Continuing the Power Shift

Greetings from Fairbanks! I hope every one who attended Power Shift had a safe trip home and has been able to get some rest. We're all dying to know how those lobby meetings went- please fill us in!

Now the real work begins! Like Bailey wrote, one meeting in DC is not enough to accomplish our vision of a clean and just energy future. We need to follow up, follow up, follow up. Here are some next steps for the coming weeks:

1) MEDIA. Get in touch with your school papers, local papers, radio stations, etc. If they haven't run a story yet, make sure they do! Also try letters to the editors if you can't get the article you want published. You can find resources at www.climatechallenge.org or on the Power Shift website: www.powershift09.org.

2) MEETINGS. Let's get face-to-face meetings with our congresspeople while they're on recess. They need to know that appeasement is not enough- we need action! This is an issue that is concrete and real here in Alaska, and it needs to be dealt with HERE. Is anyone willing to take the lead in scheduling some meetings? http://www.senate.gov http://www.house.gov

3) NETWORKING. Recruit your friends, add them to the google email list, invite them to the blog, get in contact with people on the list who share your interests- or who you met with in the task force groups- and plan a campaign. If you need any help coordinating or networking, please let me know!

4) TRAINING. There are some great upcoming opportunities to hone your skills as organizers and activists. I'll keep posting them and forwarding them as they come to my attention, and I encourage you to do the same. Sierra Student Coalition is running trainings all across the country this summer on Youth Grassroots Organizing Training. It looks like an amazing training, and these skills can really make the difference in taking your groups from a bunch of people who want to see change to a movement of activists who are making change. The website is http://www.ssc.org/sprog/

5) OUTREACH. Post your photos on facebook and flickr, tag them, and let your friends and networks know what's going on!

Finally, I think it might be helpful to have a teleconference in the next week or so to all touch base. Let's plan an agenda before hand so that it goes smoothly.

Thank you for all your work!

Peace,

Faye