Power Vote

We're down to it.



10 weeks and over 302,492 young people later (with box loads of pledges still coming in), we're down to the point where we either make our voice heard and demand a clean energy future or we don't.



I went back and forth for a while about what we should try to say "strategically" in this email, but at the end of the day - or the very beginning of the day in this case - I realized I didn't need to say anything.



You know what's at stake: Our credibility as a voting block, and much more importantly, our future.



http://www.powervote.org/platform



In North Carolina, teams of us are picking up students on college campuses and taking them to the polls in the Bio Tour bus. In Portland, Oregon, Lewis and Clark College is getting praised by the media for their work Getting Out the (Power) Vote. In Michigan, even Jesus is getting in on the Power Voting act.

We're not in any way partisan or religiously oriented here at Power Vote. We want to work with anyone who wants a clean, just energy future in this country. That said, no matter who you are or what you believe, it's undeniable that a person called "Jesus" has had a big impact worldwide, and people often ask themselves what he would do.



Encouraging news on that front. While it's possible we're mistaken, Jesus may have just signed the Power Vote pledge in Michigan.



;-)

From Wall St. to the Clinton Global Initiative to the UN Summit, we have watched this week as unprecedented economic and political events unfold in the United States and around the world. Thankfully, in the midst of these very uncertain times, something beautiful is happening tomorrow. Action. And we don't mean another bailout proposal.

Beacause we know the economic, energy, and climate crises we face are all connected, tens of thousands of people will be organizing events in all 50 states to tell our leaders that we're ready to take on these crises by building a green economy strong enough to put people back to work, lift people out of poverty, and begin to secure our climate.

www.greenjobsnow.com

At today’s Clinton Global Initiative, Al Gore said for the first time in public that we are at a point in our world’s history, and in need of such immediate action, that if you are a young person it’s time for civil disobedience.

In particular to bring coal plants to a halt.

As the internet director for Power Vote and the Energy Action Coalition, I get to see most of the cool things you all do online before anyone else. It's a hell of a privilege. Especially when you do great stuff like Richar and Samaj!

Just in case y'all didn't notice, today we relaunched the Energy Action YouTube page with a new look and feel. Hope y'all like it - and keep sending us your videos so we can post them (and maintain bragging rights on getting to see it all first ;-)

World-renowned scientist James Hansen of NASA joined youth leaders from across the United States earlier this week on a tele-press conference hosted by the Energy Action Coalition to formally launch Power Vote to the media.

Communications director extraordinaire Brianna Cayo Cotter was on top of her game, hosting journalists from the likes of 60 Minutes and The Guardian.

Written by our very own Aric Miller of Michigan.

"Our newly formed Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC" chapter at Wayne State University in Detroit began in full force this semester. Our top priority this fall is running Power Vote on campus. This week we had our first tabling event at the new student "I Start" day in which Freshmen and other new students come out to meet new friends and join various student organizations. Our table was one of the most popular. We got over 250 Power Vote pledges signed, while over 50 of them signed up to be volunteers!

(Sent today from Al Gore and our friends at the We Campaign)

We need you to call your members of Congress NOW to demand new, clean energy. Will you make a call?

Call your member of Congress today!

This week Congress will consider energy legislation. Of course, the oil industry is pushing its "drill, drill" slogan with all its might - and some are hoping to use this for political advantage.

Grist caught up with a number of extraordinary environmental leaders at the Democratic National Convention last week in Denver. CO. Among them were our very own Jessy Tolkan and Brianna Cayo Cotter. Check out the vids!

Videos posted on Grist.org on August 29th.

Flanked by Majora Carter, Jessy Tolkan, Billy Parish, and Kal Penn, Erica Williams of Campus Progress kicked off today's College Democrats of America's panel on climate change at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO. A more accomplished panel speaking on behalf of the youth clean energy movement would be near impossible to put together. (photo right: Kal Penn signing the Power Vote pledge)