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