Conference Updates

Ohio students are ready for action after the Ohio Student Environmental Coalition winter training retreat. Over 30 student leaders from nine different colleges converged at Kenyon College for a weekend full of trainings for organizers, leadership development, and state networking.  Many colleges including Ohio State University, Ohio University, the University of Cincinnati, Oberlin College, Wooster, and Kenyon are ready to tackle big polluters with effective organizing tools learned over the weekend.

The world is a crazy place. There is so much going wrong in our society it feels like we are helpless to fix these problems. This is a feeling I sometimes find myself dweling in, but thats when the words of Edward Abby comfort me the most. Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul according to Abby and in my opinion I think he is spot on. Simply sitting idly by while oil and gas companies frack underneath our backyards and  doing nothing while TransCanada builds a pipeline of sludgy bitumen oil over our American aquifers sounds terrible. Screw sitting around and doing nothing, that sucks! Sure I may not change the world but I sure as hell won't change it sitting on my couch bitching about Obama to my friends. 

Taking action is the mantra of our generation. We have the numbers and we have the voice. We need to unite so our voice can be heard all the way in Washington D.C.  We need to say screw apathy, lets get to work and fix this mess!!

 The question is.....where do we start?

What began with a guest lecture by environmental activist Bill McKibben a few weeks ago turned into one of the most monumental events for nearly 250 Eckerd College students on the weekend of Nov. 4th-6th.

The Southeast has historically been a launching pad for significant, world-changing social movements. This weekend at the 7th Southeast Student Renewable Energy Conference (SSREC), the power and energy of the more than 400 youth organizers in attendance made it easy to feel that we too are making history. Hosted by the Southern Energy Network, youth from across the Southeast gathered for an incredible weekend full of essential organizing trainings, motivating workshops, and inspirational speakers. Youth in the Southeast are organized, trained, and energized! After this year’s SSREC, they’re turning up the heat to head home and ramp up their campaigns to achieve a 100% clean energy economy.