by ANNE BAKER
News Editor

Power Vote and the Council for Cultural Awareness will co-sponsor an event Wednesday to celebrate Power Vote’s national recognition and endorsement by former Vice President Al Gore.

The event will be held in the Summit Trail Solarium of Plemmons Student Union beginning at 7 p.m.

Power Vote, a non-partisan campaign that engages youth voters on college campuses to address energy efficiency, is made up of individuals across all 50 states.

“Al Gore has decided to endorse Power Vote and…encourage youth to go out and vote primarily, and then also advocate for clean energy,” Rio W. Tazewell, junior sustainable policy major, said.

Tazewell coordinates Appalachian State University’s Power Vote group.

Darryn D. Smith, junior social sciences and education major, is a member of CCA and Power Vote.

“CCA needed some new events to add to their repertoire of things to host,” he said. “One of our goals as CCA is to step out of our organization and work with other organizations.”

Gore will give a speech via satellite, which will be broadcasted nationwide to registered college campuses, Tazewell said.

The speech will broadcast at 8 p.m.

“[Gore] wants to see just as we do [energy independence] being a primary issue in this election,” he said.

Tazewell said during the speech, Gore will be giving a “shout out” to the school that has the most registered pledges, and Appalachian is currently number one.
According to the Power Vote Web site, the university has 2,400 pledges.

“The endorsement [by Gore] gives us the opportunity to get national recognition but also helps further the cause,” Tazewell said.

The event Wednesday will include free pizza and a dance session with DJ Slim at 9 p.m.

Tazewell said the event is designed to be a celebration for those who have worked with Power Vote, and is also a time for those who might be interested in the organization to receive more information.

Upcoming Power Vote events include a “Get Out to Vote” concert Thursday at 5 p.m. on Duck Pond Field, and the “Youth Energy Sustainability Summit” conference at the University of North Carolina at Asheville campus Nov. 1 and 2.

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