Lobby with us!

The 2026 Summer Conference and Lobby Day will is not scheduled yet. The likely itinerary for New Mexicans consists of:

• One travel day

• One to two days of conference activities

• A lobby day on Capitol Hill

The conference itself is very busy, and you're not likely to have time to work in many extra activities on those days (like museums or other sight-seeing). Consider arriving early or staying late if you're interested in adding in more fun!

If you'll be under 18 at the time of the event, you will need to come with your parent or guardian (or a grandparent). Contact the chapter (nm.atlarge@citizensclimatelobby.org) to discuss your options and make an action plan as soon as possible.

After you have decided the number of nights you'll spend in DC and the activities you want to participate in, you are ready to create a budget. The following is guidance for the budgeting process. Your final expenses will be different than these estimates. If you plan to use the most expensive recommendations below, this may add up to around $2600. However, there are lots of options to cut costs including choosing less expensive lodging and ride/room sharing. 

Lodging

The conference is held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel (2500 Calvert St NW, Washington, DC 20008). You will have the option to stay there at a conference rate of approximately $350/night, which works out to about $1400 for four nights. There are also hotels, hostels, and AirBnbs nearby that you can consider, especially if you are willing to take the metro to get there.

Whether you are staying at the Omni or nearby, you can connect with other attendees in our state chapter and nationally in the room share forum to discuss sharing a room. 

Airfare

It is very hard to predict the price of airfare, but you may want to budget for $600 as a starting point. 

Transportation

If you plan to rely on the metro, transportation from the airport and to/from the Capital on Lobby Day will likely cost $20 or less. 

If you plan to take a taxi or Uber to/from the airport, you should budget for at least $100 total.

If you plan additional outings, you should add to these expenses.

Conference

In past years, conference registration has been $200. 

Food and activities

Most meals are not paid for at the conference, so you should budget for $50-100/day depending on whether you want to eat out or pick things up at a local grocery store. 

You should also consider admission cost to any museums or other activities you want to complete on your trip. 

It's never too early to start fundraising for your trip!

Right now, Citizens' Climate Lobby does not do fundraising for local chapters or their members to attend the conference (though they do offer scholarships-- see below!). Our New Mexico chapter is not set up to fundraise either. That means that individual members need to raise funds for themselves, and as a chapter we do everything we can to promote your fundraiser! In 2024, we raised over $3000 and fully paid for three students to attend the conference (read about their experience here). As soon as you are able to, set up a GoFundMe (or other mechanism to receive donations) and get in touch with our chapter (nm.atlarge@citizensclimatelobby.org) so we can discuss the best way to amplify your fundraising campaign!

Keep in mind that you can fundraise at any time, but January and April are especially great times. In the new year, people are excited to find new causes to support. And around April, there will be lots of interest in the climate because of Earth Day. 

CCL offers several scholarships every year to fund part of the attendance fees for groups like students and conservatives. Make sure to check this page and the conference information page so you can find out the details and apply!

Within 4 to 8 weeks of the conference date, you will have deadlines for registering the conference and reserving a hotel room at the conference rate*.

*Note that this is only for the Omni Shoreham and would not apply for other lodging options.

Within a few weeks of the conference day, CCL will host two sessions about the "primary and secondary asks", that is the major asks we will present before Congress on Lobby Day. Check this page and your email to make sure you can reserve the time and log on! (If you miss them, the Zoom recordings will be available later on.) 

You will be assigned lobby meetings approximately a week before the conference. Your lobby team lead will try to reach out to you via email or phone. It's crucial that you attend to and respond to their messages (and reach out to your chapter leadership if you don't hear from them). Don't forget to check your junk mail folder!

While there will be ample time for meeting with your lobby teams on site in the Capital, you may have the opportunity for virtual meetings or calls with your lobby team before.