Countdown to Power Shift 09

In one week, 10,000 youth environmental activists will converge on Washington, DC to demand urgent action on climate, energy, and the economy. They will demand that the President and Congress pass bold climate and energy policies that dramatically reduce carbon emissions, create millions of green jobs, transition towards a clean energy future, and reengage the US as an environmental leader in the global community. Among the thousands will be an Alaskan delegation, comprised of eight students from across the state who are looking to gain inspiration, experience, and skills to share with their movements back home.

The Power Shift ’09 summit will bring together young leaders from across the US and Canada, and will include workshops, speakers and musicians. It will close with a Lobby Day Monday, March 2, where the young people will meet with elected officials at the Capitol and put forward their ideas on climate action.

“Alaska is truly on the front line of climate change. It is critical that our new administration and our members of Congress understand that climate change is happening now, and it’s happening here,” says Faye Gallant of Fairbanks, the Tribal Campus Climate Challenge organizer for Alaska and a Power Shift attendee. “This reality needs to be reflected in our energy policy.”

The Alaska delegation is made up of students from Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA), including students from Alaska Pacific University and University of Alaska Anchorage. There will also be students from Alaska who are now at school in the lower 48 and abroad, and representatives from National Wildlife Foundation and the Fairbanks office of Tribal Campus Climate Challenge.

“Alaska Youth for Environmental Action planted the seed of inspiration to affect the world around me in a positive way, and I hope to hold onto this inspiration by attending Power Shift 2009,” says Madelin Siedler of Wasilla, a former member of AYEA who is now a freshman at Bard College in New York. “I hope it will give me a renewed sense of empowerment and dedication to bettering my world, not only for those around me, but for those to come.”

Look for upcoming posts from the delegation about their experiences at Power Shift!


For more info, visit www.powershift09.org