It’s Getting Hot In Here

On September 24, students and youth all over the country will be taking action and calling on their Senators to pass a strong climate bill that creates millions of new jobs and protects our future.  The Student PIRGs have teamed up with Campus Progress, the Energy Action Coalition, and the Clean Energy Works youth table to make thousands of calls into the Senate from strategic states.

It’s not too late to plan your own call-in day event – download the TOOLKIT with a three-day plan!

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is set to introduce comprehensive legislation to combat global warming next week.  Student Leaders will be targeting key states to pass the Senate climate bill and strengthen key provisions (in House-passed ACES) including the Clean Air Act loophole and the Renewable Electricity Standard.

This week, as the G20 meets in Pittsburgh, the international community is looking to the United States Senate to pass a global warming bill before the next phase of Climate Negotiations in Copenhagen in December 2009.  As young people, we need to pressure our Senators to pass a bill this fall!

Here are a couple examples of the dozens of events going on around the country – overall, we plan to make 5,000 phone calls into the Senate on Thursday! Join us by planning your own event (here’s the easy how-to toolkit)!

• Denver, CO -  Students from CU Denver’s COPIRG chapter will be holding a day of action to promote clean energy in Colorado. Using a 10-foot model turbine to gather 300 signatures and generate 100 phone calls into their Senators’ offices and incorporating music, dance, and art from various other student groups, the COPIRG students will raise awareness and build support for strong clean energy legislation among students on the Auraria campus. New Era Colorado, Sustainable Campus Program, and Environment Colorado will also hold informative tables at the event in order to gather more support and visibility for the issue. Overall, COPIRG will educate and engage 1,000 students around clean energy jobs and climate change.

• Bloomington, IN – Students from the Indiana University’s INPIRG chapter will a calling Senator Bayh on Thursday, September 24, asking him to be their global warming super hero.  Over 150 students will pose next to a model 8 foot tall “Senator Super Hero” and student leaders will generate 100 calls into the Senator’s Washington, D.C. office during the event.  In addition, students will be educating over 300 of their peers about what they can do to reduce their carbon footprint.

Students and young people are ready for the clean energy economy.  Let’s call on our Senators to pass a stronger version of the house-passed American Clean Energy and Security Act this fall.