As many student organizations wind down for winter break, student organizers in Ohio continue to ramp things up. Check out these blogs and media hits from the OH Student Environmental Coalition who has launched a well-coordinated, sustained and aggressive campaign on the fracking industry across the state.

What does the Midwest have to do with a clean energy future (or a dirty energy future, it's our choice)? Everything. Did you know that the Midwest region contributes 25 percent of total US carbon emissions (if you include Ohio and Indiana)? That the Midwest relies on coal for 70 percent of its electric power, a larger share than any other region of the United States? That we are home to significant natural gas extraction (fracking) in Ohio and Pennsylvania? And that we house the proposed corridor for the Keystone XL Pipeline feeding our oil addiction from the Alberta Tar Sands, which NASA scientist Dr James Hansen describes as “Game over” for the climate? If you're not outraged you should be.

But that's just one side of the coin. We are also home to some of the largest wind energy potential in the country. The home of multiple hotly contested swing states with Midwest policy-makers who are often neither green-leaning as on the coasts, nor aligned with fossil fuel interests as in the west and south. We have energy efficiency policies in six of our Midwestern states and have promoted the most rigorous cap and trade program in the country. The Midwest is also rich in bio-energy feedstocks for fuels, power, and biogas, from energy crops to agricultural and forestry bioproducts to animal wastes. We house multiple land-grant universities who have research capabilities that are natural drivers and beneficiaries of new energy investment.  We are also home to a manufacturing base that makes everything from turbine towers to turbo-chargers and can drive and prosper from a shift to a low-carbon technology.

Along with all this potential, it also just so happens that we are also home to one of the most vibrant regional youth climate movements in the country. Coincidence? I don't think so! Of the 10,000 young people who descended on the National Power Shift youth summit in Washington DC in 2011, Midwest youth made up almost a quarter of all participants. Midwest youth have played a critical role in getting commitments from ten+ Midwest college and university campuses to move beyond coal. Youth organizers in Detroit, Cleveland and Minneapolis are breathing new life into industrial cities through community partnerships and green economy initiatives focused on clean energy technology and energy efficiency. Youth in Wisconsin are taking Governor Scott walker to task as he attempts to destroy the unions, derail high-speed rail, and undo years of environmental progress across the state. From the Dakotas to Ohio, Midwest youth are taking a stand on environmental justice and organizing in resistance to Tar Sands and the Keystone Pipeline, organizing in tribal communities, on college campuses and in urban and rural counties alike.

If you're not outraged you should be. But I hope you feel the optimism as well. The work ethic that built this country flows strong our veins as we roll up our sleeves and get to work, fueled by a deep love for this land - our great cities, the prairies, the great lakes, the north woods - and all that we know we can be. We are ready for the Midwest to lead the country in the transition to a clean energy economy and ask you to join us in making this vision a reality at Midwest Power Shift. See you in Cleveland!

Midwest Power Shift
October 21st - 23rd
Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH
Registration: wearepowershift.org
Facebook: facebook.com

As summer temps soar across the Midwest so does youth climate activism as momentum grows at an exponential pace across the region. Power Shift 2011 was revealing as Midwest youth participation made up almost a quarter of the 10,000 youth in attendance. But if Power Shift is the indicator, youth themselves are the cause. The Midwest is home to many of the most influential young visionaries in the youth climate movement today and several of the youth initiatives and programs that have been building over the past several years have started to catch fire.

At a glance, the Midwest hosts two of the most exciting programs in country. The ripple effect from Summer of Solutions, launched in 2008 by Grand Aspirations (a youth start-up non-profit based in St Paul, MN), can be felt across the U.S. What began as a local initiative has grown to include 16 youth-run summer programs across the country, including Minneapolis, Detroit, Cleveland and Iowa City. Not only are youth implementing clean energy solutions on the ground, they are also building new partnerships with local businesses, schools, community members, and local policy makers, and creating the green jobs vital to the transition to a clean energy economy. This focus on 'sustainable cities' parallels a growing focus area for Midwest environmental non-profits and foundations and lends itself to exciting cross-generational collaboration. The Will Steger Foundation is proud to play a role in fostering these connections through our Emerging Leaders Program.

The Ohio Student Environmental Coalition (OSEC) is another hot spot on the youth climate map. Currently funded through the Energy Action Coalition and fiscally sponsored by Global Exchange, OSEC has grown in leaps and bounds over the past year. Funding for a full-time Coordinator position has made a huge difference, and enable to statewide network to expand include more schools and a wider range of projects. Perhaps most exciting is the OSEC Don't Frack with Ohio campaign. Student organizers are working closely with community groups and non-profit partners to host strategic meetings across the state. The meetings have had strong turn out and drawn interest from local/state policy makers. The Coalition is also running several other campaigns including the Lake Erie Off-Shore Wind Project, Ohio Beyond Coal, and Smart Transportation for a Smart Generation. OSEC is currently one of the largest and most effective statewide youth network in the country, and is a valuable example of what a well-structured and effective youth network can look like. Janina Klimas, OSEC Coordinator, is also taking the lead in planning Midwest Power Shift, to be held Oct. 7-9 at Cleveland State University.

While these two programs are making an impact on the wider youth movement, youth orgs and programs across the Midwest are hard at work this summer, sweating it out on a variety of issues. WISPIRG is holding Wisconsin Gov. Walker's feet to fire drawing attention to his spending on new roads vs. investment in existing infrastructure and clean transportation options, along with a new community weatherization program. MPIRG is working actively at the municipal level on solid waste legislation as part of their Greener Minneapolis program. National Wildlife Federation, based in Michigan, is continuing it's outreach to community colleges on green jobs training through their Greenforce Initiative. The Sierra Student Coalition welcomed a new Director this spring and just wrapped up their annual Midwest youth training (SPROG) in Indiana this July.