It’s Getting Hot In Here

I’m sitting in my friend Anna’s house after the first night of ReEnergize Texas. They say everything is bigger in Texas, and this summit is no different. Sadly, I got there late and missed the first speakers but arrived during a definitely energizing talk by Reverend Lennox Yearwood of the Hip-Hop Caucus. As he ended the crowd was on their feet clapping and cheering. I got some footage of that so look for it in the coming week, but I’m on a borrowed computer right now.

In the coming day and a half, we’ll be having lots of awesome workshops and trainings, including some I’ve never seen at a state summit before. Personally, I’m pumped about a workshop from Architecture for Humanity, but we’ve also got Physicians for Social Responsibility if that’s more your thing. The number of organizations here is staggering-1Sky, Sierra Student Coalition, National Wildlife Federation, Restoring Eden, Co-Op America, Oxfam, Austin Green Art and more!

This summit is more than a gathering for students to get some great new skills, however. It’s also the launch of a statewide coalition which unites a diversity of students and youth leaders in an alliance that supports and strengths the youth climate movement in Texas, working together to leverage collective power and create change for safe, clean, efficient, just and renewable energy solutions.

Friday afternoon all of us from the March to ReEnergize New Hampshire, strolled out of the office looking forward to taking some time off and chilling with some other young people in Concord who were nice enough to throw a little cookout to welcome us to town (thanks Amelia!) What we didn’t expect was to spend the night answering questions from our new friends about the campaign or to meet musicians who want to play at the rally- and help us reach out to more great bands! And we certainly didn’t expect to go out the next night and meet more people who are excited to get involved. Or to walk into a Quizno’s on Sunday to ask if they mind if we talk to people outside only to have the employees there tell us that they were just talking about global warming and ask to get involved.

But I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, global warming seems to always be the hot topic of conversation, and young people all over America are calling for action. Luckily, no matter where the ReEnergize New Hampshire team is headed (and we’re headed all over this state!) we’re ready to talk about real global warming solutions for a clean energy economy.

Read our blog to learn more about where we’ll be this summer AND sign up for the March to ReEnergize New Hampshire at climatesummer.org.

*Technically a story about last week. Check out climatesummer.org for posts from what’s going on now.