Alexander, who first attended the conference in 2009 while in high school, began organizing a trip for Dartmouth students several months ago.
"It's empowering youth who value environmentalism and green jobs, people who are about to go into the work force and want to work in a green economy," she said.
While in Washington, Dartmouth students attended discussion meetings with members of parallel organizations from nearby institutions such as the University of New Hampshire, according to Danielle Nathanson '13, who attended the conference.
Students from throughout the state formed a new coalition New Hampshire Students for the Environment that will pool resources and focus on activism surrounding energy policies that affect the region, Nathanson said.
Last month, the N.H. House of Representatives voted to end the state's participation in the Cap and Trade Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The new coalition hopes to lobby state senators to vote against withdrawal from the cap and trade program, according to Alexander.
"We met with our senators' aides and they basically said, We want to hear from you,'" she said. "We need to keep people engaged and educate campus about the issues but we also have to stay on top of our senators."
Students also attended several workshops on specific topics, including agriculture and clean energy, Nathanson said.
Former U.S. Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore delivered the keynote address in the Washington, D.C., Convention Center on April 15, according to a Power Shift press release. Earlier that day, 12 Power Shift participants met with President Barack Obama in the White House to urge him to protect the Clean Air Act.
Environmental activists must join together to take a stand after a year of failed climate legislation, Courtney Hight, executive director of the Energy Action Coalition, said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
"The movement needed a boost it became critical to bring people together and re-tool the movement," she said.
Dartmouth students who attended Power Shift varied in their areas of interest and expertise, Alexander said.
"Figuring out resources was a little difficult because we weren't organized under one group or club and had no designated funding," she said. "However, this year we were able to engage many different areas of campus and secure nine sources of funding."
One of the greatest benefits of attending the conference was that it encouraged participants to consider issues that affect the entire U.S. population, Alexander said.
"We sometimes become very focused on efforts on our own campus but we need to place our activism within a larger context," she said. "It's not just about Green Dartmouth.'"
Hight emphasized that the Millennial generation's political power has not yet been tapped.
"We want young activists to have the opportunity to connect more and know why they are doing this," she said. "We want to give people the tools to take the power back."
Environmental activists must use the "Camp Obama model" engaging social networks and inspiring young people in order to build political power, Hight said.
"Raising awareness for 2012 starts right now," she said.
Nathanson said she was impressed by the degree of knowledge and passion among participants.
"It is one thing to learn about environmental issues in class and another thing entirely to seeing people coming together at marches and rallies," she said.
The first Power Shift conference took place in 2007, according to its website.