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CONGRESS: CAN YOU DO IT? — 30% by 2020
February 5th 2009:
The first hundred days of the new administration. A new leader in the White House. A critical moment for the future of life on earth.
Join Focus the Nation’s 2009 National Teach-In on global warming solutions. Put a clean energy future at the top of the national agenda! Engage millions of Americans at colleges, universities, high schools, faith organizations, civic groups and businesses in a demand for action.
- Can the US cut emissions 30% from current levels by 2020?
- Will Congress act to create a sustainable economy, create green jobs, and invest in a clean energy future?
1. Focus 2009 Teach-in: 5,000 Schools.
In January 2008, students, faculty and staff across the country led Focus the Nation efforts, engaging over a million students and citizens at 1900 institutions. This year, we will step it up, more than doubling the number of participating schools. You will create a powerful intergenerational dialogue, brainstorm solutions, and demand the US Congress to act.
- teach-in: Engage the entire campus. Faculty from all disciplines participate—art, geology, philosophy, economics, law, biology, religious studies, public health, chemistry, literature, government. — See the Teach-In Model.
- The First 100 Days: Debate an action agenda for the President and Congress. Focus is partnering with the Presidential Climate Action Project to produce discussion materials. (PCAP is spearheaded by Focus advisory board members Senator Gary Hart and Professor David Orr.)
- Launch Webcasts: Produced with the National Wildlife Federation. These on-line videos will provide a dedicated avenue for participation by high schools and middle schools, and faith, business and citizen groups. View our 2008 webcast, The 2% Solution, featuring Stanford climate scientist Stephen Schneider, sustainability expert Hunter Lovins, green jobs pioneer Van Jones, and a special appearance by Edward Norton.
2. Campus-to-Congress: CAN YOU DO IT? - 30% by 2020.
In 2009, Focus the Nation teams will engage half of Congress–over 300 national decisionmakers–in direct, non-partisan dialogue with students. In this critical moment, only Congress has the power to save the future. And today’s young people have the moral authority to demand action from Congress.
- February 2nd-February 5th: Focus the Nation, partnering with SightSpeed®, will again set up a computer bank in the Capitol. This will enable hundreds of members of Congress to engage in powerful video dialogue with thousands of students in their district.
- Congress: CAN YOU DO IT?
- Cut emissions 30% by 2020.
- Invest in renewable energy.
- Create green jobs weatherizing and solarizing America.
- Ban new coal plants that fail to sequester carbon.
- Protect low income Americans from energy price hikes.
- Retrain workers for the clean energy economy.
- Coordination: Building on our success in 2008, teams of faculty, students and staff will issue invitations to Congress to participate in campus-to-congress round-table dialogues. Focus will work with both campuses and partners on the Hill to facilitate this engagement.
Between 1960 and 1964 the Civil Rights movement swept across the country, moving America from a fatalistic acceptance of racial segregation to a solid determination to end Jim Crow. In 1964 we enacted civil rights laws.
By the end of 2009 we can move this country beyond a fatalistic acceptance of global warming, beyond paralyzing sense that our children must inherit an impoverished planet. We can embrace a determination to act, hold global warming to the low end, and lay the foundation for a just and prosperous future.
The Greatest Generation. Over the coming decades, today’s young people, will bring an end to the fossil fuel era. With their grace and their intelligence, they will rewire the entire planet with clean energy technologies, and build a sustainable world. Now, at this moment in history, they must force Congress to act to secure the future.
Focus the Nation is shifting the national conversation about global warming towards a serious determination to face this civilizational challenge.
Sign up today!
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