It’s Getting Hot In Here

[The following was co-written by Naomi Klein, author of #1 international bestseller The Shock Doctrine, Terry Tempest Williams, world renowned wildlife author, Bill Mckibben, founder of 350.org and author of The End Of Nature, and Dr. James Hansen, author of Storms of my Grandchildren, and who is regarded as the world's leading climatologist. All recognize the trial of Tim DeChristopher to be a turning point in the climate movement. Please visit our resource page for more information]

Dear Friends,

The epic fight to ward off global warming and transform the energy system that is at the core of our planet’s economy takes many forms: huge global days of action, giant international conferences like the one that just failed in Copenhagen, small gestures in the homes of countless people.

But there are a few signal moments, and one comes next month, when the federal government puts Tim DeChristopher on trial in Salt Lake City. Tim—“Bidder 70”– pulled off one of the most creative protests against our runaway energy policy in years: he bid for the oil and gas leases on several parcels of federal land even though he had no money to pay for them, thus upending the auction. The government calls that “violating the Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act” and thinks he should spend ten years in jail for the crime; we call it a noble act, a profound gesture made on behalf of all of us and of the future. Continue reading ‘Call to action by Naomi Klein, Terry Tempest Williams, Bill McKibben, Dr. James Hansen and Peaceful Uprising’

As a tribute to the inspiring Climate Generation series, I thought I would re-publish this early history of Energy Action, originally written in December 2005.

A History of Energy Action

We each arrived on the scene from different beginnings. Billy Parish, Adi Nochur, and Meg Boyle were taking time in and out of school to pull together a powerful new climate coalition in the Northeast U.S.. Maureen Cane, Arthur Coulston, and Marcia Winslade were establishing their own sustainability network in California after a major clean energy victory at one of the nations’ largest university systems. Lindsay Telfer and Jeca Glor-Bell were spearheading an innovative sustainable campuses initiative in Canada as part of the Sierra Youth Coalition. Nick Algee and Liz Veazey were storming through the American Southeast shouting “Green Power” in the heart of coal country. Tricia Feeney and I were building a national student clean energy campaign with the Student Environmental Action Coalition. We were joined by networks, campaigns, and individuals from all corners of the US and Canada, all committed to bringing about a clean energy revolution. With relatively little national organizing experience and few of us over the age of 25, we set out to tackle the beasts of global warming and dirty energy by creating a North American youth and student clean energy and climate coalition rooted in unified action.

Thanks to the efforts of more than 20 environmental networks and organizations and more than 300 student campaigns for clean energy across the United States and Canada, the student and youth clean energy movement has become a powerful force for change locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. As is so often the case with important movements, our network grew out of several small, but forceful local examples initiated by students and young people. In the mid to late 1990s, Middlebury College, Tufts University, Northland College, and University of Vermont all made significant clean energy achievements. Students played an important role at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 where the seeds were planted for a concerted international response to the problem of global warming. Between 1997 and 2001, University of Vermont, Tufts University, Cornell University, and Lewis and Clark College in Oregon had all committed to or achieved the greenhouse gas emission reduction levels called for in the Kyoto Protocol. By 2001, 55 colleges in New Jersey had committed to reducing greenhouse gas levels to 3.5% below 1990 levels. The student campaign, “Kyoto Now!” at Cornell was particularly important for the growth of the national movement.

Continue reading ‘Climate Generation: A History of Energy Action (2005)’

Are you a smart young person looking to help create a more sustainable future around the world? Do you want to rub shoulders with some of the most influential policymakers in sustainable development? Do you have ideas about how to improve the UN?

Agents of Change (AoC) is now accepting applications to join the SustainUS youth delegation to the Eighteenth Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-18), which will be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City from May 3 – 14, 2010. CSD-18 is a review session and addresses the topics of transport, chemicals, waste management, and mining. In addition, CSD-18 will follow-up on the 2006 Johannesburg Summit call to develop a 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns.

Selected delegates will have the opportunity to work with government officials, scientists, civil society representatives, and youth from around the world to review progress on issues related to sustainable development. In the past, AoC delegates have presented case studies and policy statements on behalf of youth; participated in forums with fellow representatives of civil society; and met with government delegates, international organizations, and the US State Department.

How to apply: Please respond to the questions in the Application and email your application in the form of a single Word document to agents@sustainus.org. Applications must be received by 11:59 pm EST on Wednesday, February 17, 2010. Incomplete applications, or those not compiled into a single document, will not be considered. Applicants will be notified of their selection by early March and will be required to confirm their involvement shortly after notification. Please be sure to include all five sections of the application. If you have any questions, please contact AoC Coordinator Julia Wong at agents[at]sustainus.org

I wrote this the other day after I watched the State of the Union Address and wanted to share it with all of you. 2009 was a disappointing year in many ways, but we also accomplished a lot, and the President’s speech got me thinking. So here goes…

I’m running on empty. I’m exhausted. School plus my job plus the all of the environmental organizations I’m involved with equals something that’s probably not sustainable. But I’m going to keep working. Along with all of the rest of you amazing people, I’m going to keep making sure that my voice is heard.

Some (okay, many) of the things in the President’s address were disappointing. Coal and nuclear will never be clean sources of energy. But the fact that the President spoke about clean energy at all gives me hope. In his own words, he called for, “a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America.”

I’m going to go ahead and call that one a success. Continue reading ‘Response to the State of the Union Address’

Growing up as a child in East Oakland, CA, poverty and pollution were the backdrops of my day-to-day life. A major freeway poured exhaust fumes onto my elementary school grounds, and the creek in my backyard ran thick with waste. We were just kids, chasing tadpoles despite the stench. But I grew up fast. I lost my mother to the streets when I was only six. Soon after, I lost my father to prison.

Despite losing my mom, the draw of the money that I saw young men making selling drugs was strong. I decided I’d get mine too. In January of 2005, I was arrested for possession with intent to sell crack cocaine and marijuana.
It’s a familiar tale, right? My story, though, turns out differently than too many of the people I grew up with.
Given the choice of jail or school, I chose to enroll at a community college. While there, I learned about the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement. I decided I needed to build something lasting for my community. I began the journey that would lead me to Dr. King’s alma mater, Morehouse College.

Continue reading ‘The power of Dr. King’s dream changed my life’

How’s the Site Doing is a monthly series to update the community on how this site is doing, share some how-to tips and create a space to talk about this site.

Over 100 people filled out our survey earlier this month, giving us a valuable window into how our community sees itself. As part of my monthly round-up of the site, I’ve included some of the graphs (thanks to Liz Veazy) and insights I found most interesting.

To start things off, we’re the best site on the web for some things, according to…. us!

The point of the survey was to help the editors guide the development of the site and the community. We’ve been putting together a proposal for a redesign, and getting a much better sense of how we want to include a lot more people in writing and reading here, and how to expand our editorial board.

Read on for a mock-up of how the site might look, more colorful graphs from the survey and of course the numbers.

Continue reading ‘How’s the Site Doing According to You? Open thread on what we should be’

Friday, DC Students for a Democratic Society and DC Rising Tide led a direct action parade against the Fossil Hawks. The War on Terror and the Corporate War on the Earth are one in the same. The same corporations that lead the world in CO2 pollution are the main lobbying force behind the Resource Terror Wars on Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Palestine. The Fossil Hawks are growing ever wealthier off the war while military recruiters feast on 50% youth unemployment like vultures.

“Young people are turning up the pressure because we are not convinced by Obama’s promises to draw back from war and support a clean energy-driven economic recovery,” says Brian Menifee, Howard University student activist.

video from dc.indymedia.org

Stay tuned for more footage from the parade, including our Green Jobs Not War action at the Armed Forces Recruiting Center.

From the press release…

Continue reading ‘Funk the Warming Takes DC Fossil Hawks by Storm’

{UPDATE: We are only 100 away!! We can do this folks! Keep on spreading the word!}
We are 120 votes away from being the most voted ‘Energy and Environment’ question about the State of the Union address on CitizenTube.

On Monday President Obama will be answering questions about his State of the Union address, how would you like for that question to be one submitted by young climate activists?

Right now, the most voted question is from someone promoting alternative fuels. Not clean energy. Not just energy. Not renewable energy. But alternative energy, and you know what that means right? If this question is still #1 by tomorrow, President Obama will have an open window to reiterate his support for dirty coal, nuclear, and offshore oil drilling and ignore the true solutions to our energy, national security, and climate crises.

Go to CitizenTube and upvote this question from Energy Action. We are only 120 votes away from the top, so every vote counts. Please spread the word and RT this:

RT @energyaction: Vote up youth leader question to #Obama! Why dirty energy when clean is smarter & creates more jobs? http://bit.ly/bGNR8R

The Climate Generation series has brought much-needed reflection, history, and  vision to this blog, and I’m excited to be a part of it.

The internet: our movement is like this

Some back-history on my journey: I started out organizing in the public high school system in Hudson County New Jersey in 2004 trying to connect big-picture energy and climate issues with daily life in the inner city. I met up with some cool folks who were helping launch the Energy Action Coalition during the summer of 2005 and immediately launched into campus and regional level work when I headed to college in Minnesota a few weeks later. I’ve done project work on campus around energy efficiency and green roofs, developed cool campus innovations like the Clean Energy Revolving Fund that led to a powerful campus carbon neutrality strategy while developing state and regional networks in Minnesota and the Midwest. I started reconnecting to the national climate movement in 2007, and have been closely involved ever since. Simultaneously, I’ve also been focusing intensively on community level work across the Twin Cities and Minnesota, helping launch intergenerational community energy efficiency and green manufacturing initiatives that build a green economy. Through that work, I helped found and am now helping lead The Summer of Solutions, a nation-wide program that trains youth leaders in  sustainable community development while pioneering innovative green economy solutions in communities across the country.

In the process, I’ve learned a lot, seen so many successes and victories, gotten inspired by more leaders than I can name, and been an agent for inspiration for many more. I keep meeting new people in new places, many of whom don’t identify as “the youth climate movement” but that nevertheless are part of our Great Work. I think this movement is vaster than any of us imagine, and deep beyond our wildest dreams. I think it’s just beginning. I’m glad you are part of the journey.

In this post, I’m going to highlight three priorities that I have noticed the movement struggling with over the past years and that I think we need to focus on intensively as we move forward:

1. Embrace Community Power (Energy-wise and Political)
2. Think For the Century
3. Show the Solutions

Check it out!

Continue reading ‘Climate Generation: Our Power in a Century of Solutions’

Great posts so far in the Climate Generation Series and it sounds like more to come in the next week.   I was very involved in the youth climate movement from 2001 to 2009, and now kind of like Meg, I’m trying to figure out what to do now.  I’ll talk a little about how I got involved, some of my observations about the movement and some of my thoughts on the future.

Some of my history

I worked with many others at the University of North Carolina to create a student-funded renewable energy account, which has since funded solar hot water panels and geothermal projects on campus.  It was one of the first Southern student initiatives for clean energy.  Then some of us from UNC joined with others from Duke and NC State University to put on a Southeast regional conference to help spread similar initiatives for renewable energy and energy efficiency to campuses around the region.  The South as a region uses some of the highest energy per capita and the dirtiest energy in the nation.

Continue reading ‘Climate Generation: More history, thoughts & reflections’