An Awesome Annapolis Afternoon 02/07/2010
 Last week I had the opportunity to go to Annapolis with UMD for Clean Energy and attend a lobby meeting with some of our delegates. We also went to the 16th Annual Environmental Legislative Summit. The whole experience was enlightening and a lot of fun. I have never lobbied before or been able to meet with a state representative or important political figure and was a bit nervous. However, the lobby meeting was not intimidating like I had imagined. The delegates listened to what we had to say, were genuinely concerned about the issues we discussed, and even signed onto a bill that we were lobbying for in the midst of the meeting. I was pleasantly surprised with my first lobbying experience and would definitely like to be involved with lobbying in the future. The Environmental Legislative Summit was also a wonderful experience. Representatives from a wide variety of environmental groups were present to discuss specific environmental issues in Maryland and to seek support for their causes. I found the summit very informative and interesting. It helped me get a better grasp on the overall state of environmental affairs in Maryland. The trip to Annapolis was a new experience that I enjoyed because it helped me witness the inner workings of environmental policy and made me feel like it is absolutely possible for students to take an interest in an issue and be able to make a difference in how that issue is resolved. - Melissa Etheridge, New Member CommentsLeave a Reply |  AuthorUMD for Clean Energy is a student activist group at the University of Maryland. In the past, they have successfully petitioned the university and University System of Maryland Board of Regents to commit to carbon neutrality by 2050. This past spring, they were successful in collaborating with statewide environmental groups to pass the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act, which sets the strongest short-term emissions reduction target in the nation – 25 percent reductions from 2006 levels by 2020. The group has also recently engaged at the federal level, lobbying for climate legislation which passed the House of Representatives this past June and will be considered by the Senate in the fall. ArchivesMarch 2010 Categories |
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