The first person I saw when I walked into the Convention Center today was Tom Owens, CCAN’s former Virginia Student Organizer. Last year he was running around UMD wearing a headband with antennas, trying to get students to sign a petition against the Wise County Coal plant. This year, with another new coal plant being planned in Surry, VA, it seems like history repeating itself. Except this time, we’re in the Convention Center, and we’re not a few thousand, we’re over 10,000. And, we’re not fighting a backward administration, we have Obama, who just a few days ago called for a cap on carbon emissions.

The huge formal rooms that house the Auto Show and corporate big wigs are now hosting the largest gathering of students in the history of the climate movement. All these students share a passion for the environment
I remember last year’s key note speech by Nancy Pelosi. Power Shifters filled up only about