What You Can Do

#1 Educate Yourself

The more you know, the better you will be able to explain to others why saving the incandescent light bulb is important.

#2 Get to know your Senators and Representative

You can use the “Locate” tool to the right to find your congressmen. Don’t be afraid to call their offices and ask why they support the light bulb “ban.”

#3 Make your voice heard.

  • Signing petitions are good.
  • Filling out a congressmans’ webform is better.
  • Writing a handwritten letter is really great.
  • Making a phone call is best.

Use our “Write Your Congressman” page to create your letter.

#4 Find Out What Is Happening In Your State

Congress.org MegaVote allows you to sign up for weekly email summaries of how your Senators and Representative have voted.

#5 Write Your Congress Person

This page will help you organize your thoughts so you can write an effective letter to your congressperson. We have some suggested text already below but feel free to rewrite it or start from scratch.

Note: Senators and Representatives “represent” the people in their districts. Your letter must go to YOUR legislators.

Note: If you are sending snail mail, you may need to visit their website to find their physical address. If you send an email or post your letter on their web form, only the full name is necessary.

The Consumerist says that the longer your letter, the longer your reply will likely be received, providing you with more information to deal with your issue. Urging others to write about the same problems across your district, your state, and the country will also add force to your voice in Congress. To gain attention and add further weight to your letter, you may want to get a write-up in the local newspaper community section about your letter and the response you received with pictures of you and the letters. This can bring greater awareness to the issues and encourage others to write.

And here are some additional pointers to consider:

Write a letter on real paper. It doesn’t have to be hand-written; you can use a computer. But a physical sheet of paper carries more weight than an email. It takes more time, effort, energy, and thought than email.

Make sure you include your physical address. They need to know you are a constituent, even if you know you don’t live in their district.

Make sure your name is clearly spelled out. Some signatures are hard to read, so make sure you legibly print your name on the letter.

Send the letter where the official is. Is the legislature meeting in session? If so, send the letter to Tallahassee. If not, send it to the district office.

Be nice. You can disagree without being disagreeable. So, treat your elected official how you expect him or her to treat you – with civility and respect. Even if you are writing to Dick Cheney or Nancy Pelosi, and you hate their politics with zealous fervor, being respectful yet direct can move your letter to the top of the stack.