Climate Hero Tour ‘09 kicks off « It’s Getting Hot In Here

Students from across the state of California gathered in San Francisco this morning to kick off CALPIRG’s Climate Hero Tour. Instead of spending our spring break in Cancun or Florida, over 50 students are traveling around the state building support for global warming solutions. We finally have a President that believes in science and a U.S. Congress that is ready to take action. We are calling on Congress to pass legislation in the first 100 days that is based on science, and dramatically reduces greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2020. The Climate Hero Tour aims to push our champions in Congress to go “greener, cleaner, faster, stronger” in the midst of pressure from the oil and gas industry and other special interests.

At this morning’s press conference, we presented the “Climate Super Hero Award” to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office for her work increasing renewable energy tax credits, strengthening CAFE standards, and investing billions of dollars in clean energy technology. Students collected photo petitions for members of Congress and staged a rally on the steps of San Francisco City Hall behind a backdrop of solar panels and a giant wooden wind turbine. Channel 2 KTVU was there to record the story for the evening news and a team of professional filmmakers are documenting the trip.

Students set up props in front of SF City Hall.

After a quick lunch, it was off to San Jose City Hall, where students in Captain Cooldown costumes collected dozens more photo petitions, pitched the story to reporters from San Jose Mercury News and dropped by Councilmembers’ offices to generate more support for comprehensive climate change legislation in 2009. It was an exciting day and a great alternative to the beaches of Mexico. For the next four days, students will be driving up and down the state building more support for legislation that will bring a new era of green jobs and environmental stewardship. Check back tomorrow for more updates!

About

Gabriel Elsner is currently the Global Warming Solutions coordinator for the Student PIRGs, a network of state-wide, student-run and student-funded organizations working in 25 states on over 200 campuses. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in May 2009 with High Honors after writing a Political Science thesis entitled "Energy Security Policy in Brazil and the United States: Lessons from Success and Failure." Before graduation, Gabe worked in the United States Congress as an policy intern with the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. He also travelled to Bali, Indonesia with SustainUS in December 2007 to represent young people of the United States at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Before Bali, he was the Fundraising Chair on the Student Planning Committee for Power Shift 2007 and helped coordinate the Campus Climate Challenge at UC Berkeley with the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG). When he's not advocating for clean energy or fighting global warming, Gabriel enjoys camping, music, soccer, and politics.