The bustling halls of the United Nations climate negotiations still ringing in my ears, it’s been an incredible few months since I and other youth delegates from SustainUS returned from Bali. So many friends and neighbors emailed or stopped by to say “Thanks for sending your email updates from Bali!” and “Welcome home!” I still feel the excitement of working with the best & brightest of the youth climate movement around the world.

Upon returning from Bali as a US youth delegate, I was filled with hope that humanity will create a global consciousness by rising to meet the climate emergency. In the last few months, worsening scientific predictions have only strengthened my belief that we are the leaders we seek. It’s up to us. We have the power to make the climate emergency, and the immense economic opportunities we will realize from solving it, our top priority. A bold, broad movement is needed on a scale larger than the mobilization for World War II. This mobilization will only be accomplished by unleashing a renewed civic engagement.

“LIGHTEN UP CAROLINE!” ON APRIL 19

As a 24-year old elected Town Councilmember and Deputy Supervisor, I’m SO excited about a new way we’re igniting this movement, right here in my hometown of Caroline, NY, USA. On Saturday April 19, in a massive event called “Lighten Up Caroline!” over 100 volunteers will distribute one energy-saving compact-fluorescent lightbulb to every household in the Town… that’s 1,400 households!!

It’s huge. “Lighten Up Caroline!” will collectively save our town $70,000 in energy bills and reduce carbon emissions by over 800,000 pounds. An incredible team of students from Cornell University and Ithaca College is working with a local group called Energy Independent Caroline to launch the event. SewGreen of Ithaca is mobilizing a series of “sew-ins to save energy” to make bags from reused fabric which will hold the lightblubs and energy conservation information.

It’s news. The project’s already making big news here in central New York. The Syracuse Post-Standard ran it today as a front-page story!! http://www.syracuse.com/poststandard/pageone/pdf/thu-a.pdf Here’s the full story: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1207213258129270.xml&coll=1

It’s us. Many people in Tompkins County have asked me “what can I do to help?” It’s simple — volunteer and help make history! Don’t live in central New York? Tell your friends that real people in small rural towns are taking the climate movement to Hometown, USA.

It’s one of many. “Lighten Up Caroline” is just one example of how ordinary people like us can ignite a spark that can impact an entire community. This and countless other initiatives can and will build the renewed civic engagement we need to meet the climate emergency.

We’re all in this together, and for the long-haul. Whether you live cross the street, across the country, or across the world, you can make a difference when you encourage, support, and inspire. It means more than you know.