From what I’ve heard, going to bed in the early morning during spring break is a regular occurrence – but on the Climate Hero Tour, students woke up before 7 am to begin preparation for day two. Students were busy making media calls, practicing press statements, and loading materials into cars.
The first stop of the day was the State Capitol Building in Sacramento. Secretary Linda Adams of the California EPA accepted a “Climate Super Hero Award” for her work negotiating the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. Having recently returned from Washington, D.C., Secretary Adams expressed her gratitude that students are organizing all over the country to pass national legislation that cuts global warming pollution. She described her discussions with President Obama as extremely positive on the issue of climate change – with enough pressure from the grassroots, we will have a climate bill that auctions 100% of carbon permits.
The Climate Hero Tour is only the first step for students in California that are continuing the Power Shift. This afternoon, a group of students began writing Letters to the Editor that will be sent to the San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, Sacramento Bee, Fresno Bee, Ventura County Star, and the Los Angeles Times. By Friday, students from the eleven districts represented on this trip will invite their Congressional representatives for an in-district meetings during the April Recess. Continuing the Power Shift, by building relationships with “climate heroes” and pressuring fence-sitters, is indispensable to pass comprehensive climate legislation before the UN Climate Talks in Copenhagen in December.
One tactic we are utilizing is generating media hits in every city we visit. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has expressed interest in joining the Climate Hero Tour (which would create tons of media). But we need your help to get him to our event at Los Angeles City Hall on Friday morning. Join his Facebook fan page and ask him to join the Climate Hero Tour!
More updates (and video) tomorrow!
