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There is a plethora of information about global warming available on the Internet, television, and other popular media sources. These forms of communication primarily target two main audiences: educated adults and elementary school children. There is a gap in the amount of climate change information available to junior high and high school-aged students. While it is important to target younger children while they are still forming their values and worldviews, environmental education is ineffective if it is not continuous throughout other levels of schooling. Youth are more likely to understand and relate to global warming issues if they are addressed at the junior high and high school levels, in addition to elementary school.

The population we are working with, in Poudre School District in Colorado, is diverse in many ways. The district includes students from Fort Collins, Laporte, Timnath, Wellington, Red Feather, Livermore, Stove Prairie, and Windsor, covering 1856 square miles in total. Students from these various cities and towns represent an array of social, economic, geographic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds. According to the PSD profile, 1.9 percent of students consider themselves African American, 3.2 percent Asian or Pacific Islander, 15 percent Hispanic or Latino, 1.1 percent Native American or Alaskan, and 78.8 percent Caucasian. Twenty-four percent of elementary school students in the district participate in free or reduced-price lunch programs. English is the primary language spoken in all PSD junior high schools, but some schools have English as a Second Language or English Language Acquisition programs. Special Education programs serve 9.6 percent of PSD students in some capacity.

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Creating strong leaders and a strong environment.

More to come here later.

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Since 2003, the SustainUS Agents of Change program has brought delegations of U.S. based youth to conferences and summits related to international sustainability, primarily at the United Nations. The young people in our delegations work with government delegates, fellow civil society members, and other youth from around the world to promote youth-friendly and future-focused policies.

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Massachusetts Power Shift is a world-changing event.

Thousands of citizens from across Massachusetts are coming to Boston to demand action from their elected representatives. Citizens will engage in a weekend full of activities, including workshops on climate organizing, a presentation on how to bring Green Jobs to your communities, community break-out strategy sessions, interest-group break-out strategy sessions and Soul Purpose Live: an afternoon rally complete with music, activism, and leadership. The weekend will culminate on Monday with a lobbying push at the State House to pass the Global Warming Solutions Act which will have Massachusetts reduce its Greenhouse Gas emissions 80% by 2050 and set Massachusetts as a national and global model. We will leave with a comprehensive plan to promote Green Jobs at the municipal level throughout Massachusetts.

The time for action is now. Billions of people around the world, and billions more yet to be born will face untold suffering as a result of our inaction. One engaged American citizen has more power than millions of people beyond our borders. It is not only our right to speak out; it is a responsibility inherent in our privilege as citizens of the most powerful nation in the world.

Our voices matter. Our votes matter. Our politicians work for us. Rise up, speak out, and let your voices be heard! Come to Boston on April 11-14th and help lead our world to a more sustainable future.

www.masspowershift.org

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The Global Youth Climate Movement is a youth lead initiative to further synchronize international activities related to global warming. Of specific importance is increasing the role of young peoples in the United Nations climate negotiations.

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The purpose of the Cool Coventry Club is to educate the public about climate change and encourage energy conservation at individual, commercial and governmental levels. Since 2006, I've brought presentations and an information table to 25 events across New England. Presentation topics have included global warming, hybrid and biofuel cars, business energy use, the effects of climate change on wildlife and how student groups can create energy campaigns. I’ve distributed energy conservation information to more than 800 people, collected hundreds of petition signatures for my town to become a “SmartPower” community and to request recycling bins for our town park and shopping area, and given away and sold hundreds of compact fluorescent light bulbs. I've worked with several businesses to reduce their carbon footprints through development of energy action plans, and am collaborating with local and state officials to propose legislation that would make Connecticut a leader in the fight against global warming. I also run the CCC website and national energy reduction pledge campaign, and have collected hundreds of energy conservation pledges from 17 states across the country.

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The Boston Latin School Youth CAN (Youth Climate Action Network) was founded on January 23rd, 2007 as an extra-curricular global warming club at BLS. It was formed in response to increasing awareness about the problem of global warming. At our first meeting, over 90 students showed up, and formed seven specific committees to take action. Less than a year later, our membership has swelled to over 300 students, and 16 separate committees!

Our accomplishments last year were equally remarkable. For example, our Energy Committee organized an NSTAR Save A Light drive that sold over 65 cases of compact fluorescent light bulbs. They raised over $5,000.00, and the funds were used to help pay for a Global Warming Youth Summit. BLS Youth CAN did all of the planning for this Youth Summit in partnership with the Technology and Culture Forum at MIT. For more information about the particulars of the summit, take a look at the schedule at http://www.blsyouthcan.org/First_Youth_Summit.html
You may also view a special edition summit newsletter, at http://www.blsyouthcan.org/Newsletter/Newsletter.html
or summit photos and video footage at http://www.blsyouthcan.org/Photos_%26_Video.html

This year, Youth CAN has taken on even more ambitious goals. In addition to planning for a second annual global warming youth summit at MIT in late March or early April; Youth CAN is also competing in the Keyspan Foundation’s Environmental Sustainability Competition during the month of October; participating in Focus the Nation on January 31st, a nation-wide effort to generate global warming awareness; Coordinating with Apple and Mayor Menino to recycle computers at UMass Boston on Earth Day; and attempting to earn solar panels for BLS by participating in New England Wind’s Solar Challenge; not to mention trying to figure out how we’re going to raise sufficient funds for this year’s summit (last year’s summit cost us more than $10,000).

Although the date of the summit is yet to be announced (MIT assures us it will take place on a Saturday some time in late March or early April - watch the BLS Youth CAN website for further details www.blsyouthcan.org), the Youth Summit Planning committee is already well underway in organizing the 2nd Annual Summit. This year the youth summit will include programming specifically aimed at growing the network of Youth CAN member groups. We are also planning breakout sessions for educators as well as students. BLS Youth CAN meets with our partner at the MIT Technology and Culture Forum, Patricia Weinmann at BLS on November 14th. We strongly urge students from Boston Latin School to attend this event, and last year, many of the attendees were from our school, although we did have representation from 46 other schools. We see the Youth Summit as an awesome day to educate ourselves, our school, and greater Boston’s students in general.

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SustainUS, the only organization of its kind in the country, has increased youth stakeholder involvement at the United Nations for the past six years and now plans to send a delegation of 22 people age 18-26 to the UN Climate Negotiations (COP) this December. As an accredited non-governmental organization with observer status at the negotiations, SustainUS will attend COP to show the world that a growing number of Americans recognize the threat of global climate change and support strong, effective policies.

SustainUS is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization run entirely by volunteers 26 years of age or younger. Founded in 2001 to prepare U.S. youth for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the organization has since expanded to include local chapters in six cities, as well as two national programs engaging young scientists and future policymakers. Through these efforts, SustainUS has developed strong working relationships with the U.S. State Department, national and international organizations, and youth leaders from around the world.

The delegates, selected through a highly competitive process, have written policy submissions and are working to develop briefings on the topics to be covered in Bali. The delegation will also collaborate with international youth in several specific efforts: a day of intensive training and orientation in Bali for global youth, a post-conference wrap-up session, an event corresponding with the International Day of Climate Action, a side event during the negotiations featuring presentations on specific climate-related policy topics, ongoing engagement of major media, live-blogging at the widely-read itsgettinghotinhere.org, and follow-up outreach and education efforts in delegates’ home communities.

Although SustainUS has typically relied on individual donors for the majority of its funding, the high cost of sending a delegation to Bali necessitates that we ask for additional support. The estimated cost for a 22-member delegation is $55,580, one-fifth of which is expected to be supported by delegates and other individual donors. Delegates have already solicited 234 small donations, amounting to $5,029. Several universities have also agreed to sponsor delegates. Organizational funding to support delegates’ travel costs will ensure a geographically and socio-economically diverse delegation that accurately represents the wide variety of young people involved in climate advocacy in the U.S.