Specter visits Drexel, speaks about global warming
Zohaib Ahmad
Issue date: 4/17/09 Section: News
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The main goals as highlighted by the presentation were for 100 percent renewable energy, tax on carbon and the presence of green jobs, according to Nathan Taylor, a junior mechanical engineering and the event's organizer.
Students were the main target of the town hall, according to Taylor.
"We're trying to make a point that students matter, seeing that Specter is up for re-election, he should listen to the students," Taylor said.
Specter said his main platform in running for re-election is global warming, a generational issue that would affect those in the future if people do not act now. Through his visit to Drexel, Specter said he hopes to induce action from the students to solve the problem of global warming.
Specter discussed his interest in energy renewal and said the issue of global warming is overdue in congressional legislature and a matter that requires all our attention. He highlighted the Bingaman-Specter bill that he helped write and is currently in congress, which works toward a low carbon economy and is similar to the one of similar name, Bingaman-Specter "Low Carbon Economy Act," passed in 2007.
"We have to have a bill as aggressive as possible with the following two things: a realistic chance of passing and to establish goals that are within the current technology," Specter said.
After Specter's public appearance, he held a closed-door session with his energy aid, a group of panelists and Drexel students.
The panelists included Audrey Zibelman, CEO of Viridity Energy, Inc., Kate Houstoun, member of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, Scott Edward Anderson, co-leader and founder of the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Business Network, and State Rep. Kenyatta Johnson (D-Pa.).
Zibelman spoke on the idea of a smart grid and how energy can be optimized for effective use by choice alone.
"We are moving to an era where systems themselves can become a choice. You will get to choose how much energy you use, how green you want to be, and how efficient you want to be," Zibelman said.
Anderson discussed how Philadelphia should be the leader in clean energy use.
"Electricity was discovered by Benjamin Franklin. I know it is a joke, but it is serious. Let's recapture this and recharge the system," Anderson said.
Alongside energy, green jobs were also discussed by the panel.
According to Houstoun, there will not be a shortage of training for green jobs; however, Johnson said students need to be more involved in general with incorporating clean energy into society.
Taylor agreed with this sentiment and said, "You don't necessarily create jobs that are green. [Students] should look for ways they should integrate green into their jobs."
The event, which is hosted by the Drexel Sierra Club and Campus Progress, was the first of 103 town halls across the country by Focus the Nation, an organization aimed at educating youth about climate change and a clean-energy future.
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