Midwest

There's something unique about the Midwest. Of course, every geographic region of the country has its own style, its own vibe, its own culture to be proud of. But as a born and raised Midwesterner, it's always seemed to me that the Midwest is basically begging to become the hub of a new, sustainable future for America. State environmental coalitions across the Midwest have been growing, and the Midwest Power Shift of October 2011 proved that Midwesterners are committed to working together on environmental issues.

Out of a vast array of already existing networks and organizations arises the Midwest Youth Coalition, which, "by pooling time and resources, ...will reduce redundancy, provide models and outlines for new campaigns just coming online and offer a regional set of cohesive communication messages" (MYC Mission Statement). Most importantly, the Midwest Youth Coalition seeks to solidify and grow existing networks and relationships both in and among the Midwestern states.

This weekend, over 400 youth leaders from across the Midwest converged in Cleveland, Ohio to do some political organizing. Ohio is a critical swing state in the 2012 election, but these activists weren't coming to knock on doors for Mitt Romney or phone-bank for Barack Obama.

Instead, their mission was two-fold: continue to work together building the clean energy economy in the heartland, and two, stand up against the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, a major setback and threat for the Midwest.

During spring break my freshman year of college something happened that changed my life forever. While backpacking in the serenity of the Great Smoky Mountains I heard the news from a fellow hiker: our government had just invaded the sovereign nation of Iraq. I knew immediately that things would never be the same for me. Powerful corrupt forces were defining my future in dangerous ways. I knew when I returned to campus at the University of Kansas that it was time to take a stand. I started organizing.

I organized peace rallies, teach-ins, debates, and movie screenings. In short doing everything I could think of to spread the “awareness” on campus about what was happening. But it soon became apparent that basic awareness wasn’t going to end the Iraq war and so I started asking the deeper question of why were there in the first place. I kept coming back to one answer: oil. The more I learned about the dangerous national security implications of our oil addiction the more I began to understand the disastrous oil consumption and fueling climate change. Since that fateful day almost nine years ago I have dedicated myself to breaking our addiction to oil and building a movement for a 100% clean energy future.

Midwest Power Shift is happening October 21st-23rd, in Cleveland Ohio- my hometown and favorite city ever. Check out this video if you're not convinced that the Midwest is taking over, that our movement is getting abundantly real, and that our generation in these 'fly over states' isn't messing around anymore when it comes to stopping dirty energy, getting corporate money out of our democracy, and building a green economy where it matters most. Then, register for the most epic Midwest Power Shift EVER at http://midwest.wearepowershift.org - early registration ends October 2nd, so get on it while it's still $20!