Alright, so past attempts at blogs for me has amounted to journals more so, meant for friends alone. This time I hope to create a blog that speaks to friends, strangers, family… or perhaps just to organize my own thoughts. For me it is definitely true that I understand what I believe a lot more throughly if I can talk about it. But the thing about being in University and all those important people called friends being in University is that there’s not always somebody to listen to me organize my thoughts out loud. So welcome to my solution; my new blog.

I hope for this to take shape over Christmas holidays and talk about some ongoing research and situations around me. Meaning you can expect:

Why I think Universal Post-Secondary Education is not only a great idea coming from a student’s point of view but also has great benefits to all Canadian society and state.

An enlightened realization about stereotypes of Canadian culture and our better than thou attitudes including our view of multiculturalism vs assimilation.

My opinions on the ongoing scandal of Student Union I serve as Director at large on; The great successes, the previously missing of policies and how we’re punishing the executive for what we’re not sure they did.

And although I haven’t done research recently on the phenomena of the political internet, I’d like to revisit how political participation is constantly being shaped by ways we interact virtually and how important it is these days of creating a virtual you which is, at least in part, the reason I’ve created this blog.

Yesterday the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen passed a hotly disputed “anti-riot law”, less than two weeks before what is shaping up to be the largest single convergence around climate change ever. The law, passed to stymie public protest around the UN climate negotiations in Copenhagen, strips people of civil liberties, freedoms, and sanctions (if not encourages) preemptive arrests for any of the 10,000’s of people expected to arrive in Copenhagen to voice concern, march, take direct action, and participate in the UN climate talks.

The new laws layout is fairly straightforward, and inevitably draws a comparison to unlawful US and UK preemptive arrest actions from the last year.

• Preventive arresting: Under the new law, police can detail people for up to 12 hours without any charges, just because they decide you look like a troublemaker.

• Hindrance of authorities performing their duties: Normally the penalty is a fine. Now, they can hold you for 40 days.

• Breach of the peace, or disorderly behavior while staying around after the police have broken up a demo: They have more than quadrupled fines for staying in a demo that the police have broken up is 403 euro and up to 671 euro if you are showing disorderly behavior.

Additionally (yes there’s more), Danish police said “open-air meetings may be prohibited when it is feared that they may constitute a danger to the public order”.

Another essential information if you are attending the COP15 meetings, KlimaForum09, joining a bike bloc, or just hitting the streets, is that masks in any form are illegal at any demo or protest. This means you can be arrested on your way to a protest or meeting for having a scarf in your pocket. This doesn’t mean that the police will be working with this mandate, but it does mean the law grants them the freedom to do so. All of these developments come on the heels of UK police coming under heavy scrutiny and now official investigation for aggressive tactics during this years G20 protests.

…And in other sustainability news, Copenhagen Police are taking their recycling program to another level by recycling the human cages used in last years G8 meetings in Copenhagen for the COP15 meeting. Way to go!…

Even if you are not planning on attending any marches, demonstrations, or other events, a lot can happen on your way home, so know your rights while here. Climate Justice Action, a huge coalition of justice groups, has put together a good legal briefing for those coming to Copenhagen.

The world is mobilizing as we realize that leaders such as US and China no longer have the political will or ambition to be climate leaders we need them to be. Reality is, they are towing the line of industry and inaction, and in doing so they are trading away future generations. The world is expecting a remarkable showing of people power in Copenhagen, from powerful speeches in plenary sessions, to impactful actions in the streets. We realize that no moment like Copenhagen may happen again and we must take hold of this moment.

If we do not define this moment, it will be defined for us.

An update from the front lines of Massachusetts

Last night, I slept in my bed.

Normally, such an action is not newsworthy, but for me, it was the first time I had slept in my bed since the night of October 23rd, 2009.  Like hundreds of other students, religious leaders, and community members across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts participating in The Leadership Campaign, I have been refusing to sleep in my home powered by dirty electricity until the state implements a policy before December 7th (the start of Copenhagen) to Repower Massachusetts with 100% Clean Electricity by 2020.

100% Clean Electricity is an ambitious goal, or so I’m informed. I invariably reply that sometimes the impossible is necessary. And the necessity of passing legislation, or actually beginning the transformation that will let us live in a just and stable world is understood by a staggering amount of people, both students and community members. At last Sunday’s Sleep-Out  on the Boston Common, we had well over a hundred people there. While that number may not be staggering, the fact that 120 people stayed to receive citations from police, even when explicity told they could leave, staggers me. Here are people who understand the seriousness of the crisis we are all in, people willing to stand by there values.

So why did I give in?  It was not a conscious decision.  I fell ill on Tuesday, and started feeling much worse yesterday.  My girlfriend strongly encouraged me to get a solid night’s rest in bed, and I begrudgingly agreed to go and lie down in bed for a bit, not quite agreeing but realizing it was likely that I would not emerge until the next morning.

I have little to comment about my lapse.  I recognize that the hundreds of millions of climate refugees who will soon be forced from their homes will not likely get to ‘take a break’ when they get sick.  Indeed, malnourished refugees are more often than not probably going to be fighting off one disease or another.  Nor will they get to rise from their nice, warm sleeping bags in their dry tents and walk a short distance to a warm shower to start upon their day.

Perhaps, then, this movement will require higher degrees of sacrifice for us to convey the seriousness and the urgency of global destabilization as a result of rapid climatic disruption.  But that is for another post.  For now, I would like to comment on where we are, after three-and-a-half weeks of sleeping out.

A Brief Summary

We are calling on the elected officials of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to pass a bill to Repower Massachusetts with 100% Clean Electricity by 2020.  Towards this end, students and community members across the state have been sleeping outside to protest the dirty-electricity that powers our homes, schools, businesses, and places of worship, and to draw attention to our world of contradictions.

Is it working?

I’ll let the reader be the judge of that.  But here, is an update, after some 25 days of sleeping outside.

Politics

We have recruited 21 state legislators (out of a total of 200) who have agreed to sign on to our letter to Governor Patrick, asking him to introduce our bill for 100% Clean Electricity by 2020.  We had a meeting on Tuesday with Governor Patrick, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles, and Assistant Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs for Policy, David Cash.  These three leaders listened attentively to our impassioned plea, and are expected to get back to us tomorrow with their assessment of Massachusetts’ potential to lead the world to a safe and stable future.  If the Governor does not feel suitably prepared to introduce our bill, we have a state legislator who has confirmed his willingness to do so at any moment.

We’ve also gotten the attention of senate candidate Alan Khazei (who might pop in for a visit) and Senator John Kerry who said that “this kind of grassroots activism sends a strong message across Massachusetts that climate change must be addressed now, not years from now.”

Media

We have had over fifty media hits, from outlets as diverse as campus newspapers, the Boston Globe, NPR, ABC, NBC, U.S. News and World Report, Science Magazine, Daily Kos, Grist, and the Weekly Dig.

Leading Organizations

Support for 100% Clean Electricity has continued to build.  In addition to Students for a Just and Stable Future (formerly Massachusetts Power Shift, the lead group), The Leadership Campaign has been endorsed by over two-dozen groups including religious organizations (Massachusetts Council of Churches, Religious Witness for the Earth, and others), community groups (Massachusetts Climate Action Network, Somerville Climate Action Network, Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities), and even a political party (Massachusetts Green/Rainbow Party).  We are thrilled to have the support of all of these groups, and excited to have more join us in the weeks to come.

Supporters

A number of prominent individuals have brought us support in our struggle, including Bill McKibben and Dr. James Hansen, religious leaders like Episcopalian Bishop Bud Cederholm and Rev. Jim Antal, and political candidates (former Green Party gubernatorial candidates Grace Ross and Jill Stein).

Police Interactions

For better or for worse, it is illegal to be on the Boston Common after 11:00PM.  While this ordinance was passed with the most sincere of intentions, one wonders what our forbearer’s would think of our Commonwealth when people receive citations for demonstrating on the Commons.  Does democracy really close at 11:00PM?

We believe it does not, and have as a result decided to stand our ground on the Boston Common, and accept the legal consequences (a misdemeanor trespassing charge).  We hold no grudges against the courteous police officers who give us citations every week.  Indeed, we recognize they, like us, have a job to do.   Their primary duty is to enforce the law and keep the people safe, and we respect and applaud their efforts towards that end.

Most of the above leaders have even stood with us in the face of police citations for trespassing on the Boston Common (where we gather every Sunday evening).  If we make it to court, it should be a pretty good trial, complete with clergy in collars, a respected NASA scientist, and a world-renowned journalist and activist.

Student Power

But perhaps the most exciting achievement to date so far has not been the political support we have won, the prominent individuals and organizations who have come to our aid, or the media attention we have garnered.  Rather, it is the building of bonds across colleges and universities.   We, the students, are growing closer and closer together with each passing sleep-out.  With every tent we put up and every tent we take down, we are building the bonds of friendship that will make this movement win.  Hundreds of students have taken part, and each one has realized that they are a part of something bigger than themselves.  They have felt, and they have come to learn the names, faces, and stories of those who stand (and sleep) beside them.  As more community members join our sleepouts, they, too, our building with our students and with each other the relationships so needed to change the movement.

The Means Are The End

While the tactic seems to be fairly successful at earning us attention and demonstrating the depth of our resolve, it has also done wonders to help us see each other in a new light.  Not as students, not as community members, but as people possessing the principled determination we need to win.

We are going to win.

We are going to win because we believe in the strength of humanity.  We are going to win because we believe that our leaders, when presented with the dire predictions of science, will rise to the occasion.  We are going to win because realize what is at stake – our futures, and indeed, our very lives – and we treat the situation accordingly.  We are going to win because we are willing to sacrifice something morally significant – not just a warm bed, but in many cases, classes, grades, study abroad opportunities, criminal records, or career choices.

We are going to win because we will not stop until every single fossil fuel facility in our state ceases emitting greenhouse gases.  We are going to win because we will not stop until there is a solar panel on every roof, thick insulation in every building, and a wind turbine on every hill.

The question is not if we win, but when we win.  And that is a question I cannot answer.

But I can say this:  When future generations look back upon our time, and ask what the human race was doing when the world was burning, they will be able to look at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and find people who swam against the tide, who spoke out when others were silent, who stood (and slept) for justice.

And P.S.  I’m still sick, but I’m going to be sleeping in a tent again tonight.

I remember the Rock the Vote ads with Madonna when I just entered junior high. I didn’t quite understand what she was laughing or talking about, but the message was clear: I needed to vote. I asked my mom, who moved to the US twenty years ago at that time, to take me voting, but she admitted she wasn’t sure how it worked. I asked her if she ever voted. She looked up nostalgically and said she did once, when Reagan was in office. Besides, her English wasn’t so good; she didn’t want to make a wrong decision. I eventually found out later by bugging my math teacher this question (who had really bad coffee breath), that I couldn’t. Oh well. But reflecting on this over half a decade later, I watched the ad again on youtube, and realized that it probably will take more than Paris Hilton wearing a “Vote or Die” shirt and smugly pointing at herself. Instead of simply asking people to change their behaviors, and assuming their apathy, we must also investigate how existing public policies and institutions create barriers to inclusive public participation.

I'm Paris Hilton. Vote, dammit.

We must face the facts. What we consider the bedrock of democracy in the US—our institution of voting—is far from equal. People of color are drastically underrepresented in the voting booths, even when measured across the voting-age citizen population. The 2000 US Census Bureau reported that 62% of voting-age Whites voted, while only 57%, 43%, and 45% of the same groups of Blacks, Asian Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics voted, respectively. One of the starkest indicators is age. About 70% of those between 55-74 years old voted, while only 36% of those been 18-24 years old voted. Nearly 50% of 25-34 year olds voted.

There are also troubling differences by class indicators such as income and educational attainment. In 2000, 75-80% of the two highest income quintiles voted, while the only 52-55% of the two lowest income quintiles voted. We see similar rates by educational attainment. 75-82% of those with bachelors and advanced degrees voted in 2000, while only 53% of high school graduates voted, and, even starker, only 38% of high school dropouts voted. Both of these differences have been robust since the 1960s. In contrast to the US, Powell Jr. (1986) found that in his study of seven European nations and Canada, there was at most a difference of 10 percentage points between the highest and lowest levels of education. In the US, the difference is 40 percentage points. And it’s not only voting. A classic study by Verba, Nie, and Kim (1978) found that this class bias also applies to those participating in more intensive forms of political activity, such as working in election campaigns, contacting government officials, or contributing money to parties.

We cannot ignore these trends. Many studies make the empirical connection between a decline in voter turnout with an increase in policies that favor privileged voters and intensify class inequalities (Rosenstone and Hansen 1993, 238, 241; see also Burnham 1980, 1987, Hicks and Swank 1992; Hill and Leighley 1992; Leighley 1995, 195-6; Mebane 1994). Harvard researchers have even drawn the connection between socioeconomic inequalities in voter turnout with poor self-rated health of the population (Blakely 2001). Turnout levels also affect the political lean of an entire country. A seminal study by Pacek and Radcliff (1995) of 19 industrial democracies from 1950 to 1990 found that the “left” share of the vote increased by almost 1/3 of a percentage point for every percentage point increase in turnout.

Significantly, comparative studies of voter turnout strengthen the idea that a country’s institutional context is of overriding importance. As Franklin (1996) argues, “the most striking message is that turnout varies much more from country to country than it does between different types of individuals.” We see that, especially, class differences remain, but the intensity of those class differences depend on public policies and institutional designs that help create a more just political system.

These trends don’t just exist for any reason. The effect of public policies on our neighborhoods, for example, plays a role in the political opportunities one receives. As I’ve mentioned continuously in this blog, public policies have shaped the class, racial, and spatial divide between the city and the suburbs. Though they may be in the past, the effects of discriminatory policies, such as the redlining and racial covenants, that have limited opportunities based on one’s class, race, and location have supported economic and racial segregation, concentrated poverty in certain communities, and created an unequal landscape of opportunity. Cohen and Dawson (1993) found that the “devastation of poverty”, the lack of economic and educational opportunities, and social alienation of those living in these communities limit political participation. If you are working hourly for a minimum wage and long hours to make ends meet, or even if you weren’t given quality education in civics or English, for example, it will be harder for you to wait long lines to participate in the polling booths to vote on policies that may be difficult to understand. King (1998), in his exploration on this subject, found citizens saying, “A lot of people are holding down two jobs and both people work in the family and are too tired… [from] trying to survive a day at a time.”

The same goes for community design. Typical sprawl design is characterized by:

“the reliance on cars,  few public meeting places, no downtowns, no sidewalks and no porches encourages people to retreat to their private space and social capital suffers as a result (Putnam 2000). Community design can emphasize private space over public space and much of the sprawl that took shape in the 1980s has had a negative impact on the quality and quantity of civic engagement and community involvement. Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead, the designer of Central Park, argued that public space, in particular urban parks, are a necessity of democracy because parks are a place where people from different social and economic backgrounds share open space, common ground and establish trust (Macedo 2005, 80).”

The design goes past the creation of communities and social bonds. High degrees of segregation and community fragmentation into races and economic class ““narrows civic identities, polarizes political interests, and dampens important forms of civic engagement” (Macedo 2005).

Related to the effects of place on political opportunity is the management and design of our political institutions. Administrators often control the agenda, venue, and procedure to discuss an issue, which can dramatically influence how the public participates and who participates. A simple issue as the location of a polling both, its ease of access to public transportation, when that polling booth is open, the availability of childcare, how voting registration is handled, the language of the voting materials, and a slew of other administrative details, and rituals can exclude or include large segments of the population. Administrators may be “blind” to the privileges of their race, immigration, class, or even age status and their effect on political participation. Callahan (2007) discusses the way administrators systematically exclude or minimize public participation due to its expensive and time-consuming nature. Many ask for public input after important decisions have been made, which reduces participation to mere formality. Indeed, tackling institutional barriers created by uncritically examined privilege is a crucial step that can enhance political equality – to truly fulfill democratic ideals.

As usual, I will continue the second post with a discussion on institutional reforms that can address these issues!

]]> http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2009/11/17/viva-la-resolution-wash-u-senate-urges-university-to-change-name-of-consortium-for-clean-coal-utilization/ Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:44:16 +0000 Juliana Williams http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2009/11/17/viva-la-resolution-wash-u-senate-urges-university-to-change-name-of-consortium-for-clean-coal-utilization/

Written by Will Fischer, student leader at Washington University in St. Louis

The students have spoken!

In response to demonstrated student outcry over the naming of the “Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization” and with momentum from last week’s flash mob protest, on Wednesday the Wash U Student Union Senate unanimously passed a resolution urging the administration to change the Consortium’s name. More details in the Wash U student newspaper Student Life article.

The vote came after a week of intense lobbying by students, during which senators received an extraordinary number of emails from constituents in support of the resolution. The resolution originated in last week’s session, but the vote was postponed until after a drafting session could be held to address senators’ concerns. Wednesday’s senate session was packed with supportive students who applauded after the resolution was passed in the first 15 minutes of the meeting.

A truncated version of the resolution reads (full version available here):

“Whereas, The term “Clean Coal” is an industry marketing term intended to obscure the negative effects of coal extraction, combustion, and disposal;

Whereas, The use of said term may invite doubt regarding the integrity of the research the Consortium conducts;

…

Whereas, The Student Union supports the research being done by the Consortium to develop safer and more effective coal utilization technology; and therefore be it

Resolved, That the Student Union strongly urges the Washington University administration to change the name of the Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization; and be it further

…

Resolved, That the Student Union urges that the Consortium’s research into future uses of coal include studies of the social and environmental effects of its extraction, combustion, and disposal.”

We look forward to open dialogue with the administration and invite any concerns and comments.

Viva la Resolution!

Project Survival Media is alive and working globally to bring the survival tactics and sustainable practices of real people to the UN conference in Copenhagen. Right now all over the world, teams are filming different groups of people for their own documentaries.

Luke Estrella at the UN Plaza Farmers Market

Here in the Bay Area, California, after wwoofing for two months in Willits, I have been given the opportunity to lead the Northwestern project.

Today I went to the U.N. Plaza Farmers Market on my way around the city to see the prevalence of organic farm choices for the mainstream San Franciscan public. This market is not known for its sustainability, but for it’s prices and accessability.

There were a few organic farm choices, but I did have the opportunity to talk to one young organic farmer, Luke Estrella from Bounty of the Valley, Salinas Valley. Bounty of the Valley is a 50 acre human powered farm, full of young farmers who are learning how to grow their own food.

I asked him what he thought about the next generation of farmers, since in this area there seems to be a growing trend of young farmers. Farmers used to be an average of 60 years old, but people in their 20’s have, for the first time in years, started to pick up the old pitchfork.

“[young farmers] have a lot of new ideas to bring to the table, young farmers will bring about the change we need for sustainable action.”

He also warned against green washing on the organic front, and how current policy may encourage this.

“There are 500 acre certified organic plots that have organic soil and seeds, but they have a machine that does everything. These are also the farms that have the money to pay for being certified [organic]. These farms are unsustainable by design.”

He elaborated on a machine that many large scale farmers contract out to plant, till, and harvest. Many of these farmers do not touch soil and are not acquainted with their own land, although their products are touted as sustainable.

But, what may be organic isn’t necessarily sustainable. It is important that we not only push for policies that help organic farmers, but that we pay close attention to new policies, and make sure that they are also helping local and sustainable farmers, which organic is only one factor in.

We also need to make this clear to the UN delegation. We are young, ready for change, and unwilling to adapt to old standards.

Yesterday I came back from Ohio jazzed about all of the great work and outcomes of the Power Shift Ohio Summit – movement building, training, campaign development, and real political impact!

Power Shift Ohio and West helped us conclude the regional summits with a bang, and when I returned to DC, I wondered what would come next.  I turned on my computer, started sifting through emails, Facebook messages, and Tweets, and WOW, did I find a lot.  So much that I’m afraid I can’t chronicle it all, but I do want to highlight a couple of the most immediate things.

• Tomorrow the Michigan Student Sustainability Coaliton and Detroit ASAP are hosting the 11th Hour Rally and March, and in two locations! Calling on Senators Stabenow and Levin to support strong legislation that will deliver clean energy jobs to hard hit areas like Detroit.
• On Nov 13th, in Connecticut there will be a March on CT Senators’ Hartford offices, and not a moment to late at Sen. Lieberman becomes a more influential deal-maker in the deliberations.  Follow @GreenKatCT on Twitter for more info.
• That same day in Pittsburgh, local youth and the Sierra Student Coalition will be meeting with staff of Senator Spector’s office.
• Further down the coast, on Nov. 21st, there will be a rally at the South Carolina State House to remind federal representatives what youth stand for: real climate solutions and action!
• And we can’t forget the Leadership Campaign in Massachussetts which continues to host weekly sleepouts Sunday nights on Boston Commons, refusing to sleep in homes or dorms powered by dirty energy, until the state legislature and Governor Patrick pass legislation that takes the state to 100% clean electricity by 2020!

Again, I know that I’m only skimming the surface, but I wanted to share some of the action.  If you are hosting an event, rally, call-in day, or anything else, let us know in the comments or by posting it on the developing online community, that allows others to see your events, join them, or get some ideas for events in their own community!  We need to keep it up, keep building stronger and louder, so that Congress and Obama clearly know that It’s Game Time.

Student organizers working with Cascade Climate Network (CCN), Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG), Sierra Student Coalition (SSC), and student groups at the University of Oregon hosted Power Shift West ’09, which began Friday, November 6 and went through Sunday, November 8. The three-day event featured educational workshops; special guests including Rep. Jefferson Smith, Rikki Ott, and Pete Sorenson; opportunities for participants to learn more about organizing local groups to advocate sustainable living practices; and a capstone march through the streets of Eugene.

Backbone Campaign brought props from “Procession for the Future” and built model wind turbines with participants at the conference. Participants raised a banner measuring 15′ x 30′ foot giant banner with helium powered weather balloons as the grand finale.

Over 500 students and youth from Oregon and 13 western states attended to promote four primary goals:

• Pass a strong climate bill and negotiate a strong International Climate Treaty in Copenhagen
• Generate support for a high-speed rail corridor from Eugene to Vancouver, B.C.
• Mobilize local community groups to address sustainable living practices
• Unite regional campuses to advocate plans to move beyond coal usage

“There’s never been a better time to become more educated and involved in promoting clean, renewable energy in our communities,” said Jeremy Blanchard, a core organizer and a UO student Senator. “The national success of Power Shift depends on the action we take locally, and we’re encouraging students and young peole to actively communicate with their local and state representatives so that our generation’s voices are heard in the halls of Congress.”

Student activists from thirteen states across the West coast converged to learn skills and netowrk with peers around clean energy solutions and climate change. Some traveled from as far away as Alaska to build a grassroots movement for sustainability and global warming solutions.

“Young people recognize that the current debate on climate change is critical for the future of a clean energy economy in the United States.” said Charles Denson, OSPIRG State Board Chair. “Now is the time to invest in clean energy technologies that will rebuild the American economy and create millions of new jobs.”

One example of actions coming out of Power Shift West is the work being done by the Oregon Climate Policy group. Moey Newbold, a junior at University of Oregon, moderated the Oregon State breakout in which students broke into four issue areas to plan for the next few critical weeks. The group plans to implement a grassroots campaign on their campuses to target Senators around specific strengthening provisions of the Senate climate bill. The campaign will culminate with a simultaneous lobby day at five Senate offices across the state. The Oregon Climate Policy campaign is just one of dozens of initiatives coming out of Power Shift West.

Today, students left Eugene inspired and ready for action – they held workshops and trainings with their peers, networked, and shared ideas to move the shift to a clean, just and sustainable future forward. Our movement is growing, and Power Shift West was a weekend that many will never forget – a weekend that changed lives, united a small part of our generation, and continued the movement towards a safe future for all people.

As politicians and diplomats try to crush expectations from the Copenhagen negotiations next month, young people across the world are stepping up their efforts to preserve the hope of a legally binding, science-based, equitable agreement to secure the survival of all nations and peoples.

Since rising to the task of co-leading the UK Youth Climate Coalition last year, I’ve learnt that when our generation understands what is at stake, and what is necessary to build a safer, better future – we are capable of truly great things. Being more connected, more informed and more savvy than ever before, youth all over the world have unprecedented power to make this a reality. And the bonus of having a good time while doing it? That’s just part of the package!

Amongst those young people making their lives count are 23 individuals from the UK who will be travelling overland to the Copenhagen talks. They will be bringing energy, optimism and a fighting spirit to a process that will surely be remembered with shame in years to come. Their story is being told in parts on youtube, here is the first chapter. 

A couple of days ago, I myself and three other young people were in a meeting with one of Senator Jeff Merkley’s field staff in Portland, Oregon.  We were there to talk about the Kerry-Boxer Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, which Senator Merkley is already working to pass in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.  A freshman senator, Merkley has quickly emerged as a champion for clean energy and climate issues in the Senate, and the four of us in the meeting didn’t have to convince his office of the need for comprehensive climate legislation.  However, despite the fact that we do have a few good climate champions like Jeff Merkley in the Senate, his field assistant was quite frank with us: passing Kerry-Boxer in the Senate while keeping the best provisions of the bill intact is not going to be easy.  It’s going to be really, really hard.

“Really hard” does not mean it can’t be done.  However, one of Kerry-Boxer’s most significant improvements over the climate bill which the House of Representatives passed this summer is going to come under violent attack as the bill moves through the Senate.  This is the provision of Kerry-Boxer which preserves EPA authority to regulate greenhouse emissions from coal plants and other sources under the Clean Air Act.  With that provision in the bill, Congress can pass a less-than-perfect climate bill, and the EPA will still be able to provide a regulatory “safety net,” making sure that we don’t slide backward in national efforts to curb pollution from coal plants.  With the EPA’s authority removed, however, the situation becomes frankly frightening: Kerry-Boxer could actually take us backwards by hamstringing the EPA’s ability to make full use of the Clean Air Act, and failing to replace Clean Air Act protections with equally tough standards for coal power.

It’s time to rally around the Clean Air Act, and let our senators know this isn’t up for compromise. Read on for the five simplest steps YOU can take to make this happen.

1) Call your senator’s office up, and ask for a meeting.  Look up the district office locations of your state’s US senators, and find the one closest to you.  Call the phone number provided, and you’ll get the office’s front desk.  Tell the staffer your name, any organization you feel you can represent (either a campus group or a regional organization), and that you want to set up a meeting with a field representative from the senator’s office for a group of students.  At that point, the staffer will probably transfer you to the phone of a scheduler or environmental policy specialist for the office.  If that person isn’t available, leave a message that includes your phone number, and ask them to call you back.

2) Follow up on your first call.  Senators’ staff are busy people, and the person you leave a message with may not get back to you right away.  If you don’t hear anything within a week, it’s time to call again.  If you have to leave another message, politely explain that you called about a week ago, and are just checking on the status of your request for a meeting.  If you still don’t get any response this second time, you can always try again.  But chances are someone will get back to you; calling twice shows you’re serious about getting a meeting.

3) Get a group together.  Once you’ve scheduled your meeting with the senator’s office (or even before) put together a small group of students to come.  This takes some planning, and it’s important to allow yourself enough time to make it happen.  But you DO know 2-4 other people who can come to meet with their senator’s office to help pass a good climate policy.  Face it: an inside opportunity to talk with the office of a US Senator sounds pretty cool.  Talk it up.  Make it sound exciting, and important – after all, it is.  Almost certainly, there are people out there who will bite.

4) Show up to the meeting.  On the appointed day, show up at your senator’s office with your group, ready to talk to the staffer about passing a strong federal climate bill.  Let them know that protection of the Clean Air Act is not something that can be sacrificed as the Kerry-Boxer legislation moves through the Senate.  If you’re representing any type of organization with an opinion on this issue, let them know.  If you feel that many people on your campus or in your community share your views on climate legislation, mention that as well.  Always be polite (alienating your target is a bad idea), but be firm that you want your senator to prevent the Clean Air Act from becoming a political bargaining chip. 

5) Follow up.  During the meeting, it’s great if you can let the staffer know that you plan on following up on this issue.  Maybe there’s more information about your campus group that you can forward to the senator’s office.  Or maybe you’re planning a campus event related to this issue, and can send them an email about how it went.  Following up helps show that you take the issue seriously.

These in-person meetings with the staff of members of Congress are one of the most widely overlooked but extremely meaningful tools available for college campus activists.  Compared to some projects you could take on, scheduling a meeting at your senator’s office and getting a small group of people to show up does not actually take that much effort.  The payoff, however, can be huge: this is how members of Congress know what their student voters are thinking.  Don’t believe that the meeting won’t have any impact if you can only talk to a staffer: these are the people senators rely on for information about what’s happening in-district.

This week, Senate hearings on the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act got started.  We’re at the beginning of a long fight, but it won’t take long for the Clean Air Act to come under attack.  Now is the time to pick up the phone, and get started on scheduling a meeting with your senator’s office.  This may be the most important thing you do all semester.

Written by Chris Connolly and Amara Possian.

The media response to the youth protest that disrupted Question Period in the Canadian House of Commons on Monday has completely missed the mark. As participants of Power Shift Canada, last weekend’s climate change summit that brought together over 1000 young Canadians to engage legitimately with our democratic institutions, we feel obligated to respond.

It would be easy to discredit the media’s representation of our fellow youth as an unfair caricature, but that would be beside the point. What’s striking is not that there was an eruption of overt civil disobedience. What’s striking is why.

A short 48 hours before this much-maligned protest, a decidedly more peaceful demonstration took place on parliament hill. On Saturday afternoon, a crowd three-thousand strong added their voices to the chorus of discontent rising from coast to coast over government inaction on the climate crisis. And yet, both our elected leaders and our national media outlets simply weren’t listening. Even as the uproar rose to a fever pitch, it fell on deaf ears. For the Canadians who tuned into their morning news, there was barely a whisper.

A silent vacuum of media and government neglect echoes throughout the country. It is a silence that speaks volumes more about the current state of environmental dialogue in Canada than the stifled cries of Monday’s protesters.

Two days ago, we would have been among those writing off the parliamentary disturbances as brash grandstanding. But the present reality of this great silence has made it abundantly clear that, without such outbursts of collective frustration, no one is listening.

Now that we finally have the national ear, what do we want? We want Canada to demonstrate a commitment to environmental justice and a sustainable, clean economy. We want an immediate reduction in carbon emissions. We want real investments in clean and renewable energy. We want the creation of effective green jobs. Most of all, we want real leadership. We want Canada to participate this December in the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen as a positive global force for a fair, ambitious and binding treaty.

Don’t ignore us any longer. It’s time to listen.

Check out what Boston was up to on 350’s day of action.  It was kind of like a big tea party meets block party meets rally meets AWESOME young people calling for bold climate action.

Plus, there are wetsuits.

Stop Everything
Rebecca McNeil and Darcy Higgins

October 27, 2009

After the flash mob that appeared in Parliament yesterday, disrupting question period to call immediate attention to climate change, we had very mixed feelings.

The flash mob evokes tactics of yester-year, though a little more clever. To those of us who are used to doing campaign and policy work in the environmental sector, making incremental change by going in the front door with a suit and a tie (well a suit, anyways), it’s hard to not feel like this approach loses credibility for our whole sector and the point we are trying to make – that our government must act now to reduce climate change.

On the other hand, this as a desperate act from people hoping desperately to wake our government up, and on that sentiment, we couldn’t agree more. We have issued press releases, sent letters and petitions, aired public service announcements, written columns (ahem), penned books, held community events and press conferences, schmoozed officials and any other “respectable” tactic you can imagine to try to evoke change, for twenty years! The issue of climate change is by no means new, and two decades of respectability has not bailed us out of this problem.

When Green Party leader Elizabeth May joined the protest on Parliament Hill on the weekend (pre-Parliament flash mob), Rebecca asked her about her days in the Sierra Club and whether she’d ever thought she would see this kind of youth-lead activism when she helped form the Sierra Youth Coalition. Her response surprised us: “I never thought I would have to. I never thought it would get this bad.”

The woman’s got a point. Even the biggest of “doomsdayers” (as we have been affectionately called) didn’t anticipate that this kind of action would be needed because we all hoped our government would wake up before this. While some see the tactics of the flash mob as disrespectful, inappropriate, entitled or juvenile (all taken from the lovely “comments” section at the Globe and Mail), frankly, what mass demonstration has ever been pretty? When people are backed against a wall they will use every tool they have to fight back. After all, we are talking about scientific evidence that points to heightened and increased natural disasters, food and water scarcity for an already over-populated world, and the potential for international conflict, climate refugees and displaced people. Not only is there a Nobel prize-winning international scientific panel who agrees on this, but we have already begun to see the evidence.

In a press conference after the demonstration, May said that these youth were Canada’s best and brightest. Particularly in comparison to the country’s MPs. The chants didn’t sound much different from the regular banter in the House she thought, a theme the Globe picked up on as they started their story on the issue: “The shouting and heckling in the House of Commons had nothing to do with MPs yesterday…”

We didn’t think that the style of activism that spread through campuses in our parents’ generation like carbon-induced wildfires would be included in the activism of today.

May’s commentary was politically risky, but maybe it’s time we all started taking risks.

Editor’s Note: Hey everybody, I wanted to share a post I wrote up for the TckTckTck campaign that I think is a reflection on how a lot of us were feeling after the 350.org international day of action. -Richard

The 350.org international day of climate action this Saturday, was the second in a series of ground-breaking, record smashing days of citizen action around the world on climate change. It is simply amazing that the day of action was only one part of a drumbeat of worldwide and local climate events that have been building towards an enormous outpouring of climate action and activism at the Copenhagen climate talks. This December 12^th, a huge and growing global movement made up of ordinary citizens in almost every country in the world and international civil society will send a resounding message to the world leaders and negotiators in Copenhagen that the public is ready for them to sign a fair, ambitious, and binding climate treaty.

September 21^st, saw an wave of climate action, as local organizers around the world held over 2,600 events in over 120 countries, where people gathered, made noise to wake up the public to climate change, and called their political leaders to demand action this December at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen. Less than one month later, 13,599 bloggers from 156 countries, wrote about the need for climate action to a collective audience of over 18 million people for Blog Action Day. This weekend, supporters of 350.org and of strong action on climate change organized over 5,200 events in 181 countries. Notice a pattern?

Time is running out for action on climate change. Leading scientists have been warning that climate impacts are accelerating. This year we don’t have a movie like ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ raising awareness on climate change and magazines popping out green issues. Yet, I am more hopeful that we will see real action from world leaders than I have been since I started following the issue of climate change. Why?

This year, we have seen the emergence of a global, grassroots movement that is networked, coordinated and ready to take action on climate change. Two years ago, I was a youth delegate to the international climate talks in Bali. That year, we watched Al Gore and the IPCC receive a Nobel Prize for their work on climate change. Yet, George Bush was still president, Japan’s prime minister Fukuda presided over a ruling LDP that opposed real climate targets, and magazines still equated climate action with changing lightbulbs.

The world is now aiming higher, with world leaders gathering in Copenhagen this fall to hammer out an agreement, with grassroots leaders working on climate change online and on-the-ground in over 181 countries.  One hundred and eighty-one countries. Think about it. Nobody even agrees on how many countries there are in the world, although the UN only recognizes 192 countries. Virtually every country on Earth that exists and is connected to the outside world, had a group participate in a day of action calling for world leaders to sign a climate agreement around a scientific datapoint, the safe level of carbon dioxide, 350ppm.

Amazingly, this day of action more than doubled the participation of the Global Wake Up Call on September 21^st. In one month and three days, the global climate movement hosted two days of action, doubling their size and outreach. This is only one sign of the emergence of a huge and growing movement. The TckTckTck campaign barely existed a few months ago, but they were determined to pull together the notoriously independent organizations making up global civil society, into one campaign working together to get a global climate treaty signed in Copenhagen. In a few short months and almost three million supporters and over 200 organizations later, including Oxfam, the Red Cross/Crescent, Greenpeace, CARE and so many more, they are all working together to generate the global political will for action.

Young people have also been leading, as two years ago I had just come from helping organize the Power Shift conference, with 5,500 students coming to call for climate action in Washington DC. Youth leaders gathered in Copenhagen and returned to their countries, launching networks like the Indian youth climate network and the China Youth Climate Action Network and groups hosting their own Power Shift conference in Australia, the UK, and Canada.

So, what is next for this growing global movement? In December, world leaders will gather in Copenhagen with a commitment to agree a global deal on climate change. The public is expecting a deal, only the political will is currently lacking. Building on the Global Wake Up call on September 21st  and the 350.org Day of Action on October 24, millions of people will take action on December 12 to tell world leaders it is time to sign. In countries across the globe, individuals, organizations and community groups will sign a call for a fair, ambitious, and binding deal to be agreed in Copenhagen.

At the 12th hour of the 12th day of the 12th month the world will come together in the massive Time to Sign action -– the most important global signing event for the future of the world.

The timing of the action is planned to take place exactly at the midpoint of the Copenhagen climate talks. At this crucial moment, amidst the culmination of years of preparation, organizing, and negotiation around the globe, Time to Sign will send a simple, clear message to their leaders: It is time to sign a fair, ambitious and binding climate treaty.

Originally posted at WattHead.org – Energy News and Commentary

[Updated with video from press event below...]

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reversed their position on climate change policy this morning, throwing their full support behind Congressional climate legislation.

Citing overwhelming scientific consensus that climate change poses dire risks to human societies and will be unquestionably “bad for business,” the Chamber released a press statement and held a briefing at the Washington D.C. Press Club to announce the group’s new position:

“There is only one sound way to do business: that’s to support a strong climate-change bill quickly, so that this December in Copenhagen, President Obama can lead the entire business world in ensuring our long-term prosperity. … The Kerry-Boxer Bill is a good start to a strong climate bill, and the Chamber will work with Senators Kerry and Boxer to strengthen it”

Does this about face from the previously staunchly anti-climate bill Chamber sound too good to be true? It is.

Only a few minutes into the event at the Press Club, a Chamber of Commerce spokesperson showed up to confront “the Chamber of Commerce spokesperson” at the podium as a hoax. A flurry of calls to reporters later, and the Chamber had strongly reiterated the not-so-leading business group’s true position on Congressional climate policy:

“An actual Chamber spokesman, J.P. Fielder, said the group remains as staunchly opposed as ever to the climate bill,” reports a Wall Street Journal blog. Phew, good to know the Chamber remains “staunchly opposed” to any real proposals for Congressional climate legislation.

As the WSJ makes clear:

“[Chamber President Tom] Donohue has been vociferous in his opposition “cap and trade” legislation favored by the White House that would make industries pay for carbon emissions. That position has resulted in the defection of big chamber members including Exelon Corp., PNM Resources, Pacific Gas & Electric and Apple Inc. Others, including Xerox, Lockheed Martin and Caterpillar, are under pressure from environmentalists and shareholder activists to do the same.”

[Update: Here's video of the "real" Chamber of Commerce representative confronting the prankster Chamber of Commerce representative. Will the real Chamber please stand up?!]

The Chamber quickly blamed the hoax on the infamous pranksters, the Yes Men, before removing the blog post and replacing it with a simple statement that today’s announcement, “Is a prank.” According to the WSJ, the Chamber now claims the fake press release is the latest in “a campaign against the group’s climate stance” by an unnamed “youth environmental group.”

Reuters, CNBC, Fox and a National Journal blog all apparently reported the prank announcement as real news before corrections were quickly issued and the stories were pulled. Here are the Fox and CNBC reports and screenshots of the Reuters and National Journal stories before they were pulled (click to enlarge):

This is a guest-post from Jeff Mann at Consequence09.org.  This post is one of thousands of Blog Action Day ‘09 posts written today by bloggers around the world.

Consequence is the largest coalition of youth organizations ever assembled to call for congressional action on clean energy jobs and global warming. This is OUR fight. Youth have the most to lose from the impending climate catastrophe, and the most to gain from a new clean energy economy. In 2008, our decisive effort on the Obama campaign proved our political might. In 2009, our collective voice can be the deciding factor in the battle for strong clean energy reform. Standing together we cannot — and will not — be ignored.

Consequence Campaign partners are already running bold grassroots campaigns in every state in the country. In the collection of posts today, you will hear from several of these partners in their own words about why they are involved in this effort and how you can take part.

It’s our time to lead. Together we will create our clean energy future.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat, Yvo de Boer,  just issued its 18 page instruction letter to governments to help them prepare for the Copenhagen negotiations.

What was our buddy Yvo de Boer’s last message to governments before signing off on the letter?

Give youth a voice on your delegations.

Specifically, his letter says:

Finally, I would like to bring to the attention of Parties a recent resolution (47/1) which was
adopted at the United Nations Commission for Social Development [CSocD] at its session in February 2009, which urges Parties ‘to consider including youth representatives in their delegations as appropriate, bearing in mind the principles of gender balance and non-discrimination, and emphasizes that such youth representatives should be selected through a transparent process which ensures that they have a suitable mandate to represent young people in their countries.’

(emphasis is mine)

That’s due to efforts at the Comission on Social Development (CSocD) by some countries, particularly Mexico, and many years of youth activism at the United Nations, including SustainUS’s, to push for more youth representation at these important meetings.

It’s not a binding resolution, and youth representatives on government delegations are not a substitute for independent youth voices. It also raises the question of whether other constituencies should get government spots if youth do.

Still, it’s one more way for youth to gain representation (and sometimes influence) when their governments try to speak for them and for their future.  So far, only a few governments actually include a youth representative on their delegations to United Nations meeting. Spots for youth reps to the climate negotiations are particularly sparse.

Maybe Yvo’s letter will start to change that.

SHARE THIS VIDEO: Join @GreenpeaceUSA and @350 for a day of Action on October 24 http://ow.ly/tXId

http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/getinvolved/102409

All over the country and world on October 24th, people will be taking action to demonstrate our global collective desire to see a change in the politics and see urgent action to rescue the climate. We need world leaders to go to the international negotiations and achieve a treaty that is fair ambitious and binding, and we need out local leaders to help spur on our clean energy future and end fossil-fuel-based energy. Here in the US we need to send a strong message to president Obama to be our leader and fulfill the hope of the world that the US will lead the fight to save the climate.  Join us, or register your own event.

http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/getinvolved/102409

Hm, So I’m listening to National Public Radio today and I hear that our illustrious President has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As I listen, I learn (ignoramus that I am) that the committee for the prize is located in Norway as opposed to Sweden, home of the other Nobel Prizes. Interesting. As I listen to the story, surprised that a man with few global accomplishments is getting the award, I remember all the way back to yesterday when news broke that Norway upped it’s emissions reductions to 40% below 1990 by 2020 at the Bangkok session of the climate talks.

In their statement on the prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee gave their reasons, along with seeking to end nuclear proliferation, for choosing President Obama:

“Thanks to Obama’s initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting.” –Nobel Prize Committee

And they also endorsed President Obama’s statement that:

“Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.”

Indeed, now IS the time for a global response, a global response led by the United States and other industrialized nations to arrive  at a treaty in Copenhagen that is fair ambitious and binding. And just so you know, Mr. President, Copenhagen isn’t too far away from Oslo where you will be accepting your award on Dec. 10, so how about you hop over and save the negotiations after you are awarded ‘Mr. World Peace.” This isn’t global pageantry, this is survival.

As a new “Terp”, I’m impressed by the accomplishments University of Maryland has made these past few years for clean energy solutions: playing host for Power Shift 2007, helping pass the carbon neutrality sustainability initiative through the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, collecting thousands of petitions for the Power Vote campaign, and rallying for the Greenhouse Gases Reduction Act (which passed!) in the Maryland legislature.

Thinking back on all the clean energy successes Maryland students have earned, these campaign victories wouldn’t have been as impressive without coordination and resource sharing among Maryland students, enabled by the Maryland Student Climate Coalition. Maryland has been a leader in statewide action and continues to set an awesome example of savvy campus organizing… and now we have a new opportunity to model our state network and national leadership!

Indeed, now is the time for broad and bold action: national and international measures must be taken, namely through passage of strong climate legislation this fall and meaningful participation in the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen this December. Maryland students have an important role to play in compelling our leaders to act, both due to our past leadership, our proximity to the nation’s capitol, and the political landscape of our state; Senator Cardin is a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and Senator Mikulski has shown leadership on climate change and could be an important champion and motivator for her colleagues.

This October, Maryland students have the opportunity to make a splash in the national movement and invest in our local campaigns; on October 25^th, the day after 350.org’s national day of action, University of Maryland will host hundreds of students throughout the state for Maryland Power Shift! The summit will include skills trainings, campaign show-and-tell and interactive planning to build Maryland leadership and change the fate of our planet!

For those of you in the Old Line State, do three things: 1) register, 2) join the facebook event, and 3) tell your friends! For y’all from other states, consider this a call to action! Check out a regional Power Shift (and a 350!) event near you or talk to some buddies and create your own event! I look forward to seeing evidence of green hard hats and local actions around the country.