NATIONAL CLIMATE INITIATIVES & CAMPAIGNS

Yale students may have the greatest impact when working outside of the Yale community, taking efforts to a national level.  National climate initiatives and campaigns not only bolster the efforts of each individual student, they also serve to spread a culture of environmental responsibility through student bodies nationwide.  Below are some of the most prominent climate initiatives and campaigns open to students from Yale and other universities, as well as the general community.

350: International Day of Climate Action http://www.350.org/

350: International Day of Climate Action is an international campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis--the solutions that justice demand.  Our focus is on the number 350--as in parts per million, the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. But 350 is more than a number--it's a symbol of where we need to head as a planet.  In order to unite the public, media, and our political leaders behind the 350 goal, we're harnessing the power of the internet to coordinate a planetary day of action on October 24, 2009.  We hope to have actions at hundreds of iconic places around the world - from the Taj Mahal to the Great Barrier Reef to your community - and clear message to world leaders: the solutions to climate change must be equitable, they must be grounded in science, and they must meet the scale of the crisis.  

America’s Greenest Campus http://americasgreenestcampus.com/

America's Greenest Campus is the first nationwide contest among colleges to reduce the carbon footprints of their students, faculty, alumni and staff. The unique website offers personalized advice on how participants can reduce their carbon footprint and tracks the collective carbon reductions of participating students, faculty, staff and alumni at campuses across the country.  Participating institution are eligible to receive prize money for: 1) signing up the most participants and 2) recording the most carbon reductions per participant.

Focus the Nation http://www.focusthenation.org/

On April 18th, 2009, town-hall meetings across the country will explored local, regional and national solutions to the climate-energy challenge. These meetings facilitated communication with elected officials and address the opportunities of the new energy economy. Join your district team and help lead the effort.

Chill Out – National Wildlife Federation http://www.nwf.org/campusecology/chillout/ 

Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming is America's leading competition and awards program recognizing college and university innovation to solve global warming.  Each year, NWF holds the Chill Out competition to recognize the projects and people making a difference.  To learn how you can enter a project click here http://www.nwf.org/campusecology/chillout/entry.cfm

National Conversation on Climate Action http://www.climateconversation.org/

Every Earth Day (April 22nd) the National Conversation on Climate Action encourages and supports hundreds of communities across the country to engage its citizens in face-to-face discussions to drive substantive, solutions-oriented dialogues about climate action opportunities at the local level.  The National Conversation is designed to:

• Spark or reignite community engagement in their local government’s climate protection initiatives.
• Identify specific ways in which every citizen, local business and other key stakeholders can support these initiatives.
• Chart a course of action for setting and meeting climate protection goals.
• Elevate the collective voices of local governments and their communities in national and international climate acti

Earth Hour http://www.earthhour.org/home/

Earth Hour is a global event organized by World Wildlife Fund that encourages households and businesses around the world to turn off their non-essential lights and electrical appliance for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change.  The event typically takes place the last Saturday in March.   In 2009, 88 countries and more than 4,000 cities joined Earth Hour and turned off the lights on March 28th for one hour.

Power Shift http://www.powershift09.org

Power Shift is the world’s largest youth summit on climate change.

From February 27th to March 2nd, 2009 over 10,000 young people from across the country gathered in Washington D.C. The goal of the summit was to hold our elected officials accountable for rebuilding our economy and reclaiming our future through bold clean energy and climate change policy.

Sierra Student Climate Coalition http://www.ssc.org/

The Sierra Student Coalition (SSC) is a network of high school and college students from across the country working to protect the environment. The SSC is the youth-run (age 14-30) chapter of the Sierra Club, the nation's oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization. The SSC’s mission is to develop leaders for the environmental movement by training, empowering, and organizing youth to run effective campaigns that result in tangible environmental victories.

Energy Action Coalition  – Campus Climate Challenge http://climatechallenge.org/

The Campus Climate Challenge is a project of more than 30 leading youth organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada. The Challenge encourages young people on college and high school campuses across Canada and the U.S. to push for 100% Clean Energy policies at their schools. The Challenge is growing a generation-wide movement to stop global warming, by elimination pollution from our high schools and colleges, and leading our society to a clean energy future.

The Student Environmental Action Coalition http://www.seac.org/

SEAC is a grassroots coalition of student and youth environmental groups, working together to protect our planet and our future. Through this united effort, thousands of youth have translated their concern into action by sharing resources, building coalitions, and challenging the limited mainstream definition of environmental issues.