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PowerShift09 - Sheila
Make sure to check out the attached PDFs at the bottom of the page!Sunday Morning...
![[Untitled]](http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/T_iVoyEwfoQWsxCiMYuLzg247481/GW1166H638 "[Untitled]")
The convention so far has been a wonderful blur. 12,000 passionate, intelligent young people. Signs of protest. Petitions. Guitars. Dreadlocks. Cameras. Food. Chinatown. Warm rain. Cold snow. Music. Amazing speakers. Green shirts. POWERSHIFT!
Friday already seems like a lifetime ago. Walking into the convention center, I was blown away by the sheer number of people I was all of a sudden surrounded by. People in suits. People in muddy shoes with sleeping bags. People of every race. People from every single state. People all coming together for a common cause. Yay!
The "Awakening the Dreamer" symposium was pretty interesting. However, I really didn't like how "pain" and "depression" played key roles in the presentation and unity of the group. Focusing and coming together on THOSE issues really isn't the way to go....at least in my opinion. All that aside, it was a new experience. New faces and names. New thoughts and insights.
The keynote speakers both nights have been really, really inspirational. A few of my favorites have been Van Jones, Majora Carter, Adam Gardener....and...well, most all of them! It's hard to single only a few out. They are real, down to earth, intelligent people that believe in new and innovative ways of thinking and acting.
The concerts have been so much fun as well. There's nothing like good, live music...especially when you're with thousands of like-minded people who are just as excited as you are :)
The two workshops I really wanted to go to yesterday morning were absolutely packed; they reached capacity early. So..I ended up in "Photo/ Video Tactics 101"
...and "Achieving Environmental Justice Through Economic Justice" (Instead of "Gardening for Climate Justice", and "False Solutions: Agrofuels") I wasn't all that impressed with them...and definitely learned my lesson to go EARLY, very early, to workshops. Photo/Video Tactics 101 was really unorganized. We spent most of the time going around the group introducing ourselves...instead of learning new and interesting things about photography. The things that she did tell us were suuuuuper common sense. (See notes above)
In the afternoon, Camille and I went to an awesome one (early!) called "How to run a Bike Share". Very cool ideas. We want to work with MUM to get our yellow bikes more widely used, fix up old bikes and have workshops to teach people how to do so on their own.......and basically just get everyone really excited about the whole thing! Also, the town of Fairfield is the PERFECT place for something like this to take off- especially with the proposed bike lane to be put in on highway 34 (Burlington Ave). Bike shares are not only a good way to reduce our carbon footprint, but an excellent way to exercise as well! I signed up to be put in a group to recieve more information and network with other students to share success stories as well as ideas. I should be getting an email about that...
More soon :)
...and "Achieving Environmental Justice Through Economic Justice" (Instead of "Gardening for Climate Justice", and "False Solutions: Agrofuels") I wasn't all that impressed with them...and definitely learned my lesson to go EARLY, very early, to workshops. Photo/Video Tactics 101 was really unorganized. We spent most of the time going around the group introducing ourselves...instead of learning new and interesting things about photography. The things that she did tell us were suuuuuper common sense. (See notes above)
In the afternoon, Camille and I went to an awesome one (early!) called "How to run a Bike Share". Very cool ideas. We want to work with MUM to get our yellow bikes more widely used, fix up old bikes and have workshops to teach people how to do so on their own.......and basically just get everyone really excited about the whole thing! Also, the town of Fairfield is the PERFECT place for something like this to take off- especially with the proposed bike lane to be put in on highway 34 (Burlington Ave). Bike shares are not only a good way to reduce our carbon footprint, but an excellent way to exercise as well! I signed up to be put in a group to recieve more information and network with other students to share success stories as well as ideas. I should be getting an email about that...
More soon :)
Sunday was a nice change of pace; workshops and panels began at 10 (instead of 9), we had a longer lunch break, and spent the entire afternoon training for Lobby Day. "Green Building: Energy Efficiency" was easily my favorite panel of the entire weekend. This is what I want to do with my life. This trip really solidified and expanded upon my passion for sustainable design and architecture....who would have guessed? Even hearing things that I already knew excited me in a way that I had never experienced before.
The emphasis was mainly upon retrofitting and renovating existing buildings (I was hoping it would be more about new building...but oh well).
Major contributions to the energy efficiency (or lack there of) of buildings are:
- INSULATION! start in the attic and basement. There are many different types of insulation materials to choose from: denim, wool, cellulose, newspaper, and spray foam are just a few to consider. An important factor to pay attention to in insulation materials is something called the "R-value". The R-value is a measure of thermal resistance; the higher the R-value, the better the insulation. For example, spray foam insulation is R7 per inch....extremely effective.
- lighting: light sensors are an extremely simple addition to any existing system that will immediately make a noticable difference.
- heating and cooling:..goes hand in hand with insulation. The biggest way to keep heat in and out of a house is windows. Renovating with windows alone will save a small fortune in heating and cooling each year. Insulate your hot water heaters and pipes. Put on a sweater instead of turning up your thermostat. Common sense, people!
My last panel of the weekend was "Solar Energy on Campus: How your College Can Lead the Way". I actually ended up there because my first choice had filled up 10 minutes in advance....but I'm really glad that things turned out as they did.
Most of what was presented in this panel can be found on the internet. I'll post the links on delicious....everyone shoud check them out - there's a lot of really amazing opportunities and initiatives (Solar College Initiave, in particular!) for solar energy to be implemented on campuses across the country. Good stuff, good stuff.
I was skeptical about Lobby Day Training...but it turned out to be surprisingly awesome. Being completely separated from our group encouraged me to branch out and start meeting some new people. After an inspirational pep-talk/ question & answer session, we broke off into small groups to practice presenting our platform to "senators", played by Lobby Day trainers. I guess I should go over what the "platform" is. Well, first...here's why PowerShift09 was so significant (quoted from a handout at training)
2009 Is Our Big Chance- In the past few years we've seen huge breakthroughs in the public's desire for action on climate change. Americans now understand both the scientific urgency of cutting carbon emissions, and the link between clean energy and economic recovery. Basically, we've never had a better chance to win on climate, it's a good thing too because we're running out of time!
- Thanks in part to historically high youth voter turnout, we have a new president who is committed to passing climate legislation, and new climate champions in both houses of Congress.
- Deadlines are fast approaching. President Obama has until the Copenhagen climate talks in December 2009 to prove to the world that the U.S. is ready to tackle global warming. He needs proof that our new Congress will support strong action: a strong climate bill supported by both the House and the Senate.
- In December 2009, the world will convene in Copenhagen with the hope of creating a new international climate policy. This gives us a very short window to pass a domestic policy and demonstrate to the international community that the U.S. is serious about addressing global warming.
Our generation calls on the United States Congress to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation in 2009 that adheres to the following principles:
1. Cut Carbon Dramatically and Immediately
- Reduce global warming pollution by the targets science tells us are necessary: 25%-40% below 1990 levels by 2020; and 85%-95% below 1990 levels by 2050.
- Set an aggressive cap on carbon immediately. If a cap-and-auction mechanism is chosen, 100% of pollution allowances must be auctioned. Any revenue generated from this cap must be used to address the climate crisis in a just and equitable way; none of this money should go to polluting industries.
- Conserve and restore the world's forests, ecosystems, and carbon sinks, which are the best natural defense in a warming world.
We thank you for the investments made in the recent stimulus package. While this was a great start, there is much more to be done:
- Create 5 million new jobs through investments in clean energy.
- Develop a "Clean Energy Corps" to create service, training, and job opportunities in the clean energy economy.
- Train a generation of workers and volunteers to build our clean energy future and help communities adapt to the already changing climate.
- We see a future powered by clean, renewable energy like wind, solar, and geothermal; 100% of ur electricity should come from these sources, and we should invest in sustainable transit and energy efficiency.
- End our dependence on dirty energy by enacting a moratorium on financing and development of new coal and nuclear plants, and oil shale and tar sands infrastructure.
- Immediately begin phasing out dirty and dangerous energy sources and methods of extraction, while also ensuring a just transition for affected workers and communities.
- Work with other nations to reach a strong new global climate treaty in Copenhagen that puts us on track to reduce carbon below 350 parts per million.
- Assist vulnerable communities and developing countries in the transition to low-carbon economies and with adaptation to the changing climate.
It puts the member of Congress or Senate on the spot with a simple yes or no question.
Meeting with Eldon Boes, Senior Professional Staff of Senator Tom Harkin
![[Untitled]](http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/mm0F41jdxdTQKjJau-8Y_g208001/GW600H446 "[Untitled]")
Success!
![[Untitled]](http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/E0OspsnCytfGRIzeaWmEnQ243394/GW223H295 "[Untitled]")
The rally on Capitol Hill itself was something else. Conveniently (NOT) it had snowed all night, and continued to snow into Monday morning. It was windy. I was wearing tights and rainboots. A suit jacket and a paper-thin trench coat. Baaaaad idea. It was easily the coldest I have ever felt. All that aside, it was a crazyfabulous experince. A sea of green hardhats stormed Capitol Hill, armed with stickers and signs. 
Loudspeakers and African drums. Different people took turns standing at the head of the crowd on a small platform. Some were passionate to the point that they seemed about to explode with every word that came from their mouths. Some were calm and eloquent. Two men that had flown all the way from Hawaii stand out in my mind. They were stable and intelligent...and ended their speech with a native song. With that, the crowd reached it's quietest moment of the morning.
sheilahiggins |
Latest page update: made by sheilahiggins
, Mar 12 2009, 8:16 PM EDT
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Background Information 3.pdf (Adobe Portable Document Format - 296k)
posted by sheilahiggins Mar 12 2009, 8:04 PM EDT
Background information provided by PowerShift
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Background Information 2.pdf (Adobe Portable Document Format - 314k)
posted by sheilahiggins Mar 12 2009, 8:02 PM EDT
Background information provided by PowerShift
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Background Information 1.pdf (Adobe Portable Document Format - 971k)
posted by sheilahiggins Mar 12 2009, 8:01 PM EDT
Background information provided by PowerShift
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GreenPeace.pdf (Adobe Portable Document Format - 846k)
posted by sheilahiggins Mar 12 2009, 8:00 PM EDT
GreenPeace Flier
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