Green energy supporters on Capitol Hill Shift 2007. Photo special to The Appalachian

by ANNE BAKER
News Editor

Students from across the United States will convene at the end of this month in Washington, D.C. to make the case for renewable energy and green jobs during Power Shift ’09.

The event, held from Feb. 27 to March 2 at the Walter E. Washington D.C. Convention Center, will include seminars, workshops, a green career fair and a “day of action,” where students will gather on Capitol Hill to lobby representatives for climate and energy legislation.

“The youth of America turned out in record numbers to elect a new president and Congress in the last election. We’re here now to take our rightful seat at the political table,” Jessy Tolkan, director of Power Shift and organizer of Energy Action Coalition said. “We are at a critical point in our nation’s history. We have the chance to work with our new leadership to build a new green economy and address our climate crisis with the passage of bold climate and energy policies. We won’t allow this moment to pass us by.”

Approximately 50 Appalachian State University students, led by junior sustainable policy major Rio W. Tazewell, plan on traveling to D.C. to attend Power Shift.

Tazewell was the coordinator for Power Vote on Appalachian’s campus, which was part of a national campaign that helped engage youth voters during November’s elections.

According to the Power Shift Web site, over 340,000 participants in the movement pledged to vote and demand leaders focus on green jobs, cut global warming pollution immediately and invest in a clean energy economy.

Tazewell said the Power Shift event is a culmination of campaigns like Power Vote, which were designed to bring diverse people together into the push for clean energy and climate legislation. 

“The idea of this Power Shift is that we have a new administration in office,” he said. “It’s time to pressure Congress and also hold all those new people in office accountable to the things that they said they would do and then also push them further.”

Power Shift’s agenda includes three days of workshops on topics such as corporate accountability, education, environmental justice and international impacts, and featured speakers include Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Representatives Donna Edwards and Ed Markey. There will also be performances by musical groups The Roots and Santigold.

Tazewell said one of the highlights of the conference is the hands-on lobbying experience students can have, which is open to those who receive specific lobby training during the workshop period.

“On the final day [of the conference] we will go to Capitol Hill and congregate there and have a demonstration,” he said. “Then we will proceed to go to lobby meetings and lobby our respective elected representatives both in the House of Representatives and in the Senate.”

Tazewell said the lobbying is centered around legislation loosely focused on the investment in renewable energy, climate change and curbing greenhouse gasses.

Students interested in the Power Shift conference can visit powershift09.org for more information.

Tazewell hopes to see at least 75 students from Appalachian attend.

Participants can register online up until the day of the event, and regular registration rates for students are $60 until tomorrow, when the rates increase to $75.

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