Michigan

A few weeks ago, 430 Michigan residents and students piled into buses, trains and car pools on your way to DC.

You brought the call for clean and just energy in Michigan to our Nation’s capital, and had crucial lobby visits with Michigan Congressional members, incredible media hits across the state and the country, participated in a own congressional briefing, and even a direct thank you from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, we know we were heard like never before.

Now it’s time to make sure we bring the Power Shift home!

Convening in Washington, DC was an important first step in making sure we were on the radar of the new Administration and Congress, but organizing in our communities and continuing to build our movement is going to be what brings home a bold climate bill this year.

These next two weeks are a critical time for us to regroup and plot our path forward, so we’ve put together a set of easy steps to continue the discussion with your representatives and build pressure for bold climate and clean energy legislation.

http://www.powershift09.org/organizers/materials

The March 2nd Lobby Day was crucial to get things started, but now we need to show our reps that we are serious, that we’re not going away, and we’re only growing more powerful.

If you are interested in becoming a local organizer in your district in Michigan, please sign up here

Once you sign up, a Michigan Power Shift organizer will contact you right away. But don’t wait for us, get started in your local group today and start a plan to engage Congress in your district.

http://www.powershift09.org/organizers/materials

- Students plan trip to energy conference - The State News, article featuring MSU students attending Power Shift.

- Students lobby green ideals in D.C. – Central Michigan University Life, featuring Chelsea Hummon on the Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition

- Students visit D.C. for energy conference - The North Wind (NMU student paper), featuring Callie Youngman a NMU student

- Power Shift ’09: 12,000+ Students Attend Largest Youth Summit on Climate Change in US History - Democracy Now, featuring Nikki Motson of Clean Water Action Lansing.

- GV students to join ‘green’ march in Washington - GVSU Lanthorn, featuring Danielle Ostafinski of the MSSC GVSU chapter

-  http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=264786 - Channel 7 and 4 Traverse City, Northwestern Michigan College students Colin Campbell and Julia Hemphill were featured on the 11 o’clock NBC news last week in Traverse City.

- Michigan Students Converge on Washington for Energy Policy – WKZO News

- Local Students Heading to D.C. – WWMT Channel 3 Kalamazoo – Featuring Kalamazoo College Students

- Gov. Granholm: Utilities Should Make Money by Selling Less Power, New Coal is Unnecessary - www.itsgettinghotinhere.org

- Power Shift Cimate Protest Gathers Momentum in Washington – www.commondreams.org

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Hey, reporting back from the biggest event on climate and energy change ever.

Power Shift in general has been amazing but my biggest highlight so far was the Michigan breakout. The breakout consisted of a meeting with all 430 Michigan Power Shift attendees. The breakout gave us an insight into the size and diversity of the youth climate movement in Michigan.

Michigan Students just after the Breakout

Over 23 schools and various non-profit organizations presented the work being done in their respective communities regarding all things Power Shift.

Some of the projects included campus sustainability initiatives, state and federal policy initiatives, renewable energy and energy efficiency projects and that’s just the start of what’s going on in Michigan today.

The breakout was a culminating moment after a month of successful initiatives and campaigns including:

• Regeneration: The 2009 M.S.S.C. Summit
• Two campaign victories in Marquette:
  - Northern Michigan University coal plant has been put on ice by the EPA
  - Cennicot pulled out of it’s proposal to build a (destructive) sulfide mine in the Yellow Dog Plains
• Our Clean Energy Love press conference and campaign in support of Gov. Granholm’s strong backing for renewable energy and an end to coal in her recent State of the State of Address

We’re now here at Power Shift and the energy is electrifying (solar and wind powered electricity of course)

Starting on Thursday and Friday seven buses came from various campuses across Michigan bringing a total of 430 students out of 10,000 present.

Here’s a glimpse of what a Power Shift looks like:

On Friday, the conferences kicked off with some our movements most visionary leaders including Van Jones and Majora Carter. The evening was focused on solutions to the climate crisis and creating a green collar economy.

Keep checking for more conference updates!