A Personal Account of PowerShift '09
Last month I joined four other HSU students in traveling to Washington D.C. to attend Power Shift ’09. The event brought together 12,000 young leaders from across the nation to engage with their legislatures and push them to take action against climate change.
During the days leading up to the conference I prepared myself to learn not only about current issues in climate and energy policy but about the issues affecting my peers all over the country. I felt determined to approach both as a good listener and with an open mind.
Once we arrived at the Convention Center, I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people, as well as the lengthy list of workshops, panels and well-respected keynote speakers. I was also thrilled to note the presence of several HSU alumni and another student, Matthew Duran, who took the initiative to get to Power Shift on his own steam.
What I did not anticipate was to be moved to tears, to feel chills travel up my spine, as Majora Carter, Van Jones, Lisa Jackson and others spoke to my generation and inspired us to continue the fight.
Part of the excitement came from knowing that we had a new administration to work with, one that the youth of this country actively helped to elect through campaigns such as Power Vote. Majora Carter told us that we are now in the “Obama Era,” explaining that Obama is not just the name of our president, but an acronym. She said, OBAMA means Officially Behaving As Magnificent Americans.
Jessy Tolkan, executive director of the Energy Action Coalition, the force behind PowerShift, reminded us that the most important part of the event would be Monday’s lobby day.
And indeed, this was a day when we students were empowered to take concrete action. On Monday, March 2, thousands of young people made more than 350 lobby visits.
On the same day 2,500 other young people converged on the Capitol Power Plant in Southeast Washington D.C. to demand action on global warming.
I struggled with my decision of which congressperson to lobby. Should it be a California legislator – the state where I am registered to vote and where I have lived for the past five years – or should I lobby a lawmaker from my home state of Idaho?
As people began dividing themselves by state, I realized that California was well represented and remembered that Idaho needs all the help it can get. I ran across the Convention Center to Idaho’s delegation. I found myself reunited with Idahoans, where I was one of six student lobbyists instead of one of six hundred.
Our delegation narrowed to four, and we all felt a bit nervous visiting the offices of three Idaho congress members. I was thankful for the opportunity to tell each of them my mother’s story – a woman who poured nearly 20 years of work into an Idaho-based corporation only to be laid off when times got tough.
I sat in their elegant offices and told them that we could put Idahoans back to work by investing in renewable energy and creating green jobs. I told them my mother deserved to be able to work where she lives and not in Minnesota or San Jose. Together we asked our congress members to support and pass bold climate and energy policy that prioritizes renewable energy, green jobs, and an aggressive cap on carbon emissions.
For most of my life I have been interested in environmental and social justice issues. The climate change movement is a place where I feel these two issues meet as one. It is an area where my energy doesn’t have to be divided, the way my time is between Idaho and California.
Attending PowerShift ‘09 was invaluable in helping me clarify my priorities, and I am now excited to return to Idaho and visit the offices of my State Representative and Senator. It’s time for me to do my part to help put people to work in a clean, green economy.
Jocelyn Orr is an HSU student and ECONEWS intern
Visit wwwpowershift09.org to learn more about the climate and energy movement and to view the keynote speakers at PowerShift 09.