By Deborah McNamara, Executive Director of ClimateVoice
This spring, ClimateVoice celebrates its fifth anniversary as an official nonprofit organization — and continues to power forward with urging businesses to go “all in” on climate policy advocacy, one of the most important levers for change, especially now. Corporate political responsibility remains critical, and business leaders, employees and sustainability professionals continue to have an array of opportunities — and a responsibility — to advocate and leverage corporate influence especially when it comes to supporting policy solutions.
ClimateVoice continues to power the movement to catalyze corporate climate leadership, despite the headwinds. Even as the business voice has been quieter this past year, employees and sustainability professionals are using their influence to press for change from the inside — and their efforts are paying off. Employees across large U.S.-based companies are meeting regularly as part of the new Cross Company Alliance for Employee Climate Action, a group convened by ClimateVoice for employee leaders from companies such as Grammarly, Google, Microsoft, Pinterest and others, where the focus is driving climate advocacy from the inside. These employees will meet in person for a first Employee Influence Retreat led by ClimateVoice this summer.
Advocating for state climate policy progress at work has been a top priority for ClimateVoice in 2026. While climate progress is being actively dismantled and stalled at the federal level, climate policies are still moving forward at the state level. At least eight states released updated climate plans this past year, with many updating greenhouse gas inventories and setting more ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. Legislation to accelerate community solar programs continues and ‘plug-in solar’ bills are on the rise across the country, offering a path to democratizing clean energy access for everyday Americans.
Make way for ‘plug-in solar’ policies across the nation
At a time when federal climate and clean energy policies are moving us in the wrong direction on clean energy access, energy security and energy affordability, state-level advocacy is more important than ever — and provides a key opportunity for corporate climate policy advocacy. Solar is now the cheapest source of energy, but millions of Americans don’t have access to this renewable resource. Policies to expand access to clean energy have the potential to address the climate crisis at scale, reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions while also tackling the affordability crisis and promoting energy security.
Hot off the press is ClimateVoice’s newest resource on policy advocacy — an issue and action policy brief explaining why plug-in solar is an innovative state policy worth supporting.
A literal bright spot in 2026 is the momentum of the growing ‘plug-in solar’ movement (also known as balcony solar). In 2025, Utah passed a first-of-its-kind bipartisan bill to enable plug-in solar units, which are small, affordable panels that anyone with outdoor space can plug-in and use to generate electricity. 25+ states are following Utah’s lead this year by introducing bills in this legislative cycle, providing an important bipartisan opportunity that will address energy affordability concerns, while also expanding clean energy access. In March, Virginia became the second state to allow plug-in or balcony solar, passed with a unanimous bipartisan vote — and in early April, Maine joined as the third state to pass similar legislation.
Plug-in solar has the potential to expand access to renewable energy to 60 million Americans, and passing related legislation in even five states has the potential to create a multiplier effect where consumer demand increases the supply of these panels, drives down costs, and makes solar energy more mainstream. Employees, sustainability professionals and business leaders can elevate this climate policy advocacy opportunity at work — and indeed the ClimateVoice community has elevated these policy opportunities as a top priority this year. We continue to urge sustainability and government relations teams to weigh in with public support at the state level, everywhere companies operate. We continue to raise the visibility of this climate solution to further spark a movement for energy that is abundant, affordable, and clean.
ClimateVoice Campaigns Director Jennifer Allyn with Brightsaver Founder, Cora Stryker
Just this month, ClimateVoice partnered with Climate Reality Project to host an ‘Hour of Action’ focused on plug-in solar advocacy, and one of our Cross Company Alliance members provided an ‘employee spotlight,’ sharing how they are pushing for sustainability and climate commitments at work from the inside. She spotlighted the Cross Company Alliance’s collaboration with Employee Climate Action Network (which ClimateVoice also co-founded in 2025), and her efforts to promote clean energy at work coupled with her own journey to green her home.
This employee advocate joins many who are showing the way on how to bring climate issues into the spotlight at work — starting a climate and sustainability working group at her company, regularly advocating for climate policy engagement, and even working to implement a green 401k option for employees. “There are a lot of us who deeply care about climate and are doing things about it,” she says. Indeed. Here’s to the growing movement of people working for change — and to the momentum of local policies underway that will enable a cleaner energy future in the years ahead.
Want to learn more and take action? Start here.
- Read ClimateVoice’s Issue + Action Policy Brief highlighting why plug-in solar is an innovative state policy worth supporting. Join us in advocating for state level climate policies such as plug-in solar to democratize solar energy. With bills underway in 25+ states, help raise the visibility of this climate solution to spark a movement for energy that is abundant, affordable, and clean.
- Check out ClimateVoice’s Climate Action Checklist for steps you can take to advocate for climate policy progress at work — whatever your role. Find advice, best practices, and resources to help you get started.
- Support ClimateVoice’s work. You can learn more and contribute here.