Green energy supporters gather on Capitol Hill in Washington as part of Power Shift 2007. Special to The Appalachian

by TYLER HOLBROOK
Intern News Reporter

Members of the Appalachian State University Renewable Energy Initiative and senior sustainable development major Rio W. Tazewell are helping to coordinate a regional Power Shift summit at UNC-Chapel Hill Oct. 17 and 18.

“A lot of schools haven’t done as much as we have with sustainability and greening of their campus, and I’m going to be helping to spread the word about that,” Tazewell said. “We’ve done a lot here, with things like the renewable energy initiative and the wind turbine.”

Power Shift is a “campaign fueled by young people across the country to demand bold action on climate and energy in 2009,” according to powershift09.org.

“We had 5,000 people from all 50 states and a few countries come to D.C. that first year,” Russ Anderson, the Carolina coordinator for the Southern Energy Network said. “This year, we’re trying to localize and regionalize with conferences all across the United States.”

Besides the national goals of the Power Shift movement, each conference has local and regional goals and themes. The Chapel Hill conference will focus on Duke Energy’s plans to build a new coal-fired power plant in Rutherford County, raising electricity rates by 12.6 percent to fund the plant.

Opponents of Cliffside Power Plant cite Duke Energy growth studies, and according to stopcliffside.org, “the amount of power the company sells will actually fall slightly over the next six years. This alone nullifies the need for Cliffside.”

“We are definitely focusing on Cliffside as a regional goal, promoting individuals to lobby the state government in protest of the plant,” Tazewell said.

The Power Shift movement is a project of the Energy Action Coalition, a coalition of 50 non-profit organizations working together to address climate change and promote clean energy at the local, state, national and international level.

“Nationwide, we’re trying to create a culminating force to stop global warming and create a green energy driven economy to reduce pollution,” Stephanie Powers, field director of the Southern Energy Network said.

Students wishing to attend or volunteer for next week’s conference can find more information at carolinas.powershift09.org.

“We’re really focusing on just informing people, helping them understand how they can be active and make a difference just by making the case to their elected officials,” Tazewell said. “With enough personal initiative, there are plenty of opportunities for activism and involvement.”

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