Who knew lobbying meant you had to wake up so early? I guess there’s no “snooze” button when it comes to early morning activism.

Last Tuesday, at around 5:15 a.m., half awake and armed with an economy-size container of coffee, I moseyed my way onto the Bellingham South-bound bus in pursuit of Lobby Day 2010. Accompanying me on my legislative adventure were four fellow Western Washington University students, including blogger C.J. Huxford of Western's environmental magazine, The Planet. Soon the bus began to fill up, snacks began to fly, and before we had hit Seattle the Greyhound was brimming with green scarf-clad environmentalists, excited and chatting about the day to come.

Approaching the capital, facilitators advised us to brush-up on the list of environmental priorities and warned us that we may be chosen to speak with our representatives on behalf of our district. But I assumed enough people from my so called “hippy town,” aka Bellingham, would want to take the stage instead of me.  Well, as it turns out, along with NRA meetings and formal dinners at John McCain’s house, you can add four hour bus rides to Olympia to the list of places you won’t find Bellingham hippies. Out of the 67,171 people living in Bellingham, only eight of us showed up.

Instantly, panic struck. What do you mean I have to speak to my representative? I can’t do that! I’m not prepared for this, I’m going to look foolish, and they are definitely not going to listen to me! Then it hit me - I’m here, they know I’m coming, I vote for them, and if they want me to reelect them, they don’t have a choice, they have to listen to me. Ten minutes later I had my spiel prepared and I was rushed off to meet our first Representative, Doug Ericksen.

I attended meetings in both the 42nd and 40th Districts and experienced an array of political personalities and policy opinions. Some representatives came off as uninterested, annoyed, and downright snarky, while others helped to diminish any negative preconceived notions I had about those working in the legislative branch.

One outstanding representative  spoke with voters from my district honestly and explained that, though we are in the midst of an economic recession, there is hope for a cleaner, more economically stable Washington, and that as an elected official he would not ignore these issues.

Now, some may view that with some cynicism but as an optimist, I see it as a giant leap towards opening the floodgates of communication between citizens and elected officials. Personally, I believe that during tough economic times such as these, politicians cannot afford to sugarcoat budget issues that affect both public and environmental health.  I highly appreciated the legislators who gave it to me straight, and I will continue to focus on the underlying message of “hope,” not pessimism. I mean, isn’t that why so many of us came to Lobby Day in the first place? Over 400 citizens attended Environmental Lobby Day, and I sincerely doubt any of them would have done so without having some glimmer of hope that their participation would make a difference.

After spending the day weaving in and out of fancy offices, I finally sat down with fellow Washingtonians from all over the state and found out exactly what brought them to the event. Some people I met worked for environmental organizations and attending Lobby Day was just business as usual, but the majority of the folks I met were just average, concerned, everyday citizens, who took the day off work to come down to Olympia and lobby for what they believed in.

During lunch, I had the opportunity to speak with two ladies about their Lobby Day experience. Like me, the two women were asked to speak on behalf of their entire district and were initially terrified, but with the support of their fellow lobbyists, they pulled it together and had a great time.

“The best thing I got out of today was learning that if you speak from your heart, you’ll be okay,” said one woman. “I was just inspired by all the people who came out today, so well prepared, and knew exactly what to say,” said the other. “It was flat out inspiring.” I was thrilled to hear others were enjoying and learning from their experience as well.

While chatting, we got on the subject as to why people don’t get involved in things like Lobby Day more often. One woman made a very good point.

“There are so many people out there who want to get involved, but they get so intimated,” she said. “They think they don’t know enough about the issue and they get too afraid to take a big bite out of the topic even though they’re concerned.”

I couldn’t get the topic out of my head and I spent most of my ride back to Bellingham trying to wrap my head around why people don’t get involved? What holds people back from speaking out on issues they care about? I found that I understand the intimidation concept completely.  Toxic contamination, collapsing ecosystems, and degrading public health are scary, sensitive and often controversial subjects. Sometimes when people don’t know what to do, they just don’t do anything. Unfortunate, but true, I see the intimidation factor constantly deterring people from getting involved in issues they care about.

Looking back on my adventure in Olympia, I realize I’ve learned three important facts about the event.

The first lesson is that people who attend Lobby Day are average, motivated citizens who view Lobby Day as an opportunity to interact with their legislators and other likeminded citizens, and to vocally express their policy concerns.

Second, honesty is the best policy when it comes to making legislative decisions that have huge potential impacts on public and environmental health.

Last, never let intimidation stand in your way. As citizens of Washington State, it our right, and our job to educate ourselves on issues that threaten our health and well being.  If you’re concerned about your environment, DO SOMETHING. Join a non-profit group, donate to a worthy cause, volunteer to restore habitats, or write your legislators and let them know you want them to take action!

See you next Lobby Day!

[ Watch a Lobby Day video Ross Reid and I did here on YouTube. ]