CP intern Krista Fulton writes:

On October 24th, 2009, students from the central Florida area joined citizens of 181 nations to participate in the 350 Climate Day of Action. These students used their bodies to form a giant 350 (the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere in parts per million) on their campus, lending their voices to the message that climate change concerns us all.

This day of action was part of the wider Florida Power Shift 2009 an event seeking to spread awareness about the Green movement and empower young people to actively change the trajectory of our country’s (and Florida’s) climate policies. It was cosponsored by Campus Progress and the Energy Action Coalition, and was hosted by various activist groups, including I.D.E.A.S. and Eco-Advocates. During the weekend-long event, over 200 students and members of the local community came to participate in workshops (two of which were led by CP’s very own Paula-Raye O’Sullivan and Tommaso Boggia), heard from speakers, attended a free concert, listened to a group of veterans promoting “Operation Free,” and learned how to take action. The event also garnered some even garnered some local press.

“This is a campaign to push legislators to do the responsible thing for our environment,” said Meghan Ryan, a freshman and organizer of Florida Power Shift ’09.

In his speech, retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Hector Samario of “Operation Free” had this to say about the call of duty to act: “We have broken the world by exhausting its resources, but the good news it that we can fix it by things like promoting mass transportation on campus and energy conservation.”

In the end, the conference was a huge accomplishment. It was full of positive energy that reiterated that youth involvement in the climate change debate can really make the difference.

Student Alice Pernezny summed up the spirit of the event best when she said, “If even one person walks away from Power Shift feeling like they want to do something about the environment, then the event was a success.”

Check out pictures from the event on Facebook!