Delaney, What Can I Do To Help?
What can I do to help? That’s easily the number one question I get asked during my lectures and public events. Especially by young people. Today I am pleased to offer you a new answer that is quick and simple, but ever so important.
I’d like you to sign a petition that demands that Florida’s government actually enforce our existing laws by implementing rules that set a goal that requires 100% of our state’s electricity will come from renewable energy by 2050! And I would also like you to share the link with all of your friends too. Any Floridian age 25 or younger can sign the petition and immediately have your voice heard by becoming part of the solution.
This month, January 2022, three friends of mine (Valholly, Isaac and Levi, ages 18, 16 and 14) and I are formally demanding that the State of Florida government take action by enforcing our existing laws and take action to make Florida 100% reliant on renewable energy by 2050. We want you to join us by signing a petition so that Florida’s leaders know that Florida’s youth are serious about our government doing more than just talking about the issue. We want, and I know you do too, to see actual action.
Most adults in charge today simply talk about the issue and fail us, our future and our environment by nearly never actually acting to address the core problem; fossil fuel pollution that creates greenhouse gases that are warming earth to dangerous levels. The sad fact of the matter is that in a place called the ‘sunshine state’ only 4.3% of our state’s energy is currently derived from renewable sources such as solar power and that’s pathetic.
The good news is that we have a law in place that allows Florida’s government to enact actual change right now if only our leaders were compelled to do more about the problem than talk about it while they protect the special interests and polluters that want to avoid or delay the changes we must implement to solve this crisis. This is where you and your friends can become agents of change by demanding action today.
On January 5th my friends and I plan to deliver something called a Petition for Rulemaking to Commissioner Nikki Fried that asks the Department of Agriculture that she leads to use its explicit authority under Florida law to promulgate a rule establishing a goal of 100% renewable energy from the electricity sector by 2050. Commissioner Fried, whose is also running for Florida Governor in 2022, often talks about the importance of having our leaders move our state towards clean energy by ‘breaking the system’ but in nearly four years of service she has failed to actually take any meaningful action. Now’s her opportunity to do more than talk about the issue by embracing our Petition and now is your chance to demand she and the State actually do something to help solve our core climate problem.
I would greatly appreciate you supporting me and my friends by signing the Petition. We see the steps that we are taking as an opportunity to demand action while also placing our climate crisis at the forefront of the Florida Governor’s race at a critical time. Helping us put this Petition on Commissioner Fried’s desk – signed by as many young people in Florida as we can possibly reach! – while she’s actively campaigning might just force her to “walk her talk” on climate issues or, perhaps, our request will reveal that her self-professed “strong” climate agenda is nothing but more hot air. In any case, I need your help. Florida’s environment and our planet need your help.
Please join us by signing the Petition today and sharing this important youth led initiative with as many of your friends as absolutely possible. Our climate, environment and society is running out of time and now its time for young people to DEMAND the changes we want and deserve.
