Students planning Environmental Summit

Power Shift NY - Regional Summit

April 16-18, 2010

WHO: Students in Buffalo, Fredonia, Geneseo, Daemen, Alfred, Cornell, and elsewhere in Western and Central NY

WHAT: Workshops, Panel Discussions, and a Direct Action

WHY: Environmental Action, Sustainability, Equity, Future Jobs

WHERE: University at Buffalo, North Campus

SEEKING: Speakers, Panelists, Event Sponsors

Power Shift New York is a not-for-profit, volunteer driven network dedicated to uniting a diverse movement of youth and student leaders to work collectively on advocating and promoting a sustainable and equitable future in New York. Student groups from every school will be encouraged to share how they have been environmentally active on their own campus and throughout their communities. With an expected attendance of 200-300 people, we hope students will leave the conference with connections to work with in the future, with new ideas, and with a motivation to continue making environmental progress beyond the conference.

We are seeking to obtain speakers and panelists to create discussion about various issues surrounding environmental sustainability, ranging from political action to sustainable business practices to how to green our own campuses. This also includes representatives from green businesses, not-for-profits, and organizations.

We are also looking for event sponsors to aid in covering the costs of this conference. This summit is being organized by student volunteers from around the region who want to make a difference in creating a sustainable future.

For additional information about the Power Shift NY Regional Summit, click here.

A Website, powershiftny.org, is under construction -- stay tuned!

Please contact Danielle Peters, dpeters3@buffalo.edu, for further information or to get involved.

Van Jones: Obama's Green Jobs Adviser

March 10, 2009 -- U.S.NEWS.com
Author, activist and think tank fellow Van Jones will be joining the Obama administration next week as a special adviser on green jobs, reported the White House Council on Environmental Quality today. Jones will work with agencies and departments to advance the administration's climate and energy initiatives, with a special focus on improving vulnerable communities, according to a White House statement. Jones is the founder of "Green For All," an environmental group dedicated to bringing green jobs to the disadvantaged, and the author of "The Green Collar Economy." The full story is here.

Here is the announcement from Van Jones. Below is a video of Van Jones addressing PowerShift 2009 on March 1st:

UB Students take Green Agenda to DC

A group of University at Buffalo students traveled to Washington, DC last weekend to learn more about clean energy and green jobs, and to lobby area members of Congress for their causes. Student members of the UB Environmental Network joined 12,000 other students from every State in the nation and from other countries attending the PowerShift 2009 conference held at the DC Convention Center.

Keynote speakers, including the new director of the EPA, talked about the environment, renewable energy, green jobs and political activism. Some members of Congressional committees on energy and environment also spoke. At the end of each night, there was music and entertainment. Names of some speakers and entertainers are here.

Below is a video that gives a brief overview of PowerShift 2009:

Buffalo native, Jason Kowalski, Policy Fellow with 1Sky in DC, led a training session of 1400 students at PowerShift on lobbying Congress about legislation on climate change, clean energy and green jobs. See video, below:

Video courtesy of Brighter Planet

A photo of some of the UB students taken during a lobbying session in the office of Congress member Louise Slaughter is shown below.

[click photo to enlarge]

UB students in the photo include Steven Fleck, Michael Mason, Libby Dahl, Kristina Blank, Jordan Gerow, Tyler Manley, Danielle Peters, Esther Dsouza, and Jason Mazurowski, who provided the photo. The students also lobbied at the office of Rep. Chris Lee. Buffalo is proud of these fine young citizens and members of the UB Environmental Network !

The PowerShift Rally at the Capitol West Lawn on Lobby Day is shown in the photo below.

[photo by Carolyn Barnwell]

More information on PowerShift Lobby Day is here, including the list of over 350 Congressional meetings coordinated by the Energy Action Coalition.

UPDATES on PowerShift 2009

• TIME Magazine article: Environmentalism, Millennial-Style
• Keynote address at Power Shift by Billy Parish [video]
• What the Press Didn't Tell You, by Jesse Jenkins
• Shifting Demographics of the Climate Movement, Ben Jervey
• Global Warming 101 for Congress?, by Rachel Barge
• Rolling Stone: Jessy Tolkan, Agent of Change