August 2025 Newsletter

Tomorrow is our 15th birthday! We’ve grown ReThink from its infancy into being a statewide organization with a community-based focus. We couldn’t be more proud, and we are grateful to all of YOU who have helped make it happen. Even as we see incredibly concerning efforts to roll back progress on climate, such as the proposed rescission of the Endangerment Finding (find out more and take action here) and the very pointed attacks of the Florida DOGE on cities and counties taking climate action, we still celebrate the wins we’ve had over the past 15 years and gear up for more over the next.

From leading the effort to ban fracking in Florida to working with the city of Tallahassee to pass its Clean Energy Plan, to providing Energy Camp and Youth education since 2012, we have a lot to pat each other on the back for. 

So, I invite you to get involved! Below are opportunities to educate yourselves, to volunteer, and to donate to support our ongoing efforts. Be a part of the ReThink community – it feels a lot better taking action. 

Why the One Big Beautiful Bill is a Beast for FloridiansOn July 4th, President Trump signed into law the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’. Promoted as a win for affordability and prosperity, the new law will instead make each of these objectives harder to achieve by raising consumer costs and holding back U.S. economic growth and competitiveness. In particular it harms clean energy development, electricity costs, the electric vehicle market, and scientific integrity. As usual, communities that are already vulnerable stand to receive the worst of the impacts. What does the new law mean for your household and Floridians in general? Join us on August 12 for a webinar co-hosted by ReThink Energy Florida, Environmental Defense Fund, Florida Sierra Club, Solar United Neighborhoods and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.  Your hosts will lead a panel discussion that addresses: Clean Energy (Heaven Campbell, Solar United Neighbors) Rising Fuel Costs on Residential Electric Bills (David Cranston, Environmental Defense Fund) Harming vulnerable communities (Jyoti Parmar, FL Sierra Club) Electric Vehicles/ Transportation (Dory Larsen, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy) Moderated by Kim Ross, ReThink Energy Florida WHAT: Why the Big Beautiful Bill is a Beast for Floridians WHEN: Tues, August 12, 12pm EDT  Use the link below to register. Register

Legislative Engagement Training with RFF Year Round Please join us on August 22 at 10 am EDT for the Reclaiming Florida’s Future Year Round training on Legislative Engagement – How to Talk to Lawmakers.  We’ll be training on how to connect with legislators and communicate effectively with them to accomplish your legislative goals.  This online training is free and open to the public, so invite whoever you like, the more the better! Use the button below to register for this online event. Register

Who Do You Know Who is an Energy Innovator? Growing fresh food in food deserts. Leading workshops to lobby legislators. Inspiring activism through art and faith. There are countless ways Energy Innovators can spread positive change to their communities. If you know someone who is doing this work, please consider nominating them for one of our Energy Innovator Awards, which will be presented at the 15th Anniversary Energy Ball on November 6th. If you nominate someone, you will have your name put into a drawing for a free Energy Ball Ticket. In addition, you will win free Energy Ball ticket if your nominee is selected as a finalist. Nominees can be from across the state of Florida. Finalists receive two tickets to the Energy Ball, but do not need to be present to win. Click the button below to nominate an Energy Innovator: Nominate

Tickets on Sale for 15h Anniversary Energy Ball! The 2025 Energy Ball is coming up on Nov. 6 from 6 – 9:00 p.m. at the beautiful Goodwood Museum and Gardens!   This year’s Energy Ball will feature the band REVIVAL, plus the food, fun, games and silent auction that are always a part of this event.  Don’t miss this elegant evening of celebration. Secure your tickets now, using the link below. Tickets

Volunteers Needed What makes Energy Ball successful year after year? Our volunteers do! There are a number of ways you can help with the 15th Annual Energy Ball and make sure we have the funding we need for our STEM Ed and SEED programs. Energy Ball Planning Committee: Food Team Publicity Team Sponsor Team Day of Event Volunteers Event Setup Decorations Sign-in Table Food Service Break down and cleanup If you can help, use the link below to let us know what you’d like to do. Volunteer

Donations Needed Each year the Silent Auction helps us hit our Energy Ball fundraising goal  with contributions from supporters like you.  Can you donate a gift card, a vacation experience, local services or goods? Let guests slowly consider your business, product or service as they try to outbid one another and expose your brand to a captive audience who shares your values.  If you can donate, please use the email link below to let us know what you would like to donate and when we can come to receive it. Email

Update from the Education Team The education team has been working hard in the community this summer. Rethink Energy Florida hosted Energy Camp!  We learned about climate change and its impact on natural disasters, including how to build hurricane-proof houses and Create Emergency kits. We visited the Tallahassee Automobile Museum and discussed alternative transportation, and built solar bugs to learn more about solar panels. The camp was also visited by a snake as we learned about the Environment inside and took the lesson outside at the iGrow garden. We also completed an amazing summer with the Brilliant Resilience camp and Brownsville Preparatory School! After many visits exploring the idea of climate change I can proudly say we have some future, environmental engineers, chemists, electricians, and congressmen among us, and they will do just fine! • • • Join us October 13, 2025 for our Solar Car Workshop training for parents, teachers and community members. If you are interested, use the link below to complete our interest form.   Interest Form    Or if you would like to support our education programs please reach out for our fall volunteer opportunities using the link below,     Volunteer

Support Youth Education and SEED Project Become an Energy Ball Sponsor Our 15th Anniversary Energy Ball is the evening of November 6. We anticipate the event will attract at least 250 attendees. We will offer our Energy Ball traditions, including live music with the band Revival, an online silent auction, Energy Innovator Award recognition, and Green Outfit Contest.   Your support allows us to invest in youth by expanding important educational programs into the Spring of 2026. ReThink uses donated funds to advocate for renewable energy policies throughout the year. From Presenting Sponsor to Bronze level, we offer a wide range of choices and incentives to encourage your participation. Please see our website for the sponsorship levels and incentives offered.  If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, or would like more information, please email us using the link below. Email

ReThink is Now on Bluesky We love connecting with our followers on social media, and now we have one more way to do that. ReThink is now on Bluesky! You can find us at @rethinkenergyfl.bsky.social‬