 Washington, D.C. hosts all kinds of organizations that seek to influence and lobby members of Congress. A bipartisan group of members of Congress founded EESI because they had identified a need for fact-based information on sustainable energy and created EESI to fill that gap. This gives us a privileged position as a trusted source of credible, nonpartisan information about energy and the environment for our elected officials. But we're an independent nonprofit without any congressional funding. The United States must transition to a clean economy based on energy efficiency and renewable energy. This will slow and hopefully reverse climate change caused by the greenhouse gases emitted by coal, natural gas, and oil. It would also make us more energy secure. No more need to import oil. It would create new economic opportunities, not to mention thousands of jobs. And it would make us all healthier by reducing pollution. To get there, we've decided to cut to the chase and go to our nation's policymakers. That means Congress and the wider policy community, the executive branch, think tanks, state and local officials, media, other nonprofits, and citizens like you and me. As voters, we're all policymakers. We have three key leverage points. First, our special relationship with Congress. We were founded by a bipartisan group of members of Congress and our work is seen as reputable and nonpartisan. Second, our extensive relationships. One of EESI's strengths is its broad network. We work with states and local officials who want to bring their concerns to Capitol Hill, businesses big and small, with tribal nations, with nonprofits, and academics. By looking at the big picture, we can best identify win-win solutions that will reduce pollution while creating economic growth. Third, our convening power. We draw on that network to pull together diverse panels of speakers that help policymakers understand the latest research, what states and cities need from the federal government, and how businesses are profiting by moving toward clean energy. Obviously, we're not the only group trying to get policymakers' attention, not by a long shot. So we use our strengths, our reputation, and our network to maximize another key asset, our convening power. When people come to EESI's forums, they know they'll hear from experts with compelling case studies, the latest research, and more. Indeed, EESI's reach and influence are extensive, and because people know EESI is trustworthy, they pay attention. Well, we can't just go around testing policymakers to see if they're using our work in their jobs. In the messy process that is policymaking, it can be difficult to assess the impact of one organization. But the proof is in the pudding. Ultimately, our measure of success will be our country's transition to a clean, sustainable economy. We do know that more renewables are being installed every year, and efficiency for cars, appliances, and more is increasing too. We measure effectiveness in different ways. We ask attendees to our forums to sign in so we can see who we're reaching. We track our website and email statistics. And it's not all about numbers. A helpful source of feedback is the numerous unsolicited comments and thanks we receive. These comments tell us a lot and show we're reaching the right people. Many people think EESI is a quasi-governmental organization funded by Congress. Perhaps because we were founded by members of Congress, but we receive no congressional funding. It's people like you who help EESI advance clean energy. Perhaps what most surprises people is how small we are. People are amazed to learn we have nine staff. They think EESI is much larger because of our outsized impact. We hold a briefing every two weeks on average and produce two weekly newsletters, plus dozens of fact sheets. And that doesn't even take into account our behind-the-scenes work. It's so hard to pick out just a couple from our long history. But our project that helps electric co-op customers pay for energy efficiency upgrades comes to mind. People use the money they save from reduced energy bills to pay for the upgrades without having to come up with the money up front. They're more comfortable too. That's an all-around win. Another thing is the key role we played in getting bioenergy into farming legislation. Did you know it's possible to turn manure into energy? Or that some types of native grasses like switchgrass can be used to make fuel for vehicles while keeping our lands healthy and productive. This can help drive down our dependence on foreign oil. Well, all that is part of our agricultural policy now and arose from EESI's policy development efforts. Our greatest challenge is inertia. Our country has so much invested in the current unsustainable way of producing energy that it's hard for some policymakers to envision something different, even if it's clearly better. There are very powerful interests that have a lot at stake in preserving the status quo. But technology is advancing at a rapid pace. American innovation can lead the way. Our second greatest challenge is getting the resources to seize all the opportunities that come our way. Many commentators talk of gridlock and extreme partisanship. But in truth, there's a lot going on and policymakers are moving ahead one way or another. Our available resources don't allow us to be involved in all the aspects of clean energy that we would like to be. A better question would be, what wouldn't we do? More resources would allow us to hire more staff to do more behind-the-scenes work and have more forms on different aspects of energy. For instance, we have one staff person handling both climate change and renewable energy policy. That's a lot for one person. But if you donate generously, you can help us split up those responsibilities. That would allow us to promote more renewable energy and climate solutions. Sometimes around here we say, we'd all like to clone ourselves. We're also always looking to expand our communication strategies, revamping our website, increasing our use of social media, presenting at conferences, etc. All of that is very costly. There are so many things I wish we could do. I'd love to work more with states and cities. Good federal policy is critical, but a lot can happen at the state and local level too, and is happening. We'd love to take our forms and success stories on the road so that state and local policy makers can learn from each other directly. More resources would also allow us to tackle issues that are critically important, but that we just can't address in as much depth as we'd like. One issue is the impact of different forms of energy on water, our most essential resource.