Through Subway, Bus and Train
Auburn University Students returned on Tuesday afternoon from the Power Shift conference held at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md. The 19 students met with representatives of Alabama’s Congress members in Washington D.C. to discuss initiatives for the state’s environmental and energy policies.
The students were sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts, Dean of Students and Natural Resources Management and Development Institute. They left on a chartered bus to Atlanta at 5 p.m. November 2 and arrived on an Amtrak train the following morning at 10:30 a.m. in Washington D.C.
The conference was held at the University of Maryland. Over 5,000 students attended the summit, and there were over 100 educational workshops. The Auburn group split up to maximize the number of workshops they could attend. Workshop topics ranged from environmental racism to eco-feminisim to green media coverage.
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, gave a speech at the conference on Saturday, November 3. She encouraged the attendees of the conference and seemed to support the objectives of the 1sky campaign. The objectives are to cut carbon emissions at least 30 percent by 2020 (and 80 percent by 2050); ban new coal-fired power plants; and create 5 million green jobs by 2015.
Attendees that agreed to participate in Lobby Day on Monday, November 5 were taught lobbying techniques. Lobby day talking points, suggestions on existing legislation and effective grassroots lobbying tips were provided in a packet to each student interested in meeting with state representatives.
Though Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions were back in Alabama, the Auburn group meet with their representatives to discuss Alabama’s future for alternative energy, such as switchgrass. They also met with several representatives of the House of Representatives with the same agenda.
During the meetings, the group tied in Auburn University’s initiatives for a more sustainable future. The President of Auburn University is in the process of signing a bill brought by the Auburn Sustainability Initiative to make the campus carbon neutral. The bill will be signed as soon as a few conditions are met.
The attendees of the conference included interns from the Auburn Sustainability Initiative, Environmental Awareness Organization and several students from the College of Liberal Arts.
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