We have much more to do and your continued support is needed now more than ever.
Power Shift 07 Continues to Spread
It was amazing to have the
opportunity to experience the energy of 6,000 students converging at the
University of Maryland at Power
Shift 07 to demand action on global warming–but even better has been to
see the ripples that are spreading.
For those that couldn’t
experience it firsthand, the NWF Campus Ecology staff wants to share some of
the great stories and images that are emerging. When you need a shot in the arm, just click on one of these links for
some inspiration:
Immediate Impact:
Power Shift made some folks
awfully nervous–the right wing attack machine was brought out in full force:
· Rush
Limbaugh attacked NWF’s own Charlie Lockwood, a student leader from the Alaska
Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA). She gave an incredibly powerful and
courageous testimony before the House Select Committee on Energy and Climate
Action on his radio show.
· And poor Pat Buchanan never
knew what hit him when the Energy Action Coalition’s Co-Director Jesse Tolkan
came out swinging on Hardball
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep.
Ed Markey, Chair of the House Select Committee on Energy and Climate Action
addressed students and responded positively to chants of, "We want
more!" (as in stronger climate action). In a follow up letter to Power
Shift, Speaker Pelosi pledged, "Combating climate change and working
toward energy independence are flagship issues for my Speakership and top
priorities of this Congress."
News Highlights: (For a full media round up, check out the Power
Shift newsroom.)
· Discovery and MTV – aired video clips highlighting the energy of the
lobby day, which many say was the largest yet on climate change–more than
2,000 students visited Members of Congress.
· NPR – An article dismantling Thomas Freidman’s concern that
this is "The Quiet Generation."
· Time magazine online – An article quoting Jesse Tolkan:
"For the Millennials, climate change is emerging as the defining issue of
their time, just as civil rights or Vietnam might have been for the generation
before. ‘This is a new generation that sees itself at the forefront of a great
movement, just like the greatest movements of the past,’ says Tolkan."
· Grist – "They’ve Got the Power"
· It’s Getting Hot in Here
– a youth climate blog has loads of dispatches.
· Wildlife Promise – NWF’s invited people to send messages to
students attending Power Shift, and got great comments from people
"passing the torch" from one generation to another.
Pictures and Video
Hundreds of pictures have
already been uploaded to FlickR
with the "Powershift07" tag. Also, the "I Shot Power
Shift" project put video cameras in the hands of more than 100
students and the footage is just starting to come in. They include:
· The "Green Jobs Not
Jails" rally cry was one of the most powerful of the weekend. This "Green for All" video captures some of the
incredible diversity of Power Shift and you can’t help but get excited about
the future by watching Van
Jones who lit up crowd each time he spoke.
· And former NWF Campus Ecology
Fellow Summer Rayne Oakes put together the coolest video called "We
Are One" featuring the Faces of Power Shift.
Thanks to everyone who
contributed to the success of Power Shift 07!