Highlight of the Week

Youth Vote Sets The Stage For Clean Energy

On Election Day, millennials (youth, ages 18-29) became the most powerful voting bloc in the country. Clean energy, climate protection and green jobs were among their voting criteria according to Power Vote organizers, a non-partisan Get Out The Vote campaign.

An estimated 22 million millennials turned out to the polls-3.2 million more than in 2004, according to preliminary findings of the Tufts University Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE).  This significant increase in youth engagement in the political process is the second highest youth voter turnout since 1972, when the eligible voting age was decreased from 21 to 18.

The Power Vote campaign, organized on more than 300 campuses, generated close to about 350,000 pledges from youth organizers who committed to vote, and to hold whomever was ultimately elected accountable for shifting to clean energy and creating millions of new green jobs. 

The number of pledges collected equals almost 11 percent of the total increase in the youth voter turnout leading to the very real possibility that much of the youth enthusiasm for clean energy translated to an increase in youth votes.

In the 2008 election, millennials voted in record numbers because they feel the nation needs a bold new vision for America and the political leadership to make it happen.

This record turnout is a wake-up call to politicians that the youth of America has spoken and they want action on clean energy and a cleaner environment. They made a difference with their votes; they now want to see a difference in how we as a nation seek solutions to a problem that will influence the world they will inherit.

Contact: Kevin Coyle, Vice President, Education, Phone 703-438-6416 or coylek@nwf.org.

New Report: Guide to Climate Action Planning-Pathways to a Low-Carbon Campus

National Wildlife Federation has just published a new report for U.S. college campuses. The report, entitled Guide to Climate Action Planning-Pathways to a Low Carbon Campus, offers a comprehensive review of the strategies and steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on campus, with best practices from leading U.S. colleges and universities.

Guide to Climate Action Planning supports the work National Wildlife Federation's campus team is doing on campuses to bring down greenhouse gas emissions once the organization has convinced them to undertake a greenhouse gas inventory. 

This guide addresses a simple question: How can colleges and universities significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions quickly and cost effectively? 

Reducing emissions without a climate action plan is like constructing a building without a blueprint-the outcome is unlikely to meet the original goals in a timely manner. Cutting an institution's climate footprint efficiently requires careful planning, but the time and energy invested in this process are well worth the return. 

The planning process engages a wide range of staff, faculty, administrators, and students to analyze and prioritize an array of low-carbon strategies. Once in place, the climate action plan provides the design and timeline for achieving one's carbon reduction goals. Colleges can use this new guide to see how others have developed cutting edge climate action plans.

The guide can be obtained by visiting the Campus Ecology Web site.

What's Out And What's In After The 2008 Election Season

In the spirit of change that is coming to the land, National Wildlife Federation offers a post-election take on our changing political landscape.

The What's Out and What's In list provides a new perspective on what is going out and coming in after the sea-change 2008 elections.   Also, the Getting 'Out' is 'In' list will be distributed online to social networks like Facebook and MySpace where viewers can rate the items on the list.

The top picks will be revealed at http://www.nwf.org/. A PDF of the Getting 'Out' is 'In' list can be obtained by clicking here.

Quote:

"If we truly want to leave our children a world that is cleaner and brighter we must address climate change."

-Kathy Dahlkemper, the newly elected Congresswoman Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district, prioritizes the environment and climate action for the new session.

Economic Message of the Week
Post-Election Poll: 78% Of Voters See Clean Energy As Pathway To Revitalize America's Economy

A new poll from Zogby International of voters in the 2008 elections shows more than three-quarters of Americans see clean energy as a key to America's economic health. The poll shows 78 percent of voters agree that investing in clean energy is important to revitalizing America's economy.

The Zogby poll also showed 57 percent of voters said it was important in how they voted to back candidates who support reducing global warming pollution. This statistic is an increase from the 2006 elections, when Zogby first identified that global warming had emerged as an important electoral issue.

In 2006, 49 percent of voters identified the issue as important. In addition, 60 percent agreed that elected officials should make combating global warming a "high priority." The 2008 results also showed increasing interest among key demographic groups in candidates who support action on climate change.

"These results show the call for clean energy and climate action ran deep in this election and reached far beyond political or cultural boundaries. It is not surprising that so many environmental opponents in Washington lost their jobs when the votes were tallied," said Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation.

"The call for clean energy solutions to re-power our economy and cut the pollution that is fueling global warming is coming from swing voters and people of diverse ethnic backgrounds and young voters. Looking at age groups, the call for action on global warming is loudest from our newest generation of voters-the generation that will inherit a planet in peril if we don't act now.

"This election was powered by a voting public that wants dramatic and meaningful change, especially when it comes to action to advance a clean energy economy," continued Schweiger. "President-elect Obama and the new Congress have the public support they need to move an ambitious clean energy agenda that measures up to the science of global warming and the full economic potential of our economy."

The Zogby Interactive survey of 3,357 voters nationwide was conducted Nov. 5-6, 2008, and carries a margin of error of +/- 1.7 percentage points. The survey was commissioned by the National Wildlife Federation.

Read the full poll results at Zogby Newswire.

For content, contact: Miles Grant, National Wildlife Federation Communications Manager, 703-864-9599 (cell) or grantm@nwf.org

Happening This Week
Congress is on recess this week.

Wednesday, Nov. 12: The Dynamics of Energy and Security Policy in the Americas: A Priority for a New U.S. Administration. 12:45-1:45 p.m., Johns Hopkins University, Room 517, Nitze Building, 1740 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. RSVP at 202.663.5745 or

jzurek@jhu.edu.

Thursday, November 13: A Presidential Climate Action Plan-Options for the New Administration and Congress, 2-3:30 p.m., B318 Rayburn House Office Building. Hosted by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Presidential Climate Action Project (PCAP). This briefing is free and open to the public.  No RSVP required. Contact Amy Sauer at asauer@eesi.org or (202) 662-1892.

Friday, November 14: Infrastructure Modeling and Policy Issues in a Low-Carbon World, 7:30am - 6:30pm, Resources for the Future, 1616 P St. N.W., 1st Floor Conference Room, Washington, D.C. More information available here.