Young People Demand Michigan Power Shift in a Lansing Summit

The Lansing Center opened its doors to hundreds of students and young people from across the state this weekend for the Michigan Power Shift Summit, which ended on Sunday. It’s one of 11 regional conferences taking place around the nation, from Eugene, OR, to Orlando, FL, throughout October and November to compel President Obama and Congress to heed the voices of young people and enact a climate and energy plan by December that rebuilds the economy, ends dependence on dirty energy and brings America lasting security.

The Michigan summit was locally organized by student leaders and their organizations, such as the Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition. The keynote speeches included one by Jerome Ringo, president of the Apollo Alliance, and Jessy Tolkan, executive director of Energy Action Coalition.  There also were two concerts, including one of Saturday that was  headlined by recording artists Flobots and 2AM Club.

On Saturday morning, organized community service projects workshops dominated the schedule; the summit culminated with a march down Michigan Avenue to the State Capitol  and a green jobs rally on the east lawn of the Capitol.

This summit was part of the nationwide Power Shift '09 campaign, organized by young voters to encourage national leaders to take action on climate change and clean energy by organizing rallies, protests and meetings with elected officials.

-- Suzanne Bopp