Excitement is building here in Washington, as the Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour winds its way through Indiana and Ohio, before arriving in town tomorrow night.

The arrival of the bus tour coincides with the Organize to be Heard fly-in, with great events on tap for the week that includes several trips to Capitol Hill, as well as a press conference with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.

Featuring DJ Biz Markie, Jackson, Alliance for Climate Protection CEO Maggie Fox, youth activists and performers, we will be taking over outside the capitol reflecting pool on Wednesday at 11:30.

Before that big event, many of the same people will be rallying for clean energy outside of the Verizon Center, where Will.I.Am and the Black Eyed Peas will be performing on Tuesday night. The Clean Energy Now! Tour Bus will be outside the building, just blocks from the Capitol. Check back for more information on the blog and Twitter.

The tour has been through Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri so far, while spending today in Indianapolis.

The Organize to be Heard challenge wrapped up earlier this month and now has the winning youth in town for events the like of meetings with John Kerry and other activities on Capitol Hill, as well as the two events above.

The voice’s of this nation’s youth need to be heard as we fight for clean energy and climate legislation that is long overdue. Our future is at stake. And we are organizing to win.

The last few months have been a roller coaster ride for the youth climate movement, with both tremendous victories and serious disappointments. However, one constant has been the unwavering passion and dedication of youth climate activists laying the ground work for our clean energy future.

It’s been exciting and inspiring to see the thousands of letters and phone calls generated as part of the Organize to be Heard Challenge, and it’s a sure sign that this is a fight we will win.

As a reminder, this is the last week of the Organize to be Heard Challenge. Make sure you report all actions before the deadline to earn points for the challenge.

http://consequence09.org/challenge/reporting/

Submissions close this Friday, February 12th at 11:59pm EST!

Winners will be announced on Monday, and details for the DC fly-in (and lunch with Senator Kerry!) will be coming soon.

Keep up the great work!

P.S. If you have any questions about the Challenge or problems with reporting, let us know. Send us an email at contact@consequence09.org to get in touch.

Last October, John Kerry laid out the stakes in a call with over 300 youth climate leaders: a clean energy future is only possible if we — as a generation — make our voice heard.

In response, we launched the Organize to be Heard Challenge, and thousands of young people have stepped up, generating thousands of phone calls, handwritten letters and petitions demanding action on climate and clean energy.

Unfortunately, despite the overwhelming call for action, there is one roadblock where all progress stops: our broken U.S. Senate. The Senate needs to know we’re sick of leaders who fail to lead and tired of government which fails to govern. They need to know that we’re not idealistic, we’re angry.

Call your Senator and tell them to stop standing in the way of our clean energy future!

This Thanksgiving, the climate movement has a big reason to be thankful: you.

Our generation is mobilized and making an impact on leaders in Washington. Over a thousand activists have already joined the Organize to be Heard Challenge, generating hundreds of handwritten letters and phone calls to the Senate.

Returning home for the holidays is a chance to build on this success and reach another audience. Make clean energy action part of your Thanksgiving celebration with your friends and family. Here’s how:

1. Turkey - Talk turkey about climate. During your Thanksgiving dinner talk to your friends and family about the climate organizing you are doing and ask them to get involved.
   Show them the Organize to be Heard video
2. Stuffing - Stuff envelopes with letters to your Senators demanding strong action to stop climate change and create clean energy jobs. Bring the supplies with you to your holiday gathering and tell them why you and your family care enough to take time out of of your Thanksgiving.
   Print out this sample letter to get you started
3. Pie - Take the next step and call your Senators to make your voice heard.
   Using our click-to-call tool, calling the Senate is simple as pie

Don’t forget to report the action you generate and earn points for Organize to be Heard.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo Credit: stevevoght

Sparty celebrating a succesful clean energy event

Tom Izzo and the Michigan State basketball team aren’t the only ones off to a strong start this season. The Spartans have also jumped to an early lead in the Organizing to be Heard Challenge, racking up hundreds of letters and phone calls asking Senators Levin and Stabenow to support clean energy.

As The State News Reports:

On Wednesday night, students from Spartans Repowering America, the MSU chapter of the national organization Repower America, painted the rock on Farm Lane in an effort to promote a larger interest in their cause. Overall, the group collected more than 100 letters and several video testimonies from students.

Some of the goals of Repower America include creating a green economy, bringing jobs to Michigan, ending dependency on foreign oil, increasing national security and creating a clean environment for future generations, Starke said.

“I think it’s important for students to have the opportunity to communicate with senators,” Starke said. “Clean energy is important for our future and anything we can do to be a part of our government is important.”

Read the rest at The State News