Power Shift 2009
At the end of February 2009, approximately 20 students from NDSU and UND set out cross country in vans, through the snow and the rain, for our nation’s capital. After months of planning and fundraising, the students were headed to Power Shift ’09, a youth summit dedicated to promoting legislation on climate change and energy issues. The summit was held February 27th through March 2nd, 2009. More than 12,000 students from every US state, every Canadian province, and a dozen countries attended the conference held at the Washington Convention Center.
Power Shift ’09 consisted of career and graduate school fairs, educational workshops, thought-provoking panel discussions, consciousness raising films, nightly keynote political speakers, and performances by environmentally and socially conscious musicians. The conference concluded with a lobby day and rally held at the capital. The goals of Power Shift ’09 were to push the new administration to pass bold and compressive environmental legislation, to develop a comprehensive strategy for continued political pressure, to prepare a new generation of leaders, and to unite diverse youth constituencies under a common and sustainable social movement.
Power Shift ’09 is a project of the Energy Action Coalition. The coalition addresses climate change and political action at the local, state, national, and international levels. You can find additional information about Power Shift ’09, the Energy Action Coalition, and ongoing environmental efforts at: http://www.powershift09.org/
