Transportation & Energy...

Just this past fall, during theinternational climate negotiations in Bali, the U.S. and others insisted that any reference to the greenhouse gas reduction ranges be stricken from the text of the new Bali Mandate (as mentioned in Greenpeace’s Project Hot Seat blog). Also this fall, even though all the green groups in D.C. lobbied tooth and nail for renewable energy standards and a higher mile per gallon mandate, Congress shot themdown and passed a relatively insignificant energy bill. But, I know we will continue to fight for this legislation because it’s the issue of our not so quiet generation.

Just because the U.S.government has its thumb up its ass on these issues doesn’t mean everyone in the U.S. has to. At Ithaca College, the IC Environmental Society (ICES) has been working on environmental campaigns since 1970. We have decreased the packaging on carry-out food, hired dishwashers in one dining hall instead of using paperdishware, campaigned for a redemption center on campus, instituted a sustainable living community, got a ride board for carpooling, and now we’re campaigning for a carpool lot on campus and could use some assistance.

This past summer, some of my sustainable friends and I came up with a proposal to have a carpool lot to reduce the number of cars for environmental and logistical reasons; there is never any parking! Eight months later and no word from Parking Services! In fact, after hearing nothing, I even asked the director of Parking Services if they needed more information or had questions,but she just wrote back:

From: Lillian Tavelli

To: Anjuli Kronheim

Subject: Re: Proposal

Hi
The Policy Com. does have your proposal. They haven't met this semester yet and they do have a lot lined up to do. So I don't know when you will hear from them.
Lillian

So, ICES is going to give them a nudge on Wednesday, February 13. We are going to have a call-in day and ask Parking Services if they could have a policy committee meeting to discuss the proposal sooner, rather than later. If any of you want to call on Wednesday the number is: (607) 274-3756. Hopefully, their phones are ringing off the hook!

I love campaigning on big or small scales, and even though the small scale wins more often, it still benefits any community to be organized around an issue because they learn how to campaign themselves! I will still campaign on a national scale because in my experience we can win because we have been anything but quiet. We 18-24 year olds are coming out voting in higher numbers in this year's presidential primary than when we first got the vote in 1971. We had the first ever youth summit on global warming, this past fall with around 6,000 students in attendance in D.C. (despite the Bali debacle). And if we already got at least the Democratic presidential candidates to change the cars they drive, anything can happen!