Continuing the POWER SHIFT IN CALIFORNIA
Dear California Power Shifters,
It was exhilarating to be in a room with all of you at Power Shift ‘09!
About 420 of us from California were out in full force in the blistering DC cold demanding a Power Shift from the obsolete policies that have deteriorated communities at home and across the globe. We made possible the largest environmental lobby day since the 1970s!
Check out this YouTube video that some volunteers made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6eSxxV8vRg
During the California state breakout, we talked about the benefits of working together and the urgency to pass bold climate legislation this year and the US’s role on the road to Copenhagen. It is our job to Continue the Power Shift at home. Global Exchange and the Energy Action Coalition are confident you will step up to the challenge again and pressure our politicians to stick to the principles that will bring us a clean and just energy future.
Attached to this email, you will find essential material to “Get Some Face Time” – to follow up on our March 2nd lobby day visits. I know some of you already have, and for those who haven’t: it’s not too late but it’s crucial we send meeting requests out in the next couple days since Congress is on spring recess from April 6-19.
Thank you for all the hard work you have done so far, and I look forward to working with you for a better future from here on out.
Please feel free to contact us for any support or questions, and don’t assume that your peers got this message – pass it on.
In solidarity,
Nina Rizzo and Alberto Galindo
Power Shift ’09, California state breakout facilitator and Recruitment Coordinators
PS: Stay in the loop! Sign up for Global Exchange climate-related messages: http://www.globalexchange.org/getInvolved/lists.html
(Choose “Freedom from Oil”)
A Month Later, Power Shift Withdrawals Still Linger
The six-foot-four man with jet-black hair sitting beside me took the initiative to spark the pre-departure conversation between seat companions. “So why are you going to DC?” he asked. I sharply answered, “Going the largest youth conference on climate change in US history.” He slyly grinned and in a rather sarcastic tone responded, “Ah! Is that so? Sounds like something special.” “I am hoping it will be.” I shot back.
Like many Power Shift attendees I embarked on a plane to DC with certain expectations along with a sense of nervousness. Questions were making the roundabouts throughout my head at a hundred miles per hour:
Were 10,000 people actually going to show up? (12,000 plus eventually did)
Was the Direct Action protest really going to be nonviolent? Or was this going to end up as a CNN evening headline about an ominous crowd of students turning violent and physically attacking law enforcement? (No one was arrested and the event has been highly praised by the media as one of the most smoothly operated, non-hostile protests in recent times.)
How well organized is Power Shift going to be? After all, many Energy Action Coalition members are recent twenty-something college graduates whom are accustomed to finishing up term papers minutes before class and eating pizza for breakfast. I am obviously being cynical, but you get the point.
Before the motion sickness nearly catapulted me from my window seat to the restroom, I took a second and closed my eyes hoping to envision what I was expecting to see and learn in the forthcoming days. What I foresaw were young adults from all walks of life, unifying for a weekend of celebration, education, and action. I visualized a diverse coalition demanding bold legislation to combat climate change and throwing a lifeline to our staggering economy by advocating the dire need for green jobs. I imagined the many friendships and alliances that were going to be made with the common goal of preserving our environment.
A serious of events during the weekend turned my aforementioned visions in to realities. During the CA State Breakout, students from all around the state networked and outlined the importance of the continuing the Power Shift at home. A panel of campus organizers facilitated the ambitious state congregation and shared personal stories about the negative impact climate change is having in their respective communities as well stressing the importance of building local coalition groups.
Lobby/Capitol Climate Day of Action a few days later topped off the weekend. I, along with a group of twenty San Francisco District 8 students, met with Nancy Pelosi’s aides to lobby for her support to meet our climate demands. The ever-cunning, eloquent Aliza Wasserman of Green Guerillas, whom proved to have a bright future on K STREET, orchestrated the meeting. Pelosi’s aides listened and concurred that our California delegation was a force to be reckoned with and assured us a face to face follow up meeting with the Speaker herself in April.
Lobby day spilled over to a nearby coal plant, where the largest protest in climate change history occurred. Despite the freezing temperatures, thousands gathered to manifest our demand of shutting down the coal plant, which ironically enough happens to heat the Capitol building. Peoples, young and old, marched in solidarity with the intent of shutting down the Capitol coal plant and exposing the oxymoron known as “clean coal.” The protest was a success and thousands went home with smiles across their frigid faces knowing that they just participated in a historic, nonviolent demonstration that the great Martin Luther King Jr. and the immortal Gandhi would have applauded.
These words are merely an attempt to describe the personal impact I felt during those historic, impeccable four days of education. There is no precise adjective to accurately express the emotions that ran through everyone’s veins during Power Shift 2009. The best depiction is the following short story:
After the Saturday night feel-good performance by the “Roots”, I accidentally bumped into a young woman while attempting to exit the convention center amongst hoards of boisterous Power Shifters yelling “This is what democracy looks like!” The young woman abruptly turned to me with tears running down her fare skin and said, “Do you hear this? Do you see this? Do you feel this? Isn’t this beautiful? We finally did it!”
Before I could respond, she gave me the warmest hug one could ever feel. The unknown young woman then walked away to partake in the celebration. I stood their motionless, however, at that very moment, I knew that this indeed was truly something special.
Photos from Lobby Day
Melissa and June on their way to Lobby Day!
- California Powershift Lobby Team with “Peter,” aide to Congressmember Jackie Speier
California supports the Utah delegation in a tense meeting with an aide to Sen. Orrin Hatch.
The CA PowerShift Delegation outside Sen. Diane Feinstein's office.
Michigan Speaks, “Coal’s Over, Clean Energy is Now”
Hey, reporting back from the biggest event on climate and energy change ever.
Power Shift in general has been amazing but my biggest highlight so far was the Michigan breakout. The breakout consisted of a meeting with all 430 Michigan Power Shift attendees. The breakout gave us an insight into the size and diversity of the youth climate movement in Michigan.
Michigan Students just after the Breakout
Over 23 schools and various non-profit organizations presented the work being done in their respective communities regarding all things Power Shift.
Some of the projects included campus sustainability initiatives, state and federal policy initiatives, renewable energy and energy efficiency projects and that’s just the start of what’s going on in Michigan today.
The breakout was a culminating moment after a month of successful initiatives and campaigns including:
- Regeneration: The 2009 M.S.S.C. Summit
- Two campaign victories in Marquette:
- Northern Michigan University coal plant has been put on ice by the EPA
- Cennicot pulled out of it’s proposal to build a (destructive) sulfide mine in the Yellow Dog Plains - Our Clean Energy Love press conference and campaign in support of Gov. Granholm’s strong backing for renewable energy and an end to coal in her recent State of the State of Address
Power Shift Takes Over the Nation’s Capital
We’re now here at Power Shift and the energy is electrifying (solar and wind powered electricity of course)
Starting on Thursday and Friday seven buses came from various campuses across Michigan bringing a total of 430 students out of 10,000 present.
Here’s a glimpse of what a Power Shift looks like:
On Friday, the conferences kicked off with some our movements most visionary leaders including Van Jones and Majora Carter. The evening was focused on solutions to the climate crisis and creating a green collar economy.
Keep checking for more conference updates!
We made it!
Took the train all the way across the country… a 750 pound boulder on the tracks in the Rocky Mountains tried to stop us but we made it late Friday night. The first day of the conference was amazing and inspiring. 12,000 young energetic people all determined to force a change in the right direction. Being from an earlier generation, I’m just here to provide support in whatever way I can.
More to come - stay tuned,
Woody
The Word Is Spreading
The High Country News ran a nice piece on Power Shift in the current issue. And to make it even nicer, the article includes a profile of our very own Nina Rizzo!
Recalling how the first Power Shift in 2007 catalyzed many campus organizations nationwide in the past two years, Rizzo, a graduate of UC Berkeley, says she wants to convey to students how this perfect storm of youth activism is so important right now because of the upcoming Copenhagen talks on climate issues.
“I want to inspire the thousands of people in my generation to act on clean and just energy for the long term – to literally change lives.”
Teaming Up On KPFA
Global Exchange’s Monica Vaughan and Reginald James from Laney College teamed up to speak with KPFA’s Morning Show from Power Shift 09.
Reginald and Monica highlighted the importance of social justice and diverse youth voices in getting both national and international policies passed to combat climate change.
Check it out.
Almost showtime…
Power Shift starts Friday and we’re stoked. Some of us are already in DC prepping. Some of us are on the road. And some of us will leave on Thursday.
Check out the list of who’s coming to Power Shift ‘09.
Major props to the Michigan delegation! 421 registered - the 9th largest delegation. Pretty impressive. Central Michigan University alone is sending 91 - the 7th largest school delegation at Power Shift.
We’ll be blogging from Power Shift over the next several days. Join in the excitement and follow the action with us here!
Need a little advance inspiration? Check out the video.
