Eight Years in Business, Three Areas of Focus and One Commitment

Every January brings us more than just a celebration of a new calendar year: at RENEWPR, it’s also the start of another year in business. We opened for business on January 23, 2015, so today is the eighth anniversary of our launch.

It’s been an incredible eight years: we’ve worked with more than 40 clients, helped secure several important changes in federal law, promoted new cleantech policies and even won an award in the process. Over these eight years, we’ve sharpened our focus to three core areas: energy, environment and equity. Each is important in their own right, and together they represent the future of the climate economy of the 21st century. We won’t achieve advances in responsible energy production and use and environmental protection without equity. As we look to that future, we’ll continue to be in the middle of it working to advance policies, procedures and practices that will help ensure a diverse, equitable and inclusive future for all. That’s part of what “restoring common sense to communications” means.

As we celebrate eight years in business, we know that we owe our success to our clients, our Team and our Network of partner agencies. Merely saying “thank you” doesn’t seem like enough. So this year, as in years past, we’re doing more: we’re sponsoring an event hosted by an organization working in each of our focus areas this year.

Energy: With the Renewable Energy Markets conference coming to Washington, D.C. this year, we’ll be the lanyard sponsor for this annual energy leadership event sponsored by the Center for Resource Solutions. We’ll also be participating in the conference as I’ll be serving as the moderator of the “Power Table” conversation that kicks off the conference on September 19th.

Environment: We’ve long been interested in the work of the Society of Environmental Journalists – and not just because we work with several of their members on a regular basis. Part of “restoring common sense to communications” is ensuring that a free and functioning press continues to be part of American democracy. That means we must be committed to honesty and transparency in our work with the media and that the media must reflect the people it covers. These are all things SEJ cares about too. And this year, we’re so happy to be one of the sponsors of the SEJ’s Diversity Travel Fellowship program for their annual conference in April in Boise, Idaho. As part of this program, an independent group of journalists will give reporters from diverse backgrounds a grant to attend the conference. We’re proud to be supporting these efforts.

Equity: We’re continuing our support for the Museum of Public Relations and the work they do to elevate the role of diverse professionals in building the public relations industry. This year, we are Bronze sponsors of the Museum and will sponsor the Museum’s sixth annual celebration of “The LGBTQ Experience in Public Relations” event in June. We’ll also be participating in the event again as I’ll be serving as a panelist for the online conversation on June 2nd.

Over the last eight years and the next, our commitment is the same: to restore common sense to communications. It’s more than just our tagline: it’s our mission and our purpose. And given the current state of media, politics, policy and everything in between, it couldn’t be more important. We’re thankful to our clients for giving us the opportunity to help them advance positive policies and practices designed to address critical energy, environmental and equity challenges. And we’re grateful to our Team and Network of partner agencies for helping us make sure we can deliver on that promise. Thank you!

We’ll share more about each of the events we’re supporting this year so watch this space. For now, please join us in celebrating eight years, three areas of focus and one commitment. Onward!