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| Franklin Kramer (NATO) |
If you rolled out of bed this morning and joyously thanked your deity of choice for finally sending warm weather, you might be surprised to learn that not everyone is as enthusiastic about this spring’s soaring temperatures.
As the issue of global warming edges its way forward in the media’s spotlight into the public’s consciousness, concerned citizens are finding ways to get out their message.
This past Saturday, Penn hosted Power Shift2007, a conference hosted by 2020 Vision, a non-profit lobby that urges Congress to promote global security and protect the environment by decreasing our dependence on foreign oil and switching to alternative fuels.
The conference, which featured workshops and keynote addresses from former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Franklin Kramer and Congressman Chaka Fattah, drew about 110 people, half of them students, College sophomore and conference organizer Katarina Lackner said.
It’s refreshing to see such a conference take place on Penn’s campus, especially in light of recent, more controversial speakers coming to town.
But if 2020 Vision may have thought it would make a deep impact at one of the nation’s best universities, it was sorely mistaken. As part of its fight to slow global warming, 2020 Vision wants to limit our dependence on foreign oil. According to its website, the group is dedicated to changing “an economy that ships billions of dollars per year overseas, bankrupting our economy and supporting nations that are committed to international terrorism.”
But as I reported a few months ago, Penn hasn’t taken any steps (like making a symbolic or actual divestment) to distance ourselves from companies that buy their oil in the Middle East. If Penn wants to live up to the new green standards sweeping the nation (especially across college campuses), I can only hope that 2020 Vision’s efforts will help influence our own administration.
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