We just got back from Powershift 09, the largest youth summit on climate change in history. After attending various workshops and lectures, it became very clear to me that we are in more trouble than we have been reacting to. We have the tools in Slippery Rock, in each of you, and in our need for a clean climate future to make a huge difference, and I know that we can do it.

Currently, with the help of former organizer Dan Cannon, we are drafting up our new campaign. We will be asking Slippery Rock University and President Smith to do the following things:
* Eradicate the use of Bituminous coal in the central boiler plant. This is DIRTY coal. The black stuff you see spewing out of the coal plant leads to localized pollution. We are talking about our health here-you don’t want coal in your stocking, why would we want it in our lungs?

*Take accountablilty for our carbon emmissions by designating a permenent on-campus carbon sink. Think trees! Think forests!

*Have President Smith sign the Presidents Climate Commitment. He has previously said that this is too much to commit to, and while we disagree, we have a compromise. We will help President Smith draft his own version. We want to know that we can count on the administration to back us while we do the right thing.

The important thing to realize is that we can’t do this on our own. We need to all work together. When the people lead, the leaders follow. These are big plans we have, but I have every confidence in each and every one of us that we can do it. Keep checking back for updates, and invite your friends to the facebook group. I will be blogging every step of the way, and we will be organizing a meeting for after spring break. As always, contact me with any questions at rachel {at} leaveitgreen(.)org.

The time for Change is NOW!!!
Rachel

Powershift ’07 was arguably the most pivotal movement in our generation’s involvement in the climate change movement. It allowed us to band together with thousands of other college students from around the country, and show the politicians our great concerns with the current treatment of the environment. The energy at the conference was so intense, and everyone fed off of everyone else’s ideas. One of those ideas inspired the Green Fund. The action taken by participants after the conference was overwhelming and really fast forwarded the environmental movement.

Now, we have the opportunity to attend Powershift ’09, where we will be calling to President Obama to make the right moves regarding the environment. There will be panel discussions, speeches, and workshops hosted by the people who are making a difference. There will also be a concert, featuring environmentally-friendly artists, a job fair, and the opportunity to network and meet people with the same passion as you.

The conference will be held from February 28th to March 2nd in Washington DC, and will be wrapping up with a rally on Capitol Hill. Come and let your voice be heard! This is an amazing opportunity that you should take advantage of. For registration information, visit http://www.powershift09.org .

I will be heading that way, so if you are interested in sharing transportation, we will be organizing car pools. E-mail me at rachel {at} leaveitgreen(.)org if you would like more information!!

Come and stand up for what you stand on!

Bonfire, music, good times, and s’mores will all be making an appearance. If you need a tent, let us know, and we will hook you up. Everyone is welcome! Also, if you have an instrument, BRING IT!!!

Time and Place
Start Time: Friday, September 19, 2008 at 8:00pm
End Time: Sunday, September 21, 2008 at 10:00am
Location: SRU Campground (behind Rock Apts.)

Check out the Facebook Event Page for more information.

Today I met with the Council of Trustees, and while the outcome of the meeting wasn’t exactly what we had hoped for, I am confident that we can come to a resolution that satisfies both the Council as well as Leave It Green. The Council has expressed, and voted unanimously for, their support of the Green Fund, and the fund will be implemented for the fall 08 semester. However, we will spend the summer looking into alternative sources of funding. The Council understands our stance and I know that we will be able to reach a compromise. Dan and I will continue to work within the mission and morals of Leave It Green, and you can trust us that we will do what is best for everyone. I want to personally thank President Smith for his ongoing support of the Green Fund. He has been an active defender of our cause, and has played a HUGE roll in our success so far. If you have any questions about the meeting, or what all of this means, feel free to e-mail me at rachel {at} leaveitgreen(.)org, and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

I hope you are having an AMAZING summer!

Rachel

Wow, it has been awhile since we have posted. Towards the end of the semester Rachel and I were busy attending meetings with President Smith and the Green Fund Advisory Board (GFAB) members. The GFAB is ready to go for the Fall 2008 semester under the leadership of Dr. Jerry Chmielewski

We also revised and sent the President the final bylaws so he could forward them to the Council of Trustees. This Friday (June 6th) the council of trustees will meet at Old Main at 1:00pm. At this meeting they will make the final decision on implementing The Green Fund. Rachel and I hope the council of trustees will listen to the 86% of the students who voted in favor of The Green Fund.

This meeting is open to the public, if you would like to show your support for The Green Fund please feel free to attend. If you can’t attend, wish us luck; Friday is the day we have all worked so hard for.

Dan

Today is Litter-Getter Day. We will be meeting at the Campground at 3 to pick up some trash. Come on out, and bring your friends!

“Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” This quote by Margaret Mead has inspired us from the beginning. It gave us hope that a small group of Slippery Rock students could make a huge difference. And we did. Green Fund is proof that when a small group of people come together for a common passion, big changes can happen. We just ROCKED the vote with 86.29% of the voters choosing to support the Green Fund. There were a total of 1,794 voters. We just want to extend a HUGE thank you to everybody that made this a success. The next step is the Council of Trustees vote in June. We will keep you posted along the way!

Congratulations,

Rachel and Dan

The time has come to vote!! The referendum should currently be in your SRU inbox. Go vote yes, and tell your friends!! Reminder, we will be camping out all week, it has been a lot of fun so far…come out and chill!

Hey everyone, I wanted to say thanks to everyone who came out for Leave It Green’s first annual Bike and Music Festival. The turnout was great! The long day started off with a bike maintenance class courtesy of Scott Medeiros!

At two, we kicked off the critical mass bike ride; we had close to 80 cyclist show up ranging from all ages. We took over the small town of Slippery Rock riding through campus, up and down main street, and then down Kiester road, all to raise awareness and promote bicycling.

After the ride, we had guest speakers Dave Krack and Scott Bricker. Dave Krack is from Butler and runs a free bike shop and a bike giveaway program called Fixed Gear. Scott Bricker is from Bike Pittsburgh. Both speakers covered many topics that involved biking in general, building a biking community, and how to stay safe while biking.

After the speakers three bands played late into the night. Brad Yoder from Pittsburgh provided some mellow and fun tunes, Dali Rocket drove all the way from Michigan just to entertain the crowd. Slippery Rock’s own The Unified Theory, finished the bands off with some energetic jamming tunes. Soon after the bands finished the tents went up, the camp fires were lit and s’mores were made.

It was an amazing and successful day. Leave It Green would like to thank several people for making it all happen, The Pa Film Institute and Larurel Dagnon for the funding (remember, the films show in the ATS auditorium at 7:30 Monday-Thursday); the Cycling Club for the free bike that was raffled off; Julie McNeil for her organizing skills; the speakers for their knowledge; the bands for their tunes; and of course all the participants.

I would also like to personally thank Rachel DeWolf for all of her hard work, this festival was her idea and she made it happen, thanks Rachel!

It is also important to note that one of the original Leave It Green founding members, Abbie Spear showed up to the Festival. Abbie has inspired Rachel and I in so many ways, it was good to see her back at the campground that wouldn’t be there if not for her efforts last year. Thanks Abbie!

Remember this festival was the kick-off to Leave It Green’s annual camp in. Leave It Green members will be camping out all week this week to honor and remember the original Leave It Green movement. Come down and camp-out with us! Everyone is welcome to join!

Lastly do not forget the Green Fund Vote is this week, check your emails and vote “YES”!

Wow guys, today, Dan and I presented to the Slippery Rock Council of Trustees. (We would like to thank Andrew B, Maria G., and Katie S., for coming out with their green shirts..you guys rock!) The presentation went EXTREMELY well, and throughout the whole meeting, the trustees and other administrators at the meeting kept alluding back to the fact that Slippery Rock is a breeding ground for amazing leadership.

After the meeting, many of the members of the council came up to us and expressed their excitement for our idea. One member said, “You are right, Slippery Rock is the leader in so many things. Why can’t we do this too? This is such an important thing right now, and you have a great program.” Another member invited us to voice our opinion on the parking issue (we actually call it a walking issue) at their next meeting. (If you guys remember, the walking issue is what sparked the creation of Leave It Green, so we are glad to get back to our roots.) So we left this meeting with an overwhelming sense of confidence.

So. How can we keep this confidence brewing? We are asking you to send (positive) letters to the Slippery Rock University council of trustees expressing your interest in a green fee. This group has been really supportive, so we are excited to begin working with them. Thank you all so much for your support. You are what motivates us to do what we do.

We love you guys!

Rachel