It’s Getting Hot In Here

In the last few weeks this entire movement has been gaining momentum. Measure it how you will: Al Gore’s nobel prize, the media coverage on our current and future droughts, the 200 arrests at No War - No Warming, or the thousands of students already registered for Power Shift 07. One way we’re measuring it is by the Step It Up events that are being planned around the country for November 3rd. Not just the number of them (although that’s impressive on its own) or the breadth (49 states ain’t bad) - but the depth. Call it the spiritual side of the movement, the feeling and energy that individuals and organizations are bringing to this monumental effort.

In that vein, check out this update from Lauren at Step It Up on what is planned for New Orleans for November 3rd. And if you aren’t going to be in D.C. for Power Shift, think about organizing a Step It Up action on your campus - no matter where we are, we all can plug in this movement in a deep and meaningful way:

We are really excited about the great event being planned down in New Orleans for Nov 3rd by several motivated Tulane students. In the words of organizer Lauren Sher:

“The city of New Orleans, of all places, can attest to the affects of global warming. Katrina was a signal to the world that w­e can no longer stand on the sidelines. It’s time to take a stand and demand leaders STEP IT UP and get serious about our future.”

The event kicks off with a sweet rally that flows into a second line parade down the city streets to the Super Dome where they will join with football fans to take a group picture with a clear message calling for national action on climate change. Among the attendees include City council members, representatives from the Gulf Coast Restoration Network and the Alliance of Affordable Energy and hundreds of New Orleans citizens and Tulane students.

Oh and Senator John Edwards will be there as well!

How did it work out that these New Orleans organizers were able to get Edwards at their event? One word: persistence, and maybe some luck. All of our leaders are well aware of Step It Up on Nov 3rd thanks to your thousands of invitations, yet we all need to follow up with them on the phone, more than once, to get that confirmation of attendance. Edwards himself, like many others, has been willing to attend a Step It Up event for quite some time, yet it’s their scheduler that we need to nail down on the logistics. So don’t get discouraged if you haven’t gotten that commitment, courting a candidate to your event can be just like courting a date, it can take several tries with different angles, but at least no flowers or chocolates are necessary.