Fueling Freedom with the Power of Youth
Posted August 3, 2012 in Moving Beyond Oil
Does EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson wear a cape? (No, not literally--but she makes a pretty good superhero.) Are French poodles concerned about America's dependence on oil? (Yes, at least one of them is--his name is Frank.) Can the millennial generation save the planet? (We sure hope so.)
According to my millennial colleagues at NRDC--many of whom blog frequently and eloquently on Switchboard--young Americans of this generation are hungry for change and empowerment. That's why NRDC and so many environmental groups are finding ways to get millenials involved in changing policy and creating awareness, whether it's by creating videos that go viral, encouraging young people to contribute public comments on a historic proposed rule to limit carbon pollution, or starting a website featuring EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson as a superhero.
Our friends at the Fuel Freedom Foundation in Irvine, California, are working to engage local college students on the issue of oil addiction with a video contest. Oil dependence is an issue that resonates with car-dependent Californians, and particularly with the millions of California college students who commute to school, and are now facing the fastest-rising tuition in the nation, coupled with high gas prices.
Film students at Chapman University are creating short videos on oil addiction and better fuels, competing for a $5,000 first prize, as well as a chance to enter a national contest for a chance to win $15,000. The Fuel Freedom videos show just how creative and passionate this generation can be--from a guerilla-style film of a young woman rapping in front of a drilling rig, to a slick montage of international oil, to a clever depiction of how much oil Americans consume in a single day (it's 1,000 gallons, in case you were wondering). There's also--of course--that French poodle.
Today's technology--the ability to create and distribute images and engage on issues at the click of a button--gives young people an unprecedented opportunity to speak out, share their views and influence change. For all of us in the environmental movement, encouraging this generation to find its voice, and make it heard, is a critical part of our work.
Just as many of my colleagues in the environmental movement came of age in a time when rivers caught fire, the millennial generation is growing up in world where the impacts of global warming are increasingly apparent, when extended heat waves, torrential storms, and crippling droughts are rapidly becoming the norm.
The generation that knows what global warming looks like forms nearly a quarter of the American voting public. That is a big, big, voting bloc, and one that stands to be a powerful voice for the environment--as long as we make the effort to ensure that they are aware of and engaged in environmental causes. And we owe them this effort. After all, they are the ones who will bear the brunt of the impact of the decisions we make today.
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Comments
Tom Caracciolo — Aug 3 2012 07:07 PM
Science-based solutions to Climate Change cannot be effectively implemented because we currently have government of the people by the lobbyists for the rich and powerful corporations like U.S. Big Oil. Those who have the gold make the rules. And those people refuse to allow any science-based solutions that jeopardize their sources of income. To change this unfair situation we first need to reinstate government of the people by the people and for the people. The vast majority of US citizens very much desire science-based solutions to Climate Change. We can implement science-based solutions when organizations like NRDC get as many signatures as possible on the following petition:
To be delivered to: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate:
We hereby petition The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate to Amend the United States Constitution to prohibit all corporations from making contributions of any kind to members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate and limit individual contributions to $100.00.
This action is needed for the following reasons:
For too long we in America have been living under a Government that is run by government of the people by the lobbyists for the rich and powerful corporations. Too many of our Senate and House of Representatives are owned and controlled by Corporations and their big money. When our US Supreme Court announced that "Corporations are people" and "Money is speech", that was a strong indication that the Corporations and their big money also owned and controlled too many of our Supreme Court Justices.
The only way to cleanse our political system from the currently ongoing enormous corrupting influence is to get money out of politics. We need to free ourselves of Crony Capitalism whereby a rich and powerful few are running our government and reinstate Democratic Capitalism; that is, TRUE free market capitalism which is absolutely compatible with a true democracy. TRUE free market capitalism includes corporations and investors that assume all risks and are solely responsible for all losses as well as enjoying all profits after applicable taxes. Then once again we will have government of the people by the people and for the people. This amendment to the Constitution is necessary because of the Freedom of Speech provisions contained in the Constitution. Click here to sign the petition: http://signon.org/sign/take-money-out-of-politics. (It may be necessary to copy the link and paste it into your browser.)
Jean Barker — Aug 10 2012 05:12 PM
It's 1000 gallons a year in daily life, not 1000 gallons a day. See link - you may want to change the info in this article. And thanks for the compliment and for punting the campaign!
BS — Aug 10 2012 05:41 PM
"That's why NRDC and so many environmental groups are finding ways to get millenials involved in changing policy and creating awareness, whether it's by creating videos that go viral, encouraging young people to contribute public comments on a historic proposed rule to limit carbon pollution, or starting a website featuring EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson as a superhero."
Why don't you encourage them to do something useful like becoming scientists and engineers???
And oil consumption is about 900 gallons per year, not 1000. Definitely not 1,000 gallons per day.