Hundreds in Michigan Demand Action on Climate Change

Last Sunday in Lansing, about 500 people marched down Lansing Avenue and ended a weekend-long summit with a rally at the capitol. The event was part of Power Shift 09, an ongoing, nationwide campaign for young voters pressing for clean energy and strong climate change policy.

Brandon Knight, the energy and climate campaigner for Global Exchange, one of the groups behind Power Shift 09, says the event in Lansing had two goals. “One was to push leaders and the federal government and President Obama on the issues, to show some urgency and pass a strong, bold climate policy,” he says. “The other was to actively build a green economy – so we had lots of service projects that were very targeted at greening throughout Lansing. We built a garden in a vacant lot; started a bike co-op to fix, maintain and rent bikes; had an energy demonstration center by Urban Options; and built composting bins. We did trail maintenance and worked in low income housing to retrofit three homes.”

A new group partnering on the event was GreenNation, which launched a community recycling program.

Inside the conference center in Lansing, there was a fair trade and local food market. “Between that and the community service projects, we engaged about 50 non-profits and businesses that we don’t usually reach, from neighborhood organizations to local restaurants,” Knight said. The organizers also tried to bring in different aspects of youth culture with a basketball tournament, an eco-fashion show and a concert with local hip hop groups.

The next Power Shift 09 events take place October 16-18:

Missouri Power Shift at St. Louis University, in St. Louis, MO.

Carolinas Power Shift at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, NC.

- Suzanne Bopp