| Taking the Pledge |
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| Written by Sarah Lutz | ||||
| Tuesday, 30 September 2008 10:57 PM | ||||
InformationOther Texas schools participating in Power Vote:• Southwestern University’s team the Southwestern U. Power Vote • University of Texas-Pan American’s team the UTPA’s EAC-PV group • Texas A&M University at College Station • Rice University • Saint Edwards University’s team the SEU PowerVote • University of Texas- San Antonio • University of Texas- El Paso • Saint Edwards University • Austin Community College Participating students will pledge to consider the environment first when they vote in the upcoming election. The organization’s first initiative is getting students to vote for clean and sustainable energy, organization president Lindsey Coddington said. “It’s voting for people, basically who are in favor of alternate forms of energy,” she said, “people who are willing to make a stand on climate change and take action towards helping out with that.” She said the Energy Action Coalition started the Power Vote, but has grown to include other organizations like the National Wildlife Foundation, which sponsors the Environmental Society’s Power Vote. Coalition co-director Kassie Rohrbach said the coalition started the Campus Climate Challenge, which is the first initiative the group started, and has grown to include the current Power Vote. The coalition plans to continue its efforts after the election, including taking students from around the country to the nation’s capital. “We’re bringing over 15,000 people to Washington, D.C.” she said. “And they’re going to say that we demand our government officials take climate change seriously and listen to the grassroots movement.” Rohrback said the Power Vote acknowledges that climate change affects the economy too. She said the coalition hopes the Power Vote will change the country’s energy investments, thus creating 5 million new green jobs. The Power Vote is not about endorsing any specific candidate or party, but a pledge to consider the environment before you vote, Coddington said. She said once she turns the pledge cards into the National Wildlife Foundation, they will upload the information in to a database and send her back the information. She said the actual cards will be sent Nov. 20 for a Power Vote conference at the White House. Biology junior Nathan Zitoon said that while it is a good idea, Power Vote’s success is up in the air. “While it might be a small consideration, for the most part people are more worried about money than the environment,” he said. “Especially with the economy like it is right now, they’re probably going to go for whoever they think is going to boost the economy.” Views: 1336 | E-mail
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 02 December 2008 02:22 PM ) | ||||
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