Nearly 12,000 young people attended Power Shift '09, which featured a series of seminars, workshops and speakers. The event was intended to pressure legislators to pass new climate change laws, Kelly McGlinchey '12, who attended the event, said. The Power Shift platform calls for legislation to reduce carbon emissions, make the United States a global leader in climate policy, invest in a green economy and support clean energy, she said.
"The stated goal is to get youth activists from around the nation to come to Washington to show [the federal government] that we're really serious about climate change legislation and we want this to be a priority in the new administration," Katy Briggs '10, who attended the event, said.
Monday's rally, which occurred on the West Lawn of the Capitol, was the highlight of the conference, students said. Power Shift attendees donned green hard hats to symbolize the need for green jobs that would be generated by increased investment in alternative energy technology, Dartmouth organizer Kaili Lambe '09 said.
"[The rally] was a really powerful experience for a lot of people to see that the future looks bleak in terms of climate change and the environment, but there are so many people that care about it and are willing to go to extreme lengths to enact change," Briggs said.
Energy ran high throughout the weekend, despite the weather in Washington, students said.
"I observed that youth can be active, that youth can care about the world and make a difference regardless of obstacles and frustration," Zachary Mason '10, who filmed the event for a documentary, said.
Dartmouth students also met with representatives from congressional offices on Monday to lobby for climate change legislation, including cap-and-trade bills to lower carbon emissions, Lambe said.
Staffers from the offices of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Rep. Paul Hodes, D-N.H., were receptive to students' requests, though a staffer from the office of Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., was less supportive, Tim Bolger '10, who attended Power Shift, said.
"[Gregg] is kind of on the fence on this issue," he said. "We're skeptical that he will vote for a very ambitious climate bill, so our presence was very important there."
Later on Monday, several Dartmouth students met with Hodes in person during a privately arranged meeting, Lambe said.
Marissa Knodel '09, energy campaign intern for the Dartmouth Sustainability Initiative, said Hodes' support of environmental legislation was encouraging, noting in particular that Hodes helped create a green caucus of representatives and senators focused on issues of energy efficiency. Hodes also said that he would support placing a cap on carbon emissions, Knodel said.
Dartmouth students met with students from other colleges during workshops and state breakout sessions to discuss campus environmental and energy initiatives. Dartmouth has a strong sense of environmental responsibility in comparison to other schools, but there is still room for improvement, Briggs said.
"Right now is an exciting time in the sustainability world because we have an upcoming energy campaign and new initiatives [at Dartmouth]," she said. "I think that if we can take some of the momentum we've been building the last couple of terms, then we can make changes and be a leader in the college world."
Dartmouth students said they planned to bring the knowledge and experiences they gained from the conference back to campus to further environmental action.
"It would be nice to get the environmental groups on campus to come together more often and serve as a stronger unified force," Jessica Rush '10, who attended the event, said.
Bolger, who led a meeting with students from New Hampshire during Power Shift, said he planned to work with environmental groups from other schools to meet with state legislators in the hopes of continuing to advocate climate change policy.
