It’s Getting Hot In Here

Remember how we kept saying the real work would begin AFTER November 4?? Well, we meant it. We are not content to merely vote or create amazing change on our campuses and in our communities. We are going to fight until this country has 100% clean energy, millions of green jobs, every coal/nuclear/dirty energy facility is shuttered, and we have the boldest climate policies ever both here and internationally.

Carrying oversized welcome cards and gifts of model windmills, citizens across the country today are welcoming their members of Congress to office with a call to bold leadership on clean energy and climate change. Over 4000 grassroots climate activists in over 430 congressional districts in all 50 states will participate in the visits. Additionally, concerned citizens rallying in Washington, D.C. today have a special gift for the President-Elect: a giant plane ticket symbolizing their request to Obama to attend the crucial United Nations Climate Conference in Poland in December.

Organized by the 1Sky campaign, the youth-led Energy Action Coalition, 350.org, and a number of other local and national organizations, this nationwide “welcoming party” demonstrates the tremendous public support for bold climate action and a new green economy. Citizens and climate leaders are offering their encouragement to the nation’s new leaders as they work to re-engage the world, re-power America with clean energy, and re-build the nation’s economy.

Hundreds were expected at a noon rally in D.C.’s Upper Senate Park to show their support for clean energy, green jobs, and bold climate policy. Immediately following the rally,  some activists delivered the giant plane ticket to President-Elect Obama’s transition team, while others will descend on Capitol Hill to deliver welcome cards to every representative in the House and Senate.

Share your “welcome party” stories on ItsGettingHotInHere.org! We wanna know the juicy details of what happened all over the country..

My father is a dealer of American cars and trucks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Just like so many of yours, my family is being hit hard by our economic crisis.

In the midst of the challenges we’re all facing, my dad wants nothing more than for our government - at all levels - to pass bold legislation that transitions our national manufacturing infrastructure and economy to one based on clean energy.  I know this is what he wants because he’s told me his vision for what a clean energy future would mean for him and others across the country.

A clean energy economy would allow the cars he sells to be built in new or revamped American factories by people pulled out of poverty and those put back to work. It would give the people to whom he sells his cars the renewably-powered, fuel-efficient product that they are yearning for. It would mitigate our devastating impact on our climate, and it would RePower the economy for people with white collars, blue collars, and green collars alike.

It’s a bold vision that will take hard work. But when I think about it, I am SO hopeful.

I am hopeful because this week, I am part of a generation of committed young people that is bringing the clean energy revolution we need to people like my father across this country.

I am hopeful because I signed the Power Vote pledge and will cast my vote tomorrow for a Clean Energy Economy and the Securing of our Climate.

http://www.powervote.org

I am hopeful because over 300,000 of us will follow through on our Power Vote pledge and not just vote tomorrow, but demand solutions like Green Jobs which solve both the economic and climate crises we’re facing.

My father has always delivered for me, and now it’s my turn to deliver for him.  It’s time for all of us to make our mark at our nation’s most important battle ground: the ballot box.

There’s no excuse not to vote. Follow through. If you have questions about your polling place or anything related to the election in your area, please visit our friends at Go Vote.

http://www.govote.org

This is our moment.

By this time on Wednesday we will have put elected officials into office who are making clean energy a top priority, and you better believe we will remind them of that and hold them accountable once they get to Washington.

Clean energy is worth fighting for.  And tomorrow, it’s what we’ll vote for.

Follow through.

Just spoke to Jessy Tolkan, Energy Action Coalition and Power Vote’s amazing Executive Director about sharing the stage (and the last hour) with former Vice President and Nobel Laurette Al Gore.

“What an exciting night!

I had the privilege of meeting and introducing former Vice President and Nobel Laurette Al Gore during the special Power Vote webcast he made to young people this evening. His speech was inspiring and a true call to action to everyone to get out and vote on November 4 and start putting our country on the track towards 100% clean energy.

Although it’s not every day you get hang out with a Nobel prize winner, what was even more exciting than what happened in that little studio in Nashville was what  has been brewing around this country for the last few weeks and what kicked off in earnest tonight.

As soon as the webcast screen went dark,  thousands of young Power Vote leaders across this nation started intense Get Out the (Power) Vote campaign. In Maryland they hit the dorms (in costume) and knocked on hundreds of doors. In Portland, they hit the streets doing a massive bike ride to get out the vote. In California and hundreds of places in-between young leaders are going to be working around the clock to make sure that young people turn out to vote in record numbers on November and demonstrate to our candidates that clean, just energy is a top priority for us.

For young people, clean energy is worth voting for. And worth fighting for. We won’t stop on November 4. We will make sure that politicians start putting bold clean energy policies into place. The era of dirty energy politics as usual is over. We’re ready for a cleaner, healthier, more prosperous, and just future!”

For the last month, I have traveled 4,000 miles in a U-Haul with 30 nine foot Power Vote wind turbines doing political art installations at every Presidential debate. Our purpose: to send a loud message to our candidates that clean and just energy is a top priority for young voters. It’s been a raging success.

Among the thousands we’ve encountered on the Power Vote Debate Tour it seems there is almost no debate at all: our country is in trouble and we can fix it by investing in clean energy, green jobs, and energy independence.

Power Vote

Republicans, Democrats and Independents want clean energy. Young people and old people want clean energy. People of every race and class want clean energy. Our country is ready for a clean and just energy revolution.

And “revolution” is definitely the right word. On the long road between the first debate at Ole Miss University in Oxford, Mississippi and tonight’s at Hofstra University in Long Island, NY, I have witnessed first hand a revolution rumbling. We set up our Power Vote turbines in the heart of each debate site - on campuses, in town squares, at concerts, football games, and in parks - to make our voices heard. And at every location, thousands of people of every race, background, and creed stepped up to demand a clean energy future.

In Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois, North Carolina, Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia, and New York we met inspiring young leaders who are at this very moment changing our country and this world. They are organizing hundreds of people, collecting 1000+ Power Vote pledges in a single day, going head to head with coal executives, talking to local, national, and international media, holding rallies and meetings, and phone banking like nobody’s business. They’re getting busloads of people together to boldly and clearly demand a better future. They’re throwing huge summits, and making big plans to get out the vote on November 4 and hold our elected representatives accountable in the months and years ahead. Continue reading ‘There is No Debate.’

Some mid-afternoon thoughts from Power Vote leaders in the midst of the Hofstra Power Vote debate storm.

From Zo Tobi, SSC organizer extraordinaire: The “Clean coal” lobby was handing out BAND AIDS as a solution to our energy crisis. We couldn’t make this up. Since we’ve seen them at every debate- we were ready for them this time. As soon as they set up their table to give out stickers and pens we got a whole crew together to march over to the table and stand next to it with the truth about coal. Our homeless polar bear even had a little chat with the coal execs.

From Josh Tulkin, Power Vote acting Field Director: Dorm storms, polar bears debating coal execs, more Power Vote t-shirts than campaign shirts, over 900 Power Vote pledges before 4 p.m., the stickers are everywhere, the volunteers are everywhere. There’s no question that at Hofstra Power Vote already won the debate tonight! It started this morning with 30 volunteers and we now have more than 60. The movement broke through here today. Everyone wants to be a part of this. For me personally, it has been reinvorgating to get out of the office and see what amazing work everyone is doing. We all need to pause and get energy from how amazing this movement is. Gotta go now. MSNBC’s starting Hardball and we gotta hold up the Power Vote banner…

The Power Vote debate wind turbine tour is making it’s final stop today at Hofstra. And today promises to be bigger and badder than ever. The student leaders here at Hofstra have pulled together a huge team of rad people to storm the campus today.

The discussion of clean energy in these debates has been really alarming and incredibly disappointing. To hear our candidates publicly supporting lies like “clean coal” and “safe nuclear” instead of real, safe, healthy, renewable energy has given us all the more reason to mobilize our peers to fight for our future. We refuse to allow the coal, nuclear, and oil industry dictate our energy future. It is time for our political leaders to start listening to the millions of our voices instead of their millions of dollars.

Among the million things the students have planned today (street theater, demos, rallies, debate watching parties, massive pledge collection) they’ve also got a team of people in Santa costumes sending a super clear message that “clean coal” is a myth, just like Santa. THere is also a homeless polar bear roving the campus, begging for real change. Today should be great. Check out the Power Vote blog and Flickr.com/powervote for updates.

It’s not just the media and politicos who have been getting ready for the VP debate tomorrow.

At a planning meeting this evening at least 35 Wash U Green Action group leaders showed up to make sure Power Vote is out loud and proud tomorrow. The energy in the room (and the overflowing hall) was amazing. So many young voters ready to storm their campus tomorrow with a vision for our future that includes clean energy, green jobs, energy independence, and all that good stuff.

They have a plan that starts at 5 am tomorrow (don’t worry- it does involve the best donuts st louis has to offer) and doesn’t end until after the debate. They hope to get 1,000 new power vote pledges (1/6 of their campus), talk to tons of media, and generally be a sea of green amongst all the red, white, and blue.

As I write this they are probably still on the lawn- spray-painting shirts, practicing their power vote pitches, assembling windmills and making last minute arrangements to make sure that clean, just energy is front and center on campus tomorrow.

And, while they’re at it in St Louis tonight, I know that young people across Southern Illinois are also putting the final touches on their posters and making sure every carpool and bus seat is filled. Young people from around the region are ready to let the VP candidates, and the world, know that we want a new, clean energy future for our country.

Woohoo!!

Keep checking www.PowerVote.org for the latest stories, photos, and videos- live from the DEBATE!!!

Signing people up for the bus to the VP debate

Kassie and I rolled into Carbondale, IL this afternoon to meet some awesome Power Voters here at Southern Illinois University. Check out www.Flickr.com/powervote for some great photos!

We were met by the local TV station and 2 newspapers and about 6 Power Vote leaders. In the hour before it started raining we got at least 60 new Carbondale students pledged.

I am blogging now from Ashley’s living room- a rad local Power Vote leader. We have been phone banking to get people to fill a bus of students to bring to St Louis to rally outside the VP debate Thursday.

After a delicious dinner of local greens and curry about 6 people from the campus environmental group showed up for an organizing meeting. We started by figuring out our canvassing plan for tomorrow, then called through all the Power Vote pledgers they’ve collected who said they wanted to volunteer to invite them to join the caravan to the debate. So many people wanted to come we had to talk about getting an extra bus. Woohooo!!!

Now the calls are done and folks are chatting about what an Illinois coalition could look like. There’s a clean car initiative up as well as a grab to lift the moratorium on nuclear plants. Nooo!!! Sounds like the good people of Illinois have some work to do. Thank goodness they have some seriously organized and wonderful people working here in Carbondale.

Stay tuned for more adventures from the Power Vote Windmill Debate Tour!

The “clean coal” industry was at it again Friday at the first Presidential debate- bribing people with fans and hats at Ole Miss.

Our Power Vote truth squad had some fun with them and caught it on tape.

Check out the short, fun video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufQZf7aBEbU

Energy Action staff – Jessy Tolkan, Brianna Cayo Cotter, Jodie Van Horn and Kassie Rohrbach were all in Oxford, Mississippi on Friday with an art installation of 30 9-foot-tall wind turbines set up across the Grove at Ol’ Miss.  In one day, over 400 Ol’ Miss students and local community members pledged to vote for clean and just energy in our upcoming elections.  I was blown away (pun intended) by how clear is that climate change and our need to dramatically shift our energy infrastructure are clearly far beyond partison politics – folks from every walk of life and a broad range of political viewpoints (displayed on their shirts) eagerly came up to our display wanting to learn more and express their support for what we were doing.

We’re traveling across the country for the next 20 days sharing what our vision is of America’s future looks like.  Along the way, we are asking folks to share a few thoughts about what their vision is.  Here are just a few of my favorites from Ol’ Miss:

“Solar, duh.”

“Green jobs in a green economy.”

“I envision an energy independent country.”

“Less greed, more green.”

Our installation at Ol’ Miss was one of hundreds of actions that happened across the county this weekend demanding Green Jobs Now.  Check out other report backs at www.greenjobsnow.com.

Stay tuned for more stories along our journey.
Continue reading ‘The Debate is over.’