Everyone is invited to participate, regardless of your level of experience in CCL. We provide training for all levels of experience during the conference. For attendees under the age of 18 years old, please review our policy regarding minors and FAQ below. 

Visit our registration page to register. The registration deadline is Thursday, July 9, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET. 

Walk-in registration is available for the conference only (July 26-27). Walk-in registrants will not receive a lobby day schedule (for July 28).

Yes, registration fees and deadlines are as follows: 

• Early Bird registration: $149 (April 11 through May 21, 11:59 p.m. ET) 
• Regular registration: $199 (May 22 through July 9, 11:59 p.m. ET)
• Student Registration: $35 (April 11 through July 9, 11:59 p.m. ET) Students will be asked to share what school they are currently enrolled in. 

We have exhausted the funding that provided scholarships in prior years and are not able to offer them this year. If you have financial hardship and would like to request a registration discount please email .

Meals are on your own – the area is packed with restaurants. We will have a post-lobby day reception the evening of Tuesday, July 28th which includes hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar.

Registration fees are not transferable.

Yes. When you register and you get to the payment section of the registration process, select “pay by check” and continue with the rest of the registration form. Please mail your check, made payable to Citizens’ Climate Education, to PO Box 181020, Coronado, CA 92178. Please put “2026 Summer Conference” in the memo. Your payment must be received by July 9th. 

Youth under the age of 13 are not eligible to participate in CCL/CCE programming as an individual volunteer, but are welcome to accompany their parents. We welcome children ages 13-17 to attend the Summer Conference & Lobby Day as long as they are accompanied by their parent, legal guardian, or a grandparent who is also registered for the event. This ensures minors have the proper support and supervision while engaging with our programs through the duration of the event. See our full Youth Policy here.

Instructions for registering with a minor: Minors cannot register themselves. The parent/legal guardian/grandparent must register themself as well as their child for the conference by selecting two tickets (i.e a “Conference & Lobby Day” ticket and a “Student” ticket). In the registration form, each ticket will require the individual attendee’s information. The parent/legal guardian/grandparent information should be entered as one attendee, and the child’s information should be entered as the other attendee. The minor will be paired with their parent/legal guardian/grandparent on lobby day, both people will receive their own lobby day schedules that will match.

Please review this Information Session video recording held by the CCL National Youth Action Team to learn more about what it’s like for youth & parents to attend the conference and the registration process.

If you need to cancel, contact us as soon as possible by email or by phone at (619) 437-7142. The deadline for cancellations and refunds is July 9th. Refunds are only available through July 9th (you can still cancel after July 9th but we cannot process your refund).

Yes, you can walk-in to the conference and register. We can accept credit/debit cards, and personal checks only. Registration prices are $199 for conference registration or $35 for student conference registration. Walk-in registration includes conference sessions July 26-27 only; walk-in registrants will NOT receive a lobby day schedule for July 28th.

No, you do not need a physical/printed/paper ticket for the conference. Please register for the conference, then we will check you in by your name on-site at the event. 

We are grateful for the layers of protection and public education that now exist to keep us as safe as possible at our upcoming in-person conference. We want to acknowledge that the risks are not the same for everyone and that people must determine for themselves what risks to take. We trust that you will make the best decision for yourself regarding your attendance at the event and what precautions you take, such as vaccinations, boosters, social distancing, and wearing a mask. At this time we will not be requiring testing before or during the conference, or mask wearing at the conference. We ask attendees to support people in their personal choice about wearing masks. If you are not feeling well in the days leading up to or at the conference, we ask that you stay home or isolate yourself. We will refund your conference registration fee upon request. If you must cancel your attendance to the conference due to COVID-19 or illness, please let us know as soon as you can by emailing . Thank you in advance for being thoughtful and courteous to other attendees.

We’ll be making updates to the program as we get closer to the conference, so be sure to check back for the most up-to-date agenda. You’ll find the conference schedule on this webpage you are currently viewing, scroll up to the “Program” section to find the conference agenda.

The Climate Advocate Lobby Training focuses on CCL, our history, and our methods for generating political will, as well as the basics of how to lobby Congress using CCL’s specific approach. The training occurs at our National Conferences, and when we are initiating a brand new group in a new area. If you’re new to CCL or you have never attended this training before we strongly encourage you to attend it in person at the conference, or you can sign up for a virtual version of the workshop here. This training is required to lobby with CCL.

You can registration for live stream access of the conference for $20 here. We will be live streaming the sessions on the main stage (indicated on the program above). Instructions for connecting to the live stream will be emailed to registered attendees.

In lobby days past we’ve met with over 400 offices, we hope to meet that goal again this year!

We have a limit of 1,200 citizen lobbyists for Lobby Day. If you want to participate in lobbying, we encourage you to register early. However, there is plenty of room at the conference itself July 26-27. Even if you can’t lobby, we hope you will take advantage of the speakers, workshops, and opportunity to network with like-minded volunteers at the conference.

Based on our past experience, with so many people wanting to lobby, we expect each person to have 2-4 lobby meetings, with 4-6 volunteer lobbyists in each meeting. This is subject to change, of course, depending on how many offices we schedule appointments with and the timing of those meetings.

We will do our best to put constituents in their congressperson’s meeting though sometimes there are more constituents than space in an office. We estimate each citizen lobbyist to have 2-4 meetings. Given we’ll have attendees from around the country, lobby teams will have a mix of 4-6 constituents and non-constituents. 

Lobby teams and schedules are coordinated in conjunction with CCL Staff and State Coordinators and a software program that prioritizes constituents and existing liaisons to be placed in their district meeting if possible.

We cross reference the availability you provided when you registered, and we place you into appointments based on your availability, your congressional district, any special relationships you indicated (see Can I request to be in a specific lobby meeting?) and the need for volunteers to fill meetings where we do not have any or enough constituents to fill the meeting. We try to have no more than 4-6 people per meeting, depending on the number of people we have attending Lobby Day. We estimate each volunteer lobbyist to have 2-4 meetings. 

We kindly ask that you love the schedule you receive. The process of coordinating the schedule is complex and changes have domino effects. Often there are more constituents than space available in Capitol Hill offices. Sometimes congressional staffers have requested a limit on the number of people attending the meeting. If for any reason you cannot attend a meeting we ask that you notify the meeting leader, which can be found on your lobby schedule.

Lobby meetings on July 28th can be scheduled starting at 8:30 a.m., most end by 5:30 p.m. Since we don’t know in advance how many lobby meetings are later in the day, we’d like to have as many lobbyists as possible stay until the end of the day and come to the post lobby day reception. If you need to end your lobby day earlier than 5:30 p.m., when you register please indicate the time you are available until (you can potentially be scheduled for a meeting to start 1 hour prior to the time indicated. For example, if you indicate in your registration you are available until 3 p.m., you could be scheduled for a meeting that starts at 2 p.m.). If you have any questions about your availability or schedule please email .

Lobby day registration closes July 9th, 11:59 p.m. ET sharp, no exceptions. This gives us enough time to assemble the lobby teams and schedules from available lobbyists. We’ll notify you of your team members by July 23rd, so you’ll have plenty of time to meet with your team to plan before lobby day on July 28th.

Designated CCL Congressional Liaisons or Appointment Setters will make appointments with congressional offices. In some cases, CCL interns will make appointments. If you have questions about the appointment setting process or responsibilities, email .

Youth under the age of 13 are not eligible to participate in CCL/CCE programming as an individual volunteer, but are welcome to accompany their parents. We welcome children ages 13-17 to attend the Summer Conference & Lobby Day as long as they are accompanied by their parent, legal guardian, or a grandparent who is also registered for the event. This ensures minors have the proper support and supervision while engaging with our programs through the duration of the event. See our full Youth Policy here.

Instructions for registering with a minor: Minors cannot register themselves. The parent/legal guardian/grandparent must register themself as well as their child for the conference by selecting two tickets (i.e a “Conference & Lobby Day” ticket and a “Student” ticket). In the registration form, each ticket will require the individual attendee’s information. The parent/legal guardian/grandparent information should be entered as one attendee, and the child’s information should be entered as the other attendee. The minor will be paired with their parent/legal guardian/grandparent on lobby day, both people will receive their own lobby day schedules that will match.

Please review this Information Session video recording held by the CCL National Youth Action Team to learn more about what it’s like for youth & parents to attend the conference and the registration process.

Yes, special requests can be submitted once you register. After you register, you will receive two confirmation emails. In one of the two confirmation emails there will be a link to submit special relationships and/or requests (can also click this link if you are logged in to CCL Community). Please keep in mind that we prioritize constituents to meet with their members of Congress, and there are no scheduling guarantees.

We kindly ask that you love the schedule you receive. The process of coordinating the lobby day schedules is complex and changes have domino effects. Often there are more constituents than space available in Capitol Hill offices. Sometimes congressional staffers have requested a limit on the number of people attending the meeting. If for any reason you cannot attend a meeting, we ask that you notify the meeting leader, which can be found on your lobby schedule.

No, please do not just drop in to a lobby meeting or join a team you aren’t assigned to. Consult your State Coordinator or for advice if you think it is imperative that you be in a certain meeting. We put a lot of effort and advance planning into creating lobby teams, including making sure they aren’t too large and making sure everyone who is registered to lobby is part of a lobby team. Lobby day is not a drop-in event. Advance registration and our Climate Advocate Lobby Training are expected of everyone who wishes to participate in the lobby day.

Whether it’s your first time lobbying or your tenth, visit our Preparing for Lobby Day page (will be updated for Summer Lobby Day soon) to read through our recommended resources as a guide to walk you through the process of planning a powerful Lobby Day experience and the upcoming calendar of deadlines, helpful links and training. Plan to attend live, or watch the recordings for the virtual Lobby Day Trainings (dates TBD). We’ll also have Lobby Day training during the conference on July 27th.

We ask the leader for each lobby team to contact the team members as soon as possible to arrange a time to prepare for the meeting. If you don’t hear from your team lead, you can also contact them. All contact information for your team will be on your schedule which will be emailed to you on July 22nd. Teams are encouraged to meet virtually prior to arriving in D.C. as you will have several days to prepare prior to lobby day.

Lobby meeting preparation matters! Given our busy conference agenda, we provided a suggested schedule for lobby meeting prep during breaks in the conference day.  See the Preparing for Lobby Day page where this will be posted when it is available. 

Lobby Team Leaders: Individuals selected as Lobby Team Leaders will be alerted of such by July 20th. We ask Team Leaders to contact their team members as soon as you receive your schedule on July 22nd (via email and/or text) to arrange a time to prepare for the meeting virtually, or schedule something in-person at the conference. All contact information for your team will be on your schedule.

Team Members (non Team Leaders): Expect to hear from your Team Leader to arrange time virtually or in-person at the conference to plan your meeting. If you don’t hear from your Team Leader, you can also contact them. All contact information for your team will be on your schedule which will be emailed to you on July 22nd.

If participating in lobby day on July 28th, we encourage dressing business professional, perhaps a suit and tie, skirt or dress pants with a professional top and jacket, or a professional dress. You can take a look at these photos of real CCLers at past lobby days if you need some outfit inspiration. Everyone should wear comfortable dress shoes (or bring a bag big enough to hide your comfortable shoes to change out of in between meetings), there will be a lot of traveling around Capitol Hill. Casual or business casual attire is just fine for the conference July 26-27.

We recommend checking your bags at the front desk of your hotel if you plan to leave D.C. on Wednesday. Make sure you leave plenty of time for your last lobbying appointment (it could start as late as 5:30 p.m.) to get back to the hotel, pick up your bags, and then get to the airport or train station.

Another option is to consider luggage storage services such as Vertoe or Bounce.

We strongly recommend you NOT to take your luggage with you to Capitol Hill. You may experience problems with security at the federal buildings, you will be doing a lot of walking throughout the day, and the House and Senate offices are all very small and cannot accommodate luggage.

The host hotel is the Omni Shoreham, located at 2500 Calvert Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20008. For conference attendees, the rate starts at $209 per night plus tax with up to four people per room. You must book by July 3rd to receive the CCL rate. Visit our group room block reservation page on the hotel’s website to make your reservation. Reservations are made on a first come, first served basis and fill up quickly, we suggest you make your reservation early.

Casual or business casual attire is just fine for the conference July 26-27. If participating in lobby day on July 28th, we encourage dressing business professional, perhaps a suit and tie, skirt or dress pants with a professional top and jacket, or a professional dress. You can take a look at these photos of real CCLers at past lobby days if you need some outfit inspiration. Everyone should wear comfortable dress shoes (or bring a bag big enough to hide your comfortable shoes to change out of in between meetings), there will be a lot of traveling around Capitol Hill.

Other items you might consider bringing (absolutely not required!):

• A reusable coffee mug and/or water bottle as we serve coffee in the morning of the conference, and there are water fountains. 
• A laptop or tablet could be helpful while planning for your lobby meetings, doing research, and submitting notes. 
• A notebook and pen to take notes during conference sessions and lobby meetings.
• If you have a CCL button, or a lanyard from a past conference, feel free to bring 
• SmarTrip Metrocard if you have one, they are refillable. (You can also add SmarTrip to your mobile wallet)

Be sure your name is on your belongings in case they get lost. CCL will not be responsible for lost belongings.  

In order to facilitate the coordination of searching for roommates you will need to sign CCL’s  Liability Waiver for the Room Share Forum. Read the terms on that page and express your consent to the terms.  After you click submit you’ll be redirected to the room share forum.  To find the forum later, on Community go to Connect With Others -> Sitewide Forums -> General -> Room Share.

We only have a room block secured at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, our conference venue.

You can find nearby hotels on Hotels.com.

Hostels (dorm style accommodations):

• Duo Nomad
• Washington International Student Center
• Highroad Hostel

You also might consider renting through Airbnb or Vrbo.

Yes, D.C.’s rail service is called Metro. A reloadable SmarTrip metrocard is required to ride. You can purchase a plastic card at a Metro station, or use SmarTrip through your mobile wallet. Learn more here.  

The Metro’s Red Line stops at Woodley Park, which is a couple of blocks away from the Omni Shoreham Hotel. Check out this DC Metro Trip Planner for additional information.

From Union Station, take the Red Line going toward Shady Grove (Northwest) to the Woodley Park station (six stops). Walk two blocks to the Omni Shoreham Hotel by heading out of the Woodley Park station at the 24th Street NW & Connecticut Ave exit and proceed down Calvert Street. The Omni Shoreham Hotel address is 2500 Calvert St NW, Washington, DC, 20008.

Valet parking is available at the hotel at the rate of $64.90+tax/day. Self-parking is not available.

Find nearby restaurants on Yelp.com or on the Omni Shoreham’s website.