention to the fact that a switch to EVs is one important way to reduce emissions and dependence on oil.
Like last year, city captains will represent a community group promoting EVs (could be a local Sierra Club, Electric Auto Assoc group or a different organization) or an individual EV advocate who has strong community connections. As we’d like this to be a grassroots effort, corporations may participate in National Plug In Day, but may not take the lead in organizing a local event.
Last year’s effort was terrific -with events in 29 cities with thousands of people and hundreds of plug-in vehicles in attendance as well as significant media attention. Whether it was an EV parade or an electric tailgate party in a parking lot or a vehicle and charging station show-and-tell, the events offered a great way to educate the public, the media, and policymakers about the many benefits of electric vehicles. We want this year’s Plug In Day to be even bigger and better.
Opportunities and Guidelines for 2012 Plug In Day City Captains:
- Will receive the following resources from the national core organizing team: an organizing toolkit; template news release/news advisory; local media contacts; and national publicity including a central web site for posting local information.
- Will take the lead in overseeing all aspects of the local event.
- By mid June, will have identified a planning group, a planned (even if not yet confirmed) location for the event, and a general idea for the event.
- Will participate in periodic city captain calls to receive information from core national organizing team and to share ideas with other city captains.
- Will generate a list of community contacts and will develop a publicity/media outreach plan.
- Will agree to overall national initiative guidelines (like on corporate sponsorship issues).
If you have questions or would like to sign up to be a city captain, please email Troy Burbank (troy.burbank[at]sierraclub.org) -ideally by the end of this week- with your name, city, phone number, email address, mailing address, and confirmation that you agree to the city captain guidelines described above.
Thank you and all the best,
All the best,
Gina
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Gina Coplon-Newfield
Senior Campaign Representative for Electric Vehicles
Sierra Club
www.sierraclub.org/ev