From Brenna in Free the Planet:
My experience at Powershift was inspiring and encouraging because it showed me how many people share the same dedication and passion to protecting the health of our nation’s environment as well as the health of its people.
At first I was unenthusiastic about the movement building and grass roots training sessions, but then I realized that the main purpose of Powershift was not just to discuss different environmental issues and impacts, but to encourage young environmentalists to organize and take immediate action in their communities. This changed my perspective and made me realize that the time for change is now and pushed me to develop a more optimistic outlook on the power of solidarity.
After listening to speakers Lisa Jackson, Bill McKibben and Tim DeChristopher on Saturday night, I realized that everything I had been doing at Powershift was leading up to Monday where the leaders of our country would hear my voice along with all the other concerned voices of the future generation. I changed my plans to stay for the opportunity I knew was too valuable to pass up.
One of my favorite moments of the weekend was not actually at Powershift but in Alexandria, Virginia on Sunday night where I saw Bill McKibben and Tim DeChristopher speak for a second time at an event sponsored by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network called “Artists for the Climate”. After listening to music and poems about climate action about 200 of us participated in a peaceful candlelight protest at the 61 year-old GenOn coal-fired power plant. GenOn sits on the Potomac River and is one of the biggest polluters in the Washington DC region, responsible for an outrageous 37 deaths a year 1. I had never participated in such a creative and peaceful demonstration. It was here that I saw the quote, “Art Changes People and People Change the World”, that has inspired me to integrate my love for creating art with my love for the environment in a way to convey and spread a powerful message.
The rally and protest on Monday took place in a completely different, exhilarating, and much more energetic atmosphere than the protest the night before. Thousands of us chanted and marched on a journey from Lafayette Square outside the White House to the Chamber of Commerce, BP Lobby Headquarters and to the GenOn headquarters to demand that the industrial leaders pay for the true cost of fossil fuels and toxic pollution.
Overall, I think my time in DC was well worth it and I believe the leaders of our country heard the message of the youth loud and clear: We want a Power Shift.
1 Editor’s note: this is GenOn’s share of total deaths based on its pollution output, via the Clean Energy Task Force
2 Responses to “PowerShift Recap”
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[...] of street theater at the Chamber of Commerce. The march went on to the BP offices, the offices of Genon, and ended in front of the White House. At that juncture, the activists chose one of two forms of [...]
Great post, Brenna. I was one of the speakers at the candlelight vigil and the organizer for the GenOn rally on Monday. I was absolutely blown away by the energy that the students brought to each event. Thank you for being a part of it.