Setting the Agenda – Week 4 – Writing a Letter to the Editor

Opening Message: What are some success stories in which other people and communities have taken climate action?

Reachout.com has some great tips and suggestions for writing a letter to an editor. Reading previously written letters to the editor can help structure your letter in a manner that is grammatically favoured and more likely to be printed and have an impact. Researching your topic and getting all the facts and know what you would like to include in your letter can also be very useful when structuring your letter and getting across your important points. These letters are usually quite short, less than 200 words, and it is important to be upfront with your comments about an article you are writing about, and indicate whether you support the article or disagree with it.

Tips on writing a letter to the editor: http://au.reachout.com/how-to-write-a-letter-to-the-editor

I wrote a letter to the editor of the Star Phoenix in Saskatoon and I am still waiting to see it published in the letters section of the newspaper. I will continue to comment on climate change in the news in hopes that one day a letter of mine will be published, and my voice will be heard.

My letter read:

“With climate change awareness increasing rapidly in the country, I had hoped to see a stronger platform for increasing solar energy, and decreasing carbon emissions in the province. The Saskatchewan Party’s platform indicates they will continue to work towards the target of having 50% of Saskatchewan’s power generation capacity produced by renewable energy by 2030. The NDP platform indicates the same goal, but they are aiming over all for 60% renewable power. These targets may be indicated in their platform but they are not advocating for these issues. Where was the big environmental debate? People are becoming more environmentally aware these days and I think it is important that environmental issues, such as climate change, get the urgency they deserve.”

Tracy Mitchell from Saskatoon successfully had a letter to the editor published in the Star Phoenix on December 15^th, 2015. She talked about how Saskatchewan continues to lag behind the rest of the world when it comes to climate action. I think this is a pretty powerful letter to the editor because only recently has Saskatchewan begun its journey towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has started to treat climate change in Canada with the urgency it deserves, and with the provincial election today, I hope the elected Premier and MLA’s treat climate action like the urgent issue it is.

Tracy Mitchell’s Letter to the Editor: http://thestarphoenix.com/storyline/saskatchewan-continues-to-lag-behind-the-rest-of-the-world-when-it-comes-to-climate-change-letter-to-the-editor