Living Green

Students call for more action on environmental issues

WASHINGTON - Kelsea Norris, a high school senior from Roswell, Ga., sported a bright green hard hat in front of the Capitol on Monday to urge Congress to support legislation to fight global warming and other "green-friendly" measures.

"We wanted to show Congress that the youth cares about the environment," said Norris, a board member of Keep Roswell Beautiful. "Laws that they pass in Congress now will affect me significantly when I get older. I hope they feel inspired when they see 5,500 young people demanding for a change in policy."

Led by high school and college environmental activists, Norris was one of thousands of student protestors who organized on the Capitol's West Lawn, demanding more green-friendly jobs in addition to measures to cut America's carbon dioxide emissions. Several students at the rally had covered their faces in black paint to protest the use of coal for energy.

The rally, organized by the Energy Action Coalition, was credited as the biggest student-led protest against global warming. Culminating a two-day youth conference focused on the environment, students trickled onto the Capitol lawn hoping to make their voices heard.

"It is important that Congress understands we are not an apathetic generation," said Beth Bird, a senior political science major from Georgia Southern University. "If the youth does not care about the planet now, all the other things in life will be insignificant when we get older."

Bird, 22, traveled by bus to Washington, D.C., with 15 other students from Georgia Southern and Valdosta State to attend the protest. Bird began environmental activism after taking several biology courses in her freshman year and currently heads several renewable energy initiatives on campus. She also helps colleges and high schools around Georgia start their own campaigns.

Asked about lawmakers who might not take student activists seriously, she said, "They won't be able to take us as a joke for very long because they probably won't be around for very long. An election is coming up very soon and the young people are voting."

According to Young Voters Strategies, 50 million people between the ages of 18 and 31 will represent a quarter of the electorate in the 2008 election. By 2015, young voters will constitute one-third of the electorate.

In recent polls, these voters have labeled the environment the fourth most important issue in determining their choice for president.

Democratic Reps. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland were among those who addressed the students on the sunny day, as many students covered their heads with their posters. Besides flooding the Capitol lawn, some students also met with their state representatives to discuss energy action plans for 2008.

"We're going into their offices assertive and firm," said 20-year-old Richard Mervitt. "We are showing them that we're not just playing around. We're young, but we mean business."

Mervitt, a junior political science major at historically black Morehouse College, was one of nine students who met with Rep. John Lewis to discuss energy efficiency in the minority community. One program, introduced by 25-year-old Tony Anderson, is a 1 million light bulb exchange program that would donate thousands of energy friendly light bulbs to minority communities throughout Atlanta. Members of the program would not only give out the light bulbs, but would replace the old ones themselves.

"We want people to start talking about energy efficiency," said Anderson, a senior at Morehouse College. "We want people to look at their electric bill and to notice how much money they have saved with energy friendly bulbs."

Other students met with Rep. Tom Price, D-Ga., calling for a halt on coal energy sourcing. They also introduced a plan that would generate 5 million green jobs in the next 10 years.

"These students are energetic, enthusiastic and knowledgeable in what they are demanding for," Price said. "A lot of this work is dependent on the youth's involvement. As they get more involved, people will begin to take notice."

Price is one of several lawmakers who have introduced energy conservation bills within the last year, including a measure he introduced in February that would help fund research into alternative sources of fuel.