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My first day in D.C. was a pleasant experience…
 
Waking up early to get from Virginia to Washington DC and weave through the commuter traffic to make it to the Mother Jones offices to meet Kate Sheppard, a reporter and blogger for the magazine. I was given this opportunity to shadow Kate through Focus the Nation; she did a conference call to teach the Focus Coordinators about working with the media and I held onto that connection… it has already been worthwhile.
 
Although there was not much interaction between a blogger and her understudy this Monday morning, the day went by rather quickly. I was introduced to many things that have led me to writing this blog. My main question that I have been pondering on for some time now, as I visit various news sites, listen the radio and intake world occurrences… “where do these journalists find all of their information?” The answer is blatantly obvious but to me seemed overwhelming.
 

 
The World Wide Web.
 
The Internet has so many different resources and I must say I have been intimidated to explore them. With a new RSS site organizer, Twitter and blog, this 25th day of July 2011, I have began my life as a journalist. Or should I say MoJo- mobile journalist (as I learned in the Newseum this afternoon).
 
With my heavy laptop in my bag and painful shoes, I took the general advise from Kate and took the rest of the day to walk to the Newseum on Pennsylvania Ave. With six floors of documented history and interactive reminders of the transformation in which our world communicates events, I had an hour to choose where I would like to focus my time.
 
The reoccurring theme that has come up the past few days led me to select the two floors focusing on the rapid development of technology and communication. As I sit in a bookstore whose competition is going out of business nationwide, there is no telling what tomorrow will bring. I remember growing up with a huge, fat back computer and a printer that could wake up the neighbors with its banner paper and loud shrieks. The Internet was new and my only business was found in the paint application.
 
Now in 2011 I am on my way to day 2 of my internship and typing on my smart phone. This is not a new topic of discussion, but acknowledging the speed at which things have changed throughout my lifetime is something that will move me forward into the new age world.
 
Going from the first commercial radio show in 1920, to electronic television transmission only 7 years later, it only accelerated from there. Television showed the world Martin Luther King Jr., the Kennedy assassination, race riots, the deaths in Vietnam and the protests in the states against it. As media began gaining more and more influence, it seemed the focus changed as things became more commercialized. With the pop culture obsession with the O.J. Simpson trial, U.S. was captivated in the murder mystery drama while Rwanda was experiencing mass genocide. Where the media puts its emphasis, the people follow.
 
In 1984 “Machine of the Year” was the first Macintosh computers, 'star trek fantasy’s smart computers’, Internet, cell phones, now I’ve got my Apple smart phones and rapid on the spot updates. On my way over here I even saw wifi Internet on the plane! 
 
So while years ago audiences were captivated through some main sources of media; today, Facebook, Twitter and blogs have shown us the drought in East Africa, climate change, wars and revolts all throughout the Middle East and worldwide natural disasters, yet the people care less than before. With more voices and citizen journalists than ever before providing specific facts, calling out names and eyewitness details that the press isn’t able to, the information pool is overflowing. Not only are our networks hosting great accessible news, but falsified conclusions and extra junk float through the cyber portals which diminish the credibility of the media. Along with the many conveniences we have today, there is much more responsibility that comes with it—to uncover the truth.
 
With a connection to everyone from all over the world via technology, there is so much potential for social advancements. While new updates like the tablets and gadgets will continuously impress the people… censorship, inequalities and lack of togetherness trump it all.

 

Last month Focus the Nation wrapped up our inaugural annual retreat for rising clean energy leaders, ReCharge!.  We hosted 20 students from every corner of the country to spend one week together on the south face of Oregon’s iconic Mt. Hood. It’s impossible to recap how empowering this week was for these leaders, but these amazing pictures from Roots Fellowship winners The Perennials Project come close:

 

We kicked off ReCharge! with The Energy Tour.  With energy grid experts from Portland General Electric on hand to field questions, we explored three different energy plants to breakdown the disconnect from consumers and their power.  The Energy Tour opened our eyes to what really happens when we flip the switch and the people and communities whose livelihoods are connected to our energy choices.   

“I’ve been working in the youth climate movement for the past five years and I’ve never been to a dam, a wind farm, or a coal plant before.”

  

We started the day at a low-impact hydro dam that’s restoring salmon runs on the upper Deschutes River.  Round Butte is the only hydro dam in the US jointly owned by a Native American tribe and a utility, and its low-impact design is the only one of its kind around the world.  

  

The wind turbines in the horizon led the way as we drove through windy Wasco, Oregon to Biglow Canyon Wind Farm.  Biglow is Portland General Electric’s largest renewable project, with 217 turbines generating an average of 150MW and powering 125,000 homes.  

 

Our final stop was the Boardman Coal Plant, Oregon’s only coal plant and largest single source of greenhouse gases.  Boardman is scheduled to close in 2020 and PGE is exploring ways to transition the plant to alternative energy sources, such as biomass.  We toured the facility, watched trains bringing coal into the plant, and met Boardman workers.

 

“I really enjoyed getting to hear from Sania [PGE Director of Government Affairs] about PGE's experience with retiring a coal plant. For me that has always been the ultimate goal but it was good to see a realistic perspective of the process. It was also great to see the coal plant in person and interact with the people because it reiterated the fact that coal plants are not necessarily the enemy.”

“This tour helped me to see things from a different perspective. I didn't understand how coal, hydro, or wind power worked but now I have a better idea of the technical side. The coal plant opened my eyes to how complex the transition to clean energy will be.”

“The whole day was unbelievably valuable. All climate & clean energy advocates talk about new and old forms of power production, but today we were able to talk with them. Not only do I think that the stories I learned today will grant me more legitimacy as a clean energy advocate, but I think they will truly inform what and why I advocate for energy reforms."

In the evenings we heard from speakers representing each different types of clean energy leaders--Innovators, Storytellers, Politicos, and Technicians.  World champion athlete and climate activist Alison Gannett encouraged the Delegates to take risks...  

“She showed us that just by following your heart and saying yes to new opportunities you can have a profound impact on the world around you, for the better.”  

“She is the epitome of what I aspire to be one day. She is beyond inspiring and I'm so thankful to have been exposed to her and her work. Thank you FTN!”

Cutting-edge biofuels innovator and start-up entrepreneur Dr. David Klein-Marcuschamer shared the experiences that shaped him into a successful young leader....

“Daniel was fantastic! It was great to hear his perspective on how an innovator can be successful.”

“AMAZING!”

 

Horizon Wind’s VP of Communications and Government Affairs Roby Roberts shared his knowledge as a Politico...

“Roby had a wealth of practical policy and industry information to share with us. I really appreciated hearing his perspective as someone who has been directly involved in the industry for years.”

“It was easy to approach him and his wealth of knowledge is incredible. I feel really inspired by his broad experience and how he approached all the opportunities and decisions that came up in his life. “

….and one of McKinstry’s top electrical engineers, Grayson Hart.

“Very insightful explanation of how Technicians find their role in the process.”

“Great, thought-provoking discussion! Got me thinking about how as a Storyteller I could contribute to what Grayson said was the major challenge: to get people to do things in a NEW way!”

 

On the last day, we all hiked the north face of Mt. Hood to Eliot Glacier and experienced the impact of climate change firsthand as we witnessed the tremendous snowpack loss since 1982.  

With facilitation provided by FTN partner, The Center for Whole Communities, the twenty ReCharge! Delegates have now returned to their campus communities more energized than ever and ready to lead this year’s Forums-to-Action program: ENERGY INNOVATION.

“Thank you Focus the Nation for blessing and enriching my life with the ReCharge retreat. I’ll remember it for as long as I live.”

Stay tuned in the coming months for some great footage from the retreat that The Perennials Project captured.