SD Messages Arrive Safely to President Obama

To all those who wrote messages for the Copenhagen book, congratulations! A successful delivery of these Midwest messages, along with the messages of Kenyan youth and a joint cover letter, went to President Obama. To see the final book that these messages were placed in, and to hear comments from some of the youth that joined our WSF delegation in working on the letter and compiling the messages, click here.

Your messages are posted on the White House Blog! Look closely at the images from the above link--of the 6 that were scanned onto the post, at least 3 of them are ones that were written by youth in Sioux Falls! Those messages are being seen not only by the President and his staff but anyone who visits the White House Blog. Each of those notes made a BIG voice for the Midwest--and think of how easy they were to write!

The momentum doesn't end with this project--in fact, this is only the beginning. Every goal starts with little steps toward success, and there are many more little steps that need to be taken to achieve strong climate solutions before the next UN climate conference. United, inspiring voices of youth are needed to show our support for a healthy and sustainable future, for SD and the world. The compilation of messages that are being shared worldwide are just a small testament to the impact one voice can have. That voice can start with YOU.

US and Kenyan Youth Unite

Yesterday, several Expedition Copenhagen delegates and other youth delegates from the United States had the opportunity to meet with Kenyan youth delegates. We discussed our stories about how we got to the conference and also shared narratives about how youth have been organizing in our countries. Kenyan youth shared that although government and civil societies in the country previously had rocky relationships and young people had been ignored altogether, real collaboration has recently become possible. A four-year drought currently plagues Kenya; we heard stories about the affects of this environmental change on the livelihoods of agriculturalists and pastoralists in the country. However, we heard their optimism amidst real and current climate challenges they face.

As our meeting wrapped up, we discussed possibilities for future cooperation, touching on everything from a Facebook group to an exchange program between our countries. We then moved forward with our day’s projects, starting with taking footage for our three-word film to be released in the next several days. After shivering out in the cold together—a true bonding experience—we moved our meeting from a cold basement space to a space at Klimaforum where we worked towards our main goals for the day: putting together a package to jointly deliver to President Obama. The package included letters from children of both countries: specifically from the Kenyan town of Obama’s father and from Chicago and the Midwest. Kenya was Obama’s past, Chicago and the U.S. is his present, and our future depends on his leadership.

An addition to the package was a joint letter sharing the voice of youth on the eminence for the US to commit to strong climate legislation. Personal stories were shared that related to climate change causing economic hardships experienced in the US and extreme environmental degradation in Africa. In the interest of future generations and the health and wellbeing of those living in the world today, our voices came together to ask for strong and equitable commitments.

As President Obama is now in Copenhagen, the package should be delivered to him soon. The connections our delegation has made with Kenyan youth have been a life-changing experience. We hope that our sincere words and passion to ensure a healthy, sustainable future will be remembered by our President as he enters into the negotiations.

Talkin Trash and Fulfilling a Mission

Talking Trash
I just got back from an afternoon walk after hanging out at an Augie football game. The beautiful weather and attraction of people to the outdoor game could only mean one thing: it was time to "talk some trash." Through the organization I'm interning with, the Sioux Falls Green Project, we've started a new program through the city called Trash Talkers in order to educate fans at events about recycling and the things they can do to be green while having fun.

This summer we've spread the green message and kept events clean and green at Jazzfest, Hot Summer Nites and Automania. A new chapter of Trash Talkers has started on Augie's campus in collaboration with the environmental group Augie Green, and fans can be sure to find us starting conversation by the recycling and landfill bins while sporting our Trash Talker t-shirts. Our mascot Ole the Viking even got involved, moving through the masses with a sign that says "Please Recycle." We've had a great response from events fans, and it's been a great way to open

conversation with the community about practicing sustainability wherever you're at.

*photos courtesy of Karin Costin

Mission Accomplished
On another note, our delegation has just finalized our mission statement! This is everything our delegation represents for the Midwest; I find it to be very inspiring. Check it out:

"We are U.S. Midwest youth advocates working to fulfill our global responsibilities by teaching and empowering climate action through local collaboration and international partnership. We seek an equitable global climate treaty that catalyzes clean energy opportunities and reduces climate impacts in the Midwest, promotes just sustainable development everywhere and builds bridges of collaboration between our region in the wider world."