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[GreenYes] US YOUTH do MORE TO REDUCE EMISSIONS
Hi Everyone,

This email is important.  It is to let you all know that US Youth is working 
on a campaign to reduce CO2 emissions and we are BETTING that we can do more 
than our president can!!  Below is a press-release and platform explaining 
this action in more detail....If we win this publicized bet, Bush has to go 
to the World Summit meeting in August AND take 4 young representatives with 
him.  Of course if he doesn't win, Bush still has the chance to redeem 
himself, even if we do have to become bicycle rickshaw drivers!

So I ask of you all to please check out www.greenribbonpledge.org and be a 
part of this important task.  Also visit www.sustainus.org to learn more 
about this youth group.

Enjoy!

Evelyn
718.305.3349

********
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 1, 2002            CONTACT: Monika
Kumar, 917.862.5562

U.S. Youth Bet Bush
on Global Warming Emissions

NEW YORK CITY, NY – Today, youth in the United States reached the
halfway point in their historic bet with President Bush. Since April
1, when the bet was launched at the United Nations, they have reduced
carbon dioxide emissions by 10,000 tons; they have until July 31st to
reach the 20,000-ton mark. That feat would have an impact equivalent
to replacing 7,500 gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles with fuel-
efficient cars.

If the youth win, they are asking President Bush to allow five
democratically selected youth to accompany him to the World Summit on
Sustainable Development (WSSD) later this summer in Johannesburg. If
they lose, the youth will volunteer to help the President save energy
by chauffeuring him or a member of his administration in a bicycle
rickshaw for a week.

SustainUS, the organization representing United States youth at the
WSSD, would facilitate the selection of President Bush’s youth
delegates or his rickshaw chauffeurs, depending on the outcome of the
bet.  SustainUS is co-sponsoring the Bet with the Green Ribbon
Pledge, a web-based campaign that records actions taken to conserve
energy and converts those actions to the equivalent emissions saved.
The Bet relies on the same system.

“As a young person, I know that it’s my future at stake on the
negotiating table. I feel that it’s my responsibility to take steps
towards sustainability in my life. I want future generations to grow
up with a safe and clean planet,” said Ariele Foster, organizer for
the Green Ribbon Pledge in Washington, D.C.

[The Union of Concerned Scientists…]

“If we’re serious about sustainable development in this country, we
have to re-examine our consumption patterns,” declared Lockey White,
a young professional from Portland, Oregon. “In particular, we have
to conserve energy. Carbon dioxide has doubled in the atmosphere
since the start of the industrial revolution, and we in the United
States release the most. Everybody in the world has responsibilities
in order to achieve sustainable development; responsible consumption
is one of ours.”

Clearly, the youth will have to pick up their pace if they hope to
reach their 20,000-ton target. Still, they remain confident. “I’ve
been talking to youth on the street for a couple of months now, and I
can say with confidence that youth care about sustainable
development,” said Daniel Jones, the chief Bet coordinator for
SustainUS and a student at Hunter College in New York City. “No one
stops to talk and then says, ‘Sorry, I don’t care about the
environment’ or, ‘this kind of thing isn’t for me.’ Youth care, so
it’s just a matter of getting to them. And we will.”


For more information, visit www.greenribbonpledge.org or
www.sustainUS.org


United States of America Youth Platform
Drafted January 27, 2002, Revised June 7, 2002

I.      The Vision of the Youth of the United States of America
Youth comprise thirty percent of the world’s population and are the
first generation to feel the effects of the previous generation’s
policy decisions. With that in mind, we, the youth of the United
States of America, deserve and will take an active role in
determining the world’s course of action on sustainable development.
Our vision of the future is characterized by:
A.      Reduced and responsible consumption;
B.      A socially and environmentally conscious investment climate;
C.      United States’ adherence to international commitments and
cooperative participation with the international community; and
D.      United States’ solidarity with the Global South to eliminate
economic, health, and technological gaps by canceling foreign debt,
working to eradicate poverty, financing HIV/AIDS research and
treatment, preventing war and violent conflict, and seeking climate
justice.

II.      Youth of the United States of America since the Earth Summit
Since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED), or Earth Summit in 1992, the youth of the United States of
America have created networks for activism and advocacy, developed
youth-to-youth education programs, formed and enrolled in
environmental training programs, and implemented Agenda 21 on the
local level through programs like college campus energy audits and
comprehensive greening plans.

III.      Our Challenge to the Government of the United States of
America
We challenge our government to:
A.      Engage youth in the policy making process by requiring youth
delegates with equal standing in all levels of government, especially
at the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development, providing
visas to foreign youth delegates, and funding youth networks and
organizations;
B.      Finance Sustainable Development initiatives, including:
i.      A recommitment of 0.7% of our Gross Domestic Product to
developing countries as Official Development Assistance;
ii.      A substantive reevaluation of domestic governance
transparency and subsequent implementation of meaningful campaign
finance reform;
iii.      The termination of perverse subsidies and corporate welfare;
and
iv.      A reallocation of national and international funds into
clean, sustainable, and affordable energy and the preservation and
conservation of land.
C.      Show a commitment to Sustainable Development by:
i.      Sending a high level delegation, including the President, to
the World Summit on Sustainable Development;
ii.      Assessing the United States implementation of Agenda 21;
iii.      Incorporating Sustainable Development into Public School
curricula;
iv.      Creating a national agency for Sustainable Development that
utilizes a peer review process in partnership with civil society; and
v.      Joining the international community in multilateral
environmental agreements, including the Kyoto Protocol and the
Convention on Biological Diversity.

IV.      Our Challenge to the United Nations
We challenge the United Nations to Limit corporate influence in
international decision making to its rightful place, the business and
industry major group.

V.       The Pledge of the Youth of the United States of America
Youth in the United States of America will further implement Agenda
21, increase our voice though political action, diversify and expand
SustainUS to represent and empower us, advocate for our vision at the
World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, and continue
to educate our peers, our communities, and ourselves.


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