Power Shift 2013

Why?

I have been lucky enough to find out about an incredible environmental summit which I need to attend in order to guarentee my future and the work I would like to persue. As I work towards finishing up my International Studies degree with a minor in Environmental Studies, my vision of "saving the world" has become more goal-based and realistic, but I am more motivated than ever to make a change. 

What is Power Shift?

Annually-occuring environmental youth-oriented summits that aim to change climate change policy in the nations in which they take place. The first Power Shift conference was in 2007 in D.C. and since then there has been several more in the U.S., as well as in Australia, Britain, and New Zealand. Al Gore, Van Jones, Bill McKibben (my favorite as well as a returning speaker!!), Ralph Nader, and Nancy Pelosi have all been past speakers. 

If you would like to find out more about Power Shift, please click here.

Power Shift 2013

Power Shift 2013 is right around the corner (Oct. 18-21)! It will take place in Pittsburg, about a ten hour drive from Charleston. Although I have made frugal arrangements to the best of my ability (couchsurfing for free in Pittsburg instead of a hotel and camping on the way up there) traveling and expenses can be unpredictable and I want to be prepared the best I can! I would have never dreamed that I would be asking my family and friends for donations, but as I have stopped working as in food and bev in order to focus more on my studies and increasingly demanding courseload, I have no other option. Other than selling my cats for their fur. Which is my last resort... So PLEASE! Help my cats keep their fur coats (winter does actually come to Charleston... eventually.), and help me get to POWER SHIFT 2013!!

What have I been up to lately?

On Sept. 21st I organized a "Day of Action" in Charleston, in conjunction with 350.org and over 200 other cities across the country! In an effort to Draw the Line on the Keystone XL and other pipeline construction/expansion I went to schools in the downtown area, had almost 400 students of all ages makes cards that represented what they think or how they feel about the environment and took ALL of these "ecocards" and hung them in a long line in the main park in Charleston during our farmer's market. My volunteers and I educated everyone who stopped by about the dangers of oil dependance, tar sand extraction, and the many benefits of renewable energy. Check out the pictures below!

As I hope you already know, please feel free to call/text/email me with questions! Even if you cannot or do not want to donate funding, I would love to chat about what I am working on and catch up. I love you all very much and send my best wishes!

-Sylvie

P.S. I will be sending a short summary of my weekend at Power Shift to everyone who donates- complete with a picture gallery! And if you donate $25 or more I will hand-craft you or whoever you like a pair of earrings to your/their liking and send them your way!!