Recognizing SustainUS's work in advancing youth sustainable development advocacy, the Clinton Global Initiative has selected SustainUS to participate in its inaugural Clinton Global Initiative University meeting, March 14-16 at Tulane University! Kyle Gracey will represent SustainUS there, where students from across the country will come to make commitments to addressing national and international needs in four areas: energy and climate change, poverty, human rights and peace, and global health.

A SustainUS sponsored delegation of twenty youth leaders are in two weeks of negotiations, meetings, and actions to demand that world leaders take the bold, global action necessary to avert a climate crisis at the UN Climate Negotiations in Bali, Indonesia. This youth delegation is in Bali to advocate for our generation's right to a clean energy future and to rebuke our government's continued efforts to block progress on capping and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“Our message to world leaders is clear: support a strong, binding agreement to protect young people’s future and build a world that you can be proud to pass onto your children,” said Erin Kenzie, chair of SustainUS.

Watch the SustainUS Bali Video Blog

Or read more at:

It's Getting Hot in Here - Daily dispatches from the youth climate movement's delegates.

Bali Buzz - News and Press Releases from the UN Climate Negotiations in Bali

Agents of Change Delegation Profile and Bios

SustainUS's Policy Papers and Official UNFCCC Submissions

Take Action: Send world leaders a message that you support the youth delegation in Bali

SustainUS was out in full force for 'Climate Week.'  Whit Jones joined our international youth partners at a special UN High-level Summit on Climate to represent youth and children.  Read about the Youth Speech on It's Getting Hot in Here.  And later in the week, members of SustainUS helped host a rally outside of Bush's "Major Emitters Meeting."   Hannah Lee of Columbia University spoke at the rally to declare that President Bush's approach is leading us the Wrong Way and that the UN is the proper forum for climate negotiations.

After several months of planning, research, writing, drafting, editing, re-drafting, and re-writing, the Agents of Change delegates for the COP-13 Bali Delegation have officially completed three submissions to the UNFCCC Secretariat!  These submissions (focused on Adaptation, the Clean Development Mechanism, and Afforestation/Reforestation) not only enable SustainUS positions to reach numerous conference participants and government delegations indirectly through the conference website, but also help kick off the efforts to directly and personally contact and connect with those participants and other target audiences (other youth organizations, NGOs, etc.).  Between now and December, delegates will be working on policy briefings for several other topic areas.  For more information, please contact SustainUS Policy Coordinators Matthew Maiorana (matt.maiorana@sustainus.org) or Dominic MacCormack (dominic@sustainus.org).

 Short Policy Points (overview)

 Deforestation

  Developing Countries

  Mitigation and Sustainability

  Adaptation

 Afforestation/Reforestation

 Clean Development Mechanism

Earlier this month, 15 SustainUSers from across the country gathered at the Black Rock Forest Lodge for a weekend of organizational planning, good food, and fun. Participants ranged in experience from newbies to alumni, and had a wide variety of backgrounds. Sessions on Agents of Change, Citizen Science, geoclusters, soon-to-be-released web tools, internal communication, and alumni engagement kept everyone busy. On Saturday evening, the group celebrated a few recent birthdays and had a mini-rootscamp, a do-it-yourself model of running conference sessions.

 The retreat was also the official start to another year for SustainUS. A big thank-you was given to outgoing Steering Committee members, and a new team was welcomed. Everyone left the lodge excited about what the year will bring!

 Click here to see more photos from the retreat!