Workshops/Trainings
Below you will see all of the workshop, trainings, and panels that we will hold this weekend! Session One runs from 10:30am-12noon on Saturday, Session Two runs from 2:15-3:45 on Saturday, and Session Three runs from 9am-10:30am Sunday morning. A full schedule, with times of regional and campaign breakouts, keynote speakers, movies, and caucus and affinity groups will be available for pick up in the HUB Saturday morning.
SESSION ONE: (The HUB Auditorium) National Policy Panel: The Power Shift Pennsylvania conference falls just after the House and Senate have drafted climate bills that could forever change energy policy in the United States. This June the US House of Representatives passed the “American Clean Energy and Security Act”, often referred to as ACES or Waxman/Markey. This fall the Senate has just begun debate. Just this month, the Senate released its first draft of a climate bill called “The Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act” (S.1733). Come to this panel to find out what is in each of these 1,000+ page bills and why organizations within the environmental community has taken dramatically different positions on the proposed legislation. Panelists will speak to how the climate bill will impact environmental justice communities, meet (or fail to meet) scientific carbon reduction targets, and provide subsidies for all types of power sources. Panelists are Dr. Subler, Environmental Credit Corp; Maggie Zhou, Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities & Climate SOS; Maura Cowley, Sierra Student Coalition; & Mike Ewall, Energy Justice Network
SESSION ONE: (Willard 268) Environmental Justice Presenter, Dr. King
SESSION ONE: (The HUB 322) Direct Action Training: From protest marches to banner hangs, activists use many different forms of protest to get their message across. This workshop will explain what nonviolent direct action (NVDA) is, why and how it can be a strategic tactic, and how it has been used in the past. Participants will also be directed towards other NVDA resources. Presenter: Andrew Munn, Student Environmental Action Coalition.
SESSION ONE: (Willard 167) Kicking Dirty Energy Money Out of Politics: The long term struggle for a healthy planet requires reforms now to empower citizens for years to come. Learn how we can take back our democracy with clean, fair, elections policies, so that politicians answer to the people, not to corporations. Public campaign financing, instant runoff voting, and nonpartisan redistricting are just a few ways that we can make elections better reflect the will of the public. Presenter: Charles Sherrouse, Energy Justice Network
SESSION ONE: (Willard 169) Working with Administrators: As former President of Students for Environmental Action (SEA) at Temple University, Laura will describe how she was able to work with administrators at her school. She will explain how she overcame communication and bureaucracy challenges and reflect on what their group has learned from working with the administration. Presenters: Laura Stein, Erik Fowley
SESSION ONE: (Willard 174) What's going wrong with Natural Gas Drilling: The only new industry to take root in a big way in Pennsylvania for some time has been natural gas drilling. As it turns our, this state is home to one of largest energy reserves in the world and now, thanks to technology developed in the 90s by Halliburton, drillers are moving into the state in order to access the resources. The trouble is that the current methods of extracting deep shale natural gas is one of the single most destructive forms of mining at use in the United States today. This presentation will show you how it works, what some of the drillers have done wrong, what's hiding under the ground and what people mean when they talk about "the Halliburton Loophole." Presenter: Brady Russell, Clean Water Action
SESSION ONE: (HUB 327) Anti-Oppression: Dynamics of power and privilege play out in our organizing and activism work. We must continually and intentionally work to dismantle the systems of oppression (racism, sexism, homophobia…) that are present in our society and our work. Until we undo these systems of oppression, we will exclude millions from this work and compromise our movement’s power. Presenters: Erica Anderson, National Wildlife Federation, Angela Wiley, student
SESSION ONE: (HUB 331) Funding Campus Sustainability Projects: Students everywhere feel limited when they don’t have the money to tackle the ambitious plans they have developed. In this workshop, students will explain what a “Green Fee” is, and how you can run a “Green Fee” campaign on your campus to win the funding you’ll need for those energy efficiency retrofits you’ve been salivating over. Having a Green Fee can provide your group, and your larger campus, with a consistent funding mechanism for sustainability projects. Presenter: Rachel DeWolf, Slippery Rock University student
SESSION ONE: (Willard 269) Blue Green Alliance: This workshop tells the story of the creation of the alliance. The workshop will answer the questions: What is the Blue Green Alliance? Who is part of it? And what campaigns are they running? Also, why it's absolutely crucial to have the emerging Green Jobs of the future be good jobs, which provide family supporting wages, healthcare, and a retirement. Presenter: Phil LaRue, Blue Green Alliance
SESSION ONE: Fundraising: Presenter: Ishmael Buckner, Franklin & Marshall
SESSION ONE: Nonviolent Communication: (HUB 321) This workshop is an introduction to a process called Nonviolent Communication ("NVC" for short), which is a unique approach to communication as well as a conflict resolution tool. This process is used and taught all around the world, and was first developed in the 1960's in the US by Marshall Rosenberg, who at the time was a student of humanistic psychology and an activist in the civil rights movement.
Nonviolent Communication is used to help people get more of a clear sense of what one is responding to and is asking for, as well as to better understand what is really deeply important to people in a given situation. This process is used both in actively listening to other people, honestly expressing one's self as well as being aware of one's own internal thought processes.
This workshop will involve an explanation of the process of NVC as well as the intentions that drive it, question & answers, as well as role-plays to further illustrate the application of NVC to real-life situations that the participants are involved in. I am hoping that the participants will take away some key concepts and access to resources that would support them in further having their organizing work be more respectful, understanding, and grounded in compassion. Presenter: Ian Mayes
SESSION ONE: (Willard 271) Copenhagen 101 & Climate Mitigation Aid: In December we'll draft the successor to the Kyoto Protocol. Virtually all the major countries in the world will travel to Denmark to discuss the implications of our changing planet on the developed and developing world. The Indian Government has publicly stated they will not accept mandatory limits on their GHG emissions and the U.S. government will not sign a Climate Change bill into law before the New Year. Will a strong, ambitious and equitable global treaty emerge from Copenhagen, or will U.S. leadership, once again, prevent the international community from tackling the most important issue of our lifetime? And most importantly, what is your role in all this? Presenter: Jim French, Oxfam America
SESSION TWO: Environmental Justice Panel (HUB Auditorium)
What is environmental justice? What is environmental injustice? Learn about the realities of environmental racism. Panelists will discuss the principles of environmental justice and what is means to be involved in the environmental justice movement. Also, how do tensions play out between the environmentally privileged and the under-privileged on other continents? We will explore the differences between NIMBY "not in my backyard" and NIABY "not in anyone’s backyard" politics. We'll examine the differences between environmental groups and why there are conflicts between large, predominantly white environmental groups and grassroots environmental justice organizations. Panelists will describe environmental (in)justice in Pennsylvania and abroad. Panelists: Mike Ewall, Energy Justice Network; Dr. Brian King, Penn State Professor
SESSION TWO: Leadership development: (HUB 324) In this skills-based training you will learn what it means to be a leader and how to bring new members into your group through recruitment. We’ll touch on things like Indy meetings, task design, and delegation. Presenters: Angela Wiley, Becca Collins (students)
SESSION TWO: (Willard 169) Zero Waste for Zero Warming: Every environmental groups knows that burning fossil fuels produces pollution and greenhouse gases, but what about the waste industry? Pennsylvania imports waste from surrounding states and burns the trash for energy, getting ‘alternative energy credits’ to do so! With approximately 5% of the world’s population, the United States consumes 30% of the world’s resources and produces 30% of the world’s waste. This workshop details how trash incineration and landfills contribute to climate change, and what zero-waste strategies consist of. Presenter: Lynn Landes, Zero Waste America
SESSION TWO: (Willard 171) Tactics & Strategy: In this skills-based training you will learn how to think strategically- what will get you the farthest with the resources you have, how best to affect change, and which tactics to use when. Presenter: Pablo Baezo, Alicia Willett
SESSION TWO: (Willard 174) The Brown Side of Nuclear Power: The nuclear industry argues that building more nuclear power plants, which they claim do not emit green house gasses at the point of production, can solve global climate change. What they don't tell you is what happens to the nuclear wonder pill before it is magically transformed into green penicillin.
The nuclear-carbon shell game only works if you ignore the environmental cost on the "front end" of nuclear power production. From the moment uranium is mined, milled, enriched, fabricated and transported it releases large quantities of airborne pollutants. Presenter: Eric Epstein, Three Mile Island Alert
SESSION TWO: (Willard 268) Coal: Past, Present & Future: Learn about the history of coal in the state of Pennsylvania, how much we rely on coal as an energy source, what its impacts are, how employment in the coal industry has changed, and how Pennsylvania, a state disproportionately affected by coal, can kick the habit! Presenter: Randy Francisco, Sierra Club
SESSION TWO: (Willard 270) Climate Change, Resource Wars and National Security: The United States is dependent on imported resources to sustain its economy, from oil and phosphate to germanium and lithium. As these resources become scarcer and more expensive, "national security" requires an ever-increasing military investment to protect supply lines. The military investment, in turn requires fantastic waste of energy and resources, contributing to intensified global warming. The growth imperative of our current economic model precludes reduced consumption as an option, sending us on an increasingly crisis ridden spiral of war, depletion, and climate degradation. How do we get out of it? Presenter: Jerry Silberman, Union Organizer & Planner of Philadelphia Peak Oil Conference
SESSION TWO: (Willard 167) Green Entrepenuers: Bob Fiori, PowerMinders & Summer Rayne Oakes
SESSION TWO: (Willard 269) Forest Justice: From campus to the capital, building a campaign that supports local and international forests and forest communities. Presenter: Erica Reiko Anderson, National Wildlife Federation
SESSION TWO: (HUB 235) Empower your Community : Create a Positive Vision of the Future: Climate policy got you down? Not sure where to go with your thoughts on what we need? Well, Albert Einstein once said: "Imagination is more important than knowledge." In order to invent something new, you have to think it up first -- right? That's where our generation comes in. Learn about the power of imagining the future. Work with ACE :: Alliance for Climate Education and learn how to educate your peers about the climate crisis and take it to the next level as you create a concrete vision of the future you want to see.
High school students are encouraged to attend this workshop. Presenter: Alisha Fowler, Alliance for Climate Education
SESSION TWO: (HUB 331) Beginning a Group & Organization Analysis: In this skills-based training you will learn from students who have started an environmental group on their campus. We’ll explore steps to starting a group, including recruitment and best practices. We will also address organization analysis- this includes examining group structure, how your organization is run and how you communicate with each other. Presenter: Peter Roquemore, Sarah Fritz, students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania,
SESSION TWO: (HUB 233) Campaign Planning: In this skills-based training you will learn what it means to plan a campaign and why it’s important to plan ahead. You’ll learn the principals of planning. We’ll bring you through the planning Matrix and set you up with the skills you rock a campaign in your own community! Presenter: Kim Teplitzky, Sierra Student Coalition
SESSION THREE: How Coal & Natural Gas Disrupt Communities & Degrade the Environment (Panel) (HUB Auditorium): Pennsylvania is famous for its anthracite coal. Now it is becoming famous for the Marcellus Shale natural gas formation. Panelists will share with the audience how they have been involved in protecting Pennsylvania from the extraction of these fossil fuels. In connecting coal and natural gas issues, we can ensure that the hard work of No Coal activists does not contribute to the rise of a new dirty energy industry in our state. Panelists will describe how each of these fuels can wreak havoc on communities and the environment. Panelists: Andrew Munn, Student Environmental Action Coalition; Jay Sweeney, Stephanie Simmons, Brady Russell, Clean Water Action
SESSION THREE: (Willard 171) Energy Efficiency: PowerMinders is a network of college students working to save energy in their communities. This workshop will explain the benefits of energy efficiency and conservation and how individuals can save money in their home with easy retrofits. Presenter: Bob Fiori, PowerMinders
SESSION TWO: (Willard 169) Renewable Energy: Equally important as defeating proposed dirty energy facilities and beginning local foods projects, is advocating for renewable energy. This workshop will describe how Pennsylvania’s wind turbine can change the landscape of our state. Dr. Steward will describe technological advancements in wind energy and how renewable energy can be developed further in Pennsylvania. Presenter: Dr. Susan Stewart
SESSION THREE: (Willard 167) Improving Campus Food Systems: Campuses around the country are leading the way toward healthy, sustainable food. Come to this workshop to learn how Dickinson and Swarthmore have made significant strides to improve the food on their campuses. You’ll be able to learn how Dickinson operates a full student-run farm on their campus and how Swarthmore has developed a composting system, a campus garden, and gotten local food into the dining halls. Both groups will share information that can make it easier for you to imagine the similar improvements coming to your campus as a result of student activism. Presenters: Dickinson College student farm workers; Swarthmore College, Good Food Group
SESSION THREE: (Willard 174) How Dirty Energy Impacts Communities: Nuclear power, coal, oil, gas, hydroelectric, biomass, biofuels and other forms of incineration all disproportionately affect low-income communities and communities of color. Learn about the life-cycle impacts of these dirty power sources and how they affect people and our environment. Presenter: Mike Ewall, Energy Justice Network
SESSION THREE: (HUB 233) Explaining the Cap & Trade System: Cap & Trade is the most discussed policy to address climate change and it is a central piece of the climate bills drafted this year in the House & Senate. But is it the best policy? Learn why environmental justice groups uniformly oppose cap & trade, where the loopholes are, and what other options might be. Presenter: Maggie Zhou, Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities & Climate SOS
SESSION THREE: (HUB 322) Youth Running for Office: Joe Hill, Chairman of the Philadelphia Youth Commission, will describe the importance of youth running for office. You’ll be able to hear his story and learn how a Pennsylvania youth is leading the way towards Green Jobs in Philadelphia. Presenter, Joe Hill, Chairman of the Philadelphia Youth Commission
SESSION THREE: (Willard 268) Green Jobs: The words Green Jobs get thrown around a lot these days. Learn from a Pennsylvania native and professional green jobs advocate what he thinks green jobs are, where there are, how Pennsylvania can get them, and how you can be involved in seeing that they arrive in our state offering livable wages to working families. Presenter: Khari Mosley, Green for All
SESSION THREE: (Willard 269) Radical Simplicity: Reducing your Footprint, Expanding your Wallet: Environmentalism can seem expensive and environmental groups can be elitist, but it doesn’t need to be that way. Learn from Paul Glover, how with a little creativity, we can all be environmentalists. Having little money in the bank doesn’t need to stop us from living sustainably. Presenter: Paul Glover, Temple Professor and activist
SESSION THREE: (Willard 270) Diversity in Our Movement: Privileged, white organizers and students dominate the environmental movement, but it must include everyone. It is important to take some time to reflect on how to work across race, class, and gender lines to build a stronger, more diverse movement that works for justice, not only scientific objectives. Simone Lightfoot has extensive experience working on environmental issues within the NAACP. She will teach workshop participants how their groups can form coalitions to address the interconnected issues of justice and climate change. Simone Lightfoot, NAACP
SESSION THREE: (HUB 332) Campaign Planning: In this skills-based training you will learn what it means to plan a campaign and why it’s important to plan ahead. You’ll learn the principals of planning. We’ll bring you through the planning Matrix and set you up with the skills you rock a campaign in your own community! Sasha Shyduroff, Sierra Student Coaliton
SESSION THREE: (HUB 235) Lobby Training: Climate change affects our generation more than any other, but without being able to communicate our passions and demands to elected officials, we can’t expect the climate and energy policy that we want. Learn how to set up a lobby visit and effectively lobby your elected officials for strong climate and clean energy policies. It is crucial that young people learn this skill as professional lobbyists from the coal and oil industries regularly gain audiences with the individuals WE elected. Mathew Himmelien, Sierra Club
