Wisconsin Youth Leaders to Engage Communities and Senators with Nationwide Clean Energy Forums

by Elena Velkov

SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Young leaders from Wisconsin will host a Clean Energy Forum as part of Focus the Nation’s national campaign on Saturday, April 3, from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. CST, at the American Legion Post in South Milwaukee, Wis.

The American Legion post will serve as the backdrop for a discussion on clean energy with a very different perspective than the typical conversations surrounding climate change.

Participants will discuss the benefits of successful clean energy policy for Wisconsin and the nation, as well as explain the intricacies of building a clean energy infrastructure and new clean energy economy. “Wisconsin has been leading the way in energy efficiency, and what we want people to understand is how Wisconsin can be a national and world leader in efficiency and clean economy manufacturing,” said Jamie Racine of Racine, Wis., the event organizer and a recent Will Steger Foundation youth delegate to the U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen.

The Clean Energy Forum will host a diverse panel of experts and policy makers including war veteran, Robin Eckstein, with The Truman National Security Project, and Amy Hart of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association. Racine has also invited Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett to speak on the panel.

The event in South Milwaukee is part of a national effort by Focus the Nation. Off the heels of a tumultuous health care fight, young leaders across the country are poised to help leaders in Washington maintain their historic momentum and commitment to rebuilding Main Street America. With rising national concern about American jobs and the lack of comprehensive climate and clean energy leadership in Washington, Focus the Nation’s youth-driven network is organizing clean energy forums in the critical manufacturing regions of the Upper Midwest, Arkansas and Maine. “After observing the incredibly disrespectful tactics of older tea party organizers in the recent health care debate, I am proud to see that our generation of young people is demanding change differently,” said Garett Brennan, executive director of Focus the Nation.

“In spite of our defeats in Copenhagen and the slow moving Senate, we are forging even stronger composure and focus on the towns we want to build and the way we power them. Our teams are educating communities about what clean energy jobs look like, how energy works, and engaging people in what we see as another historic legislative moment.”

Since 2008, Focus the Nation has engaged 139 members of Congress in direct dialogue, with more than 300,000 U.S. youth on the climate and clean energy issue. This April, in partnership with the Will Steger Foundation, Focus the Nation is continuing its forums with youth-driven, multi-sector, intergenerational events in the following states:

See the online article from the South Milwaukee Now website - April 1, 2010