It’s Getting Hot In Here

As we celebrate the recent climate victory in Australia, we’re reminded again here in the United States just how truly isolated we’ve become - we’re now the only nation on Earth to squirm over making the most basic commitment to emissions reductions. So where do we go from here? Simple: as the global will to confront this challenge grows, we turn our attention inward and pry the doors to our closets wide open.

That’s just what students, educators, activists, mayors, businesses and many others are doing in Texas, the biggest carbon-emitter in the Union, home to Big Oil and Big Coal. And with a little help from the media picking up on the trend, the change on the ground in the Lone Star state is beginning to sound encouraging. You know you’ve hit home on an issue when the best the naysayers can come up with is name-calling:

From NPR: “It’s actually really hard, especially in Texas, to kind of make this issue real,” says Beth McIlhaney, a 21-year-old education major. “They slough it off, just laughing it off, [saying] ‘Oh, you hippie,’ or something.”

It may not seem like much just yet, but Beth, we’re with you, and all other Texans standing up to common cynicism about what can be done. Already, some pretty savvy “hippies” gave the collective uh-uh to TXU’s plans to build eight new coal-fired power plants on their turf, and there are plenty more opportunities ahead, including 36 Focus the Nation events in Texas this January and counting. Maybe Governor Rick Perry, who has a little bit of catching up to do, could use a public invitation?

If you made it to Power Shift (and that’s well over 5,000 of you), we need your feedback - please take a couple minutes to complete the Power Shift 2007 Survey.

Your responses will help us plan the next awesome conference and build a bigger, stronger movement. And if you participated in the Lobby Day, we want to hear your stories, so we can find out who the real leaders in Congress are and keep putting the pressure on our politicians. Thanks for all your hard work!

On Monday, November 5, 2007, youth from all 50 states will converge on Capitol Hill for the largest youth lobby day ever. We will take the youth climate movement to a national level, and we will champion the most serious, direct grassroots engagement yet with Congress on the climate crisis. We will meet face-to-face with our elected officials in the United States Senate and House of Representatives, and we will present them with our bold priorities for putting our country on the path to a clean and just energy future.

On Monday morning, we’ll crowd inside the Capitol for the first-ever youth hearing before the House Select Committee on Global Warming & Energy Independence. We’ll gather together on the west lawn of the Capitol and cheer each other on as we head to our lobby appointments on the Hill and in surrounding office buildings. And at noon, we’ll rally on the Capitol Steps with friends, movers, and shakers to spark a truly national call for real action. This is about leadership, and we are the leaders we’ve been waiting for.

For those of you coming to Power Shift and participating in the Lobby Day, this will be an incredibly exciting moment – but in case you’re wondering how it’s going to work, have no fear, we’ve got you covered. If you’ve registered for Power Shift, we’ll have a meeting time with your rep scheduled for you in advance, and we’ll give you all the materials you need for when you walk into your rep’s office.

On Sunday at the conference, we’ll have an in-depth legislative briefing prepared for you with help from expert lobbyists at our partner organizations, followed by a series of intensive lobby trainings that will give you the chance to organize and practice your meeting scenarios and messaging strategy in teams. All you need to do is a little homework on where your representatives stand, come dressed to impress, and bring your excitement. Get ready for a historic day.

See you at Power Shift!