“The Quiet Generation” No More

NWF Campus Field Director Lisa Madry just emailed around a great recap of Power Shift 2007 that I had to share…

It was amazing to have the opportunity to experience the energy of 6,000 students converging at the University of Maryland at Power Shift 2007 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 Jessy 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

  • 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 2007!