We’re big fans of GOOD Magazine here at 350.org–they’ve been spreading the 350 message for months, and consistently do it more stylishly than just about anyone else.
Now, staff writer for GOOD magazine (and 350.org ally) Ben Jervey has repped 350 once again, this time in a dispatch about the amazing Power Shift ’09 Conference that many of the 350 team just attended.
To quote Ben:
“350.org is reaching out around the world, specifically seeking out student and youth groups to organize around the largest ever “Global Day of Climate Action” on October 24th. “
Right he is. We’re also working on some collaborations with GOOD that could turn out to be pretty amazing–stay tuned in the coming months. For now, kick back and enjoy Ben’s article before a whirlwind of activity and updates on 350.org:
The Kids Are Alright – The Shifting Demographics of the Climate Movement
It wasn’t all that long ago that I—crisp Environmental Studies degree in my back pocket, working my way through the climate and sustainability scene—lived with the low-grade anxiety of always being the youngest person in the room. At conferences and meetings, during interviews and actions, I tended to be aware of my age. The least experienced member on the panel; the “greenest” (and not in the environmental sense) pen on the press list. Today, closing fast on 30, it feels as though I might be getting too old to be relevant in the field.
Two weekends ago, over 12,000 people descended on Washington D.C. to be a part of PowerShift 09, the largest gathering of climate change activists this country has ever seen. With a few exceptions, the only folks there older than I were parents chaperoning ultra-engaged teenagers.
This is all to say that there’s been something of a foundation-shaking shift (the D.C. event’s name is clever on a few levels) in the climate movement in the past five years or so. But this crucial point has largely been lost on the media, the general public, and, in fact, on the old green guard. It hasn’t been lost on the politicians, though. After the youth bloc came out in record numbers this past election, representing over 20 percent of the entire electorate, the vast majority of whom rank climate change and energy issues at the top of their voting priorities, Washington has started to pay attention…
Read the Full Article over at GOOD.is