It’s Getting Hot In Here

By Jason Misner Florida Campus Coordinator Southern Energy Network

While the rest of the country is seemingly falling right in line with the Campus Climate Challenge, things in Florida had not been quite so fast moving. That all changed a few weeks ago culminating with the Florida Student Sustainable Energy Summit. On November 10th, 11th and 12th, students from across the state joined the University of Central Florida and Rollins College in Orlando for a weekend of learning, bonding, and direct action! The summit was much like those happening all across the U.S. and Canada – opening the doors to a clean energy future by informing and empowering folks to make change – and resulted in some tremendous attitude to take the first steps as giant leaps!

Having been informed of the Reedy Creek management district’s (the “local government” which incorporates Disney’s land in FL as well as Buena Vista – a timeshare community with relatively few voters) plan to buy a 10% share into a coal fired power plant in Taylor County, an area already devastated by a Proctor and Gamble Paper Mill (which still exists under the Buckeye corporation), students decided to take initiative and pressure the Disney corporation to “clean their hands of coal” by pulling out of the proposed plant. To show their distain for Disney’s involvement via their (tax evasion tactic of a) “local government”, Reedy Creek, students took to the Florida Mall following a direct action training at the summit.

At the Florida Mall, about 10 students “dropped dead” in the Disney store as a Flash Death Mob, attracting attention from bewildered shoppers. All this while other students meandered through the mall with helium filled balloons which, when released, carried banners criticizing Disney’s coal loving ways – “Disney Tragic”, “Disney ‘hearts’ Coal” and “(Mickey symbol) Supports Dirty Energy”.

Over all the action was a tremendous leap into the world of direct action exposing budding young minds to the power of free speech. However the most encouraging result of the summit was not the wicked cool (for you northerners direct action – it was the development of a state-wide working group which will be focusing on MORE direct action!

The group, following suit with similar networks in Tennessee (TASSC) and other southeast states, has been dubbed the Florida Alumni and Students for Sustainable Campuses or FLASSC (note the humorous reference to a flask, which typically contains alcohol- a combustible liquid). The group is working on a lobby day, a spring summit, more actions to encourage Disney/Reedy Creek to go with clean energy, as well as a summer training program.