Students from across the nation gathered in Washington, D.C., for Power Shift 2009. This youth summit conference began Friday, February 27, and continued through Thursday, March 2.
The purpose of Power Shift was to challenge the president and Congress to pass climate and energy change policies in the coming year in order to tackle the growing issues our nation faces, including the reduction of auto emissions, the creation of additional jobs, and the development of new green energy.
The event included a series of guest speakers, panels, workshops, and concerts. The conference culminated with a large rally on Capitol Hill on Thursday, March 2.
The rally drew more than 5,000 of the 12,000 attendees of the Power Shift conference to take time off from school, work, and their daily lives. Power Shift was slated to bring 10,000 young people to the nation’s capital during the first 100 days of the new administration being in office.
Exactly 17 RPI students from both the Student Sustainability Task Force and Ecologic traveled to the nation’s capital. Tom Holland ’12 had the opportunity to talk with other students from around the greater Albany region. “Meeting other people from my congressional district and other people from the greater New York area really gave me inspiration to keep fighting for a cleaner, greener future,” said Holland. “Sometimes just knowing that there could be someone 15 minutes away from where you live that believes the same thing you do and has the same fight and drive as you is a really reassuring comfort.”
The conference provided attendees with the opportunity to learn about the major problems the nation is currently experiencing and how these issues can be resolved. The topics ranged from discussions of the “No Coal Movement” to how individuals can improve their local communities.
The increase in participants in the Power Shift movement demonstrates the growing concern for our planet. Tara Clancy ’09 explained, “I feel like our generation is finally doing something about climate change and it makes me feel optimistic and empowered as an individual and as a part of this generation. I have faith that real changes can occur and that something can be done to improve our impact on the planet.”
