It’s Getting Hot In Here

One of many large rallies in Oregon against NG.

Corporations, some politicians and even environmental orgs  have been calling natural gas a solution to climate change. Lets talk about that.

Although natural gas burns a bit cleaner on-site. That is not the whole story.

There are currently dozens of proposals for Liquefied Natural Gas importation terminals in the US, along with proposed natural gas power plants and thousands of miles of pipelines proposed from coast-to-coast.  This introduction of a new generation of fossil fuels directly competes with the energy future we need to be building.

Putting tons of money, energy and political leverage into building new fossil fuel infrastructure directly competes with the renewable energy movement. Continue reading ‘Naughty Nancy: Natural Gas Ain’t Clean.’

I’m here at Power Shift ’09 with 11,000 of my closest friends, and we’re trying to pass bold national climate legislation.  We know that one lobby meeting on Monday, while amazing, isn’t going to be enough to get what we need.

That’s why Power Shift is asking everyone to pledge to hold an in-district lobby meeting with their senator or representative during congressional recess, April 6th -19th.  We have over members of congress taken already, and we have a ton of time left!

If you’re at Power Shift, come over to the table and make sure your rep is up on the map.  If you’re at home, (sorry you couldn’t make it!) start thinking about how to bring Power Shift to your district.

We’re everywhere.  Increaste the pressure until we win!

I’ll admit I get a little sentimental sometimes, but damned if I wasn’t awestruck by all of the amazing people I met and re-met yesterday while here in DC for Power Shift. From Rainforest Action Network founder Randy Hayes to Indian Youth Climate Action Network super-star Caroline Howe, and numerous leaders and leaders-to-be in from the campus clean energy movement like Lindsey Berger from Missouri State and Markese Bryant at Morehouse College, I got to shake the hands of so many changemakers I just about wanted to cry on my metro ride home.

That doesn’t even get into the speakers.  Majora Carter of Sustainable South Bronx was there, and Van Jones of Green For All was amazing as always, brining home the message that the clean energy revolution doesn’t mean much if we don’t deal with all our other social ills, and that we can have clean coal as soon as we have unicorns pulling our cars. (I heard a few young women say they kind of liked the unicorn idea..) Gillian Caldwell of 1Sky brought her two biggest inspirations for climate activism on state – her six year old daughter and four year old son. (I’m a sap, I definitely cracked a tear for this one and thought about my daughter who turns three next week.) Continue reading ‘A starry night at Power Shift’

By Jesse Jenkins, reporting for the Energy Collective and WattHead – Energy News and Commentary

I’ve just arrived at Power Shift 2009, the largest gathering of citizens fighting for a clean energy future in United States history. The conference, organized by the Energy Action Coalition, is bringing together nearly 12,000 young people from all over the country to harness resources, make connections and take action to repower and reclaim their futures.

Power Shift 2009 offers a unique look at the normally widely distributed and networked youth climate and clean energy movement, the largest and most well-organized youth movement in decades. I’ll be reporting for the Energy Collective and WattHead – Energy News and Commentary throughout this historic gathering of young climate and clean energy activists, which begins today and runs through Monday, March 2nd, but here is a preview of what’s ahead:

Continue reading ‘PowerShift 2009: 12,000 Young People Arriving in DC to Repower, Reclaim Their Future’

Bigger than last year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference. Bigger than any other citizen powered conference to hit the United States, or perhaps any other country. Bigger than my home town. And it’s all youth. And it’s all about climate change and energy. And it’s all swirling around me as I type.

Power Shift ’09 will officially kick off in 18 minutes when 12,000 youth come together in one conference hall. When 12,000 youth – from every corner of America, as well as young leaders trickling in from neighboring Canada, overseas India, and various corners of the globe – come within inches of each others’ shoulders. When 12,00 youth breath the same air, hear the same words, and feel the same surge of a power shift that has already begun. Continue reading ’12,000 is a Lot of People’

A las 5:30 am me desperté y me levanté de la sofa sobre que estuve durmiendo por menos de cuatro horas. Como dormilona, me apuré hasta la estación de trenes para empezar el largo viaje. Después de 19 horas en tres trenes, 2 conexiónes, y un montón de pasas cubiertas de chocolate, llegué a Washington D.C para asistir Power Shift 2009.

El viaje de Ottawa a Washington en avión libera 0.51 toneladas de CO2 – pero el viaje en tren emite solamente 0.15 toneladas. Entonces, por la decisión sencillo de tomar el tren en vez del avión, yo conserevé 0.36 toneladas de CO2. Eso es la mejor manera de empezar un conferencia medioambiental: de conservar carbono!! 

Continue reading ‘De una Capital Hasta la Otra’

So I am very excited that the Fired Up: Youth Report segment on the International Youth Delegation at the Poznan climate talks, is live!

This was our test case to see if we could tackle TV to cover the incredible work that young people are doing all over the world to respond to global warming and to build a just and sustainable world. Guess what? It is airing March 2nd, the day the largest lobby on climate in US history will go down, along with the Capitol Climate Action.

First Poznan, next we are going to be covering Power Shift, which starts TODAY! Expect to see youth reporters filming all over the DC Convention Center, as this story is too hot for just words or to leave to the traditional media. Come say hello and tell us your Power Shift story!

However, check out our segment on the incredible alliance between threatened island nations and the international youth delegations that emerged at the Poznan climate talks. Power Shift is happening in the US of A, but it is becoming the global story with Power Shifts happening in Australia, the UK, and who knows where next! Take a look!

The Maldives/Youth Segment starts at 12:39.

For a little more information about where this will be shown and who helped put this together, below the fold is some information about LinkTV’s EarthFocus.
Continue reading ‘Fired Up: Youth Report – First Poznan, Now Power Shift 09!’

Breaking news – and the organizing hub for the Capitol Climate Action is lit up right now!

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid just made an announcement moments ago – calling to switch the Capitol Power Plant entirely off of coal! Just 4 days before thousands of people are mobilizing at the facility for the largest act of civil disobedience in US history for the climate – this statement shows the power of grassroots action!

The Capitol Power Plant has been controversial for years – as an antiquated, inefficient facility that is the largest source of  pollution in Washington DC. While efforts to clean up the plant and switch off it’s usage of coal have been attempted for years (including by Pelosi and the Greening the Capitol Initiative), powerful coal state interests (namely Senators Mitch McConnell and Robert Byrd) have blocked attempts to end it’s usage of coal. This plant symbolizes the stranglehold coal has over our climate, our environment, our communities, and our political process.

In the past 2 weeks, the Capitol Climate Action Coalition (made up of over 100 organizations from across the country) sent letters to Congress, informing them of our intent for peaceful action March 2nd at the Capitol Power Plant that is  reflecting the urgency and seriousness of the climate crisis.  And as the media buzz and public interest grows for this historic mobilization – we are flexing out political muscles, showing that people are demanding real change in our climate and energy policies. Continue reading ‘BREAKING: Pelosi/Reid call to switch Capitol Power Plant off of coal!’

By W. Ryan Wishart, R. Jonna, and Cade Jameson (the authors are doctoral students at the University of Oregon with interests in political economy and environmental sociology)

There is a great deal of well deserved excitement about the Powershift conference this weekend and its potential as a springboard for an environmental and social justice movement. Even the name “Powershift” is radical in its implication, in the literal sense of grasping a problem at its root. Who possesses power today and who needs to have more (or less) to reach our goals? Energy Action has a tradition of examining environmental problems in the light of racial and class-based power inequalities and oppression. In line with the conference’s stated goal to “Understand the magnitude of both the challenges and opportunities presented by the climate crisis and explore our own capacities to create transformative change,” we hope to contribute to this discussion of the nature of the current power structure and who must be the constituencies of a movement strong enough to “create transformative change.”

The current economic crisis has laid bare that power in society is political-economic and that the balance of power in Washington is steeply tilted in favor of hedge fund owners, not homeowners. The class struggle occurring in the fight over the big three automakers is illustrative of the “magnitude of the challenges” we face. This essay is divided into two parts. First, we examine the power structures and class struggles made more clearly visible by the crisis and introduce readers to critical political economic perspectives. Second, we use the auto bailout controversy to illustrate the importance and opportunity for interlinking environmental movements with the labor movement at the grassroots level.

Pt.2

Continue reading ‘Powershift! to whom and from whom? Pt.2′

These are the people to watch making waves on anything climate and environment policy. Guess where they’ll be this weekend?