New Gaming-Style Campaign Rallies Employees to Urge Companies to “Escape the Chamber” and Lead on Climate

Hard-Hitting McKibben Video Spotlights U.S. Chamber’s Climate Obstruction 

San Francisco, CA — Today ClimateVoice, a non-profit founded by former Google and Facebook sustainability leader Bill Weihl, launched a targeted campaign to rally the workforce at pro-climate companies (beginning with Big Tech firms), to urge their companies to “leave” the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and “lead” on climate policy. “Escape the Chamber” activates employees to urge these companies to stop their support of the U.S. Chamber, which has a consistent record of obstructing climate policy.

“To be climate leaders, companies must stop their support for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s obstruction,” says Weihl, a longtime sustainability executive. “As the climate crisis invades their daily lives, employees feel an urgent call to act – and they want companies to answer the call. They are proud of their company’s pro-climate stance, but it is completely misaligned with membership in the Chamber. They should leave, as well as advocate consistently and forcefully to counter its influence.”

Climate champion Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) voiced his support: “I call on American companies to stop funding anti-climate activities by dropping membership in the Chamber and other anti-climate organizations, and by stepping up their own climate policy leadership before it’s too late to lead the planet to safety.”

Despite pro-climate action in their own operations, many companies (including Big Tech firms such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce and Meta) continue to be members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “Hypocrisy is in the air, along with carbon dioxide and methane,” says climate icon Bill McKibben in a hard-hitting video that launches the campaign’s petition drive.

Escape the Chamber has multiple components designed to have a galvanizing impact on employees: 

• A powerful video featuring climate icon and best-selling author Bill McKibben, who explains the U.S. Chamber’s pattern of obstruction and why employees should get involved in persuading companies to leave.
• Gaming-style graphics that evoke classic video games, engaging pro-climate advocates to follow an interactive “Escape Plan,” share the video and digital content, reach out to colleagues, and join the campaign.
  
• A dedicated website supporting the petition drive, and a blend of organic and paid social media to propel the campaign forward.

“This campaign gives employees who are watching the continued unsettling climate news a specific action they can take,” said Deborah McNamara, ClimateVoice co-Executive Director and former leader at 350 Colorado. “ClimateVoice engaged thousands of employees and advocates in a series of campaigns during the push for historic climate legislation last year – and this is the next strategic step needed to power climate policy forward. People are ready to take additional action, and advocating for strong climate policy progress and alignment is a key current lever.”

ClimateVoice, founded in 2020, is a project of Tides Center.