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AMERICA’S STUDENTS COME TOGETHER TO DEMAND CLIMATE ACTION

KNOW TOMORROW effort to unify students at over 50 US universities, with a National Campus Day of Action on October 2nd demanding action on climate change

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Washington, DC (September 10, 2015) – Today, The Climate Reality Project and the non-profit organization Cool Globes, Inc. announced KNOW TOMORROW, an effort that will unite and amplify thousands of students, activists, politicians, and celebrities across the country demanding climate action. A key component will be a National Campus Day of Action on October 2, which will help focus and leverage existing millennial support for climate action at the state level with the Clean Power Plan, and internationally in the lead up to the COP21 climate negotiations in Paris.

“We want the world to hear the voices of students demanding action on climate change,” said Tulane University student Lauren Curry. “This isn’t an issue about our children or grandchildren, this is about OUR generation – and we want to ensure a better tomorrow.”

KNOW TOMORROW will help focus existing student efforts and synchronize the millennials’ voices already demanding action on climate change. This effort will help students recruit their peers and add their voices to the hundreds of thousands worldwide demanding strong emissions reductions commitments from their leaders at the Paris climate negotiations. 

Student leaders are organizing on over 50 campuses across the country that are critical for the implementation of the Clean Power Plan, including states that will hold political significance leading up to the 2016 presidential election. Universities with a KNOW TOMORROW presence include:

  • Bates College
  • Boston College
  • Boston University
  • Brown University
  • Colorado State University
  • Dartmouth College
  • DePaul University
  • Florida International University
  • Georgetown University
  • George Washington
  • Georgia College
  • Harvard University
  • Howard University
  • Iowa State University
  • Kansas State
  • Loyola University Chicago
  • Michigan State University
  • Morgan State University
  • New York University
  • North Carolina State
  • Northwestern University
  • Ohio University
  • Pennsylvania State University
  • Pitzer College
  • Plymouth State University
  • Pomona College
  • Purdue University
  • Scripps College
  • Stanford University
  • Swarthmore College
  • Texas A&M University
  • The Ohio State University
  • Tufts University
  • Tulane University
  • Tuskegee University
  • University of California, Irvine
  • University of California Los Angeles
  • University of Central Florida
  • University of Colorado Boulder
  • University of Arkansas
  • University of Chicago
  • University of Dayton
  • University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
  • University of Iowa
  • University of Kansas
  • University of Miami
  • University of Michigan
  • University of Nebraska Lincoln
  • University of New Hampshire
  • University of North Carolina
  • University of Notre Dame
  • University of Oregon
  • University of Southern Florida
  • University of Texas
  • University of Texas San Antonio
  • University of Virginia
  • University of Southern California
  • Vanderbilt University
  • Virginia Commonwealth University
  • Washington University in St. Louis
  • Yale University

Campus events include:

  • Former Vice President & Climate Reality Chairman Al Gore will speak to students at Stanford University
  • An afternoon of live music and speakers in the Boston Common
  • All-day programming at Pomona College, including an eco-fair showcasing dozens of environmental groups and speakers on the subject of climate change
  • A second-line jazz procession in New Orleans, hosted by students at Tulane University
  • A 5k “Run Like There’s No Tomorrow” race in Washington, D.C. with students from Georgetown University and George Washington University
  • A “Don’t Let It Melt!” - themed Ice Cream Social at University of Dayton

KNOW TOMORROW not only has the support of students, professors, faculty, and activists, but celebrities have weighed in to lend their support as well. Shepard Fairey is designing campus posters, and musical artists – including Common, My Morning Jacket, and Train – appeared in a video to promote the campaign. Environmental leaders such as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will speak on campuses, and dozens of other celebrities will lend their help via social media.

“Support for climate action is building around the world – but we can do very little without the millennial generation,” said Climate Reality President & CEO Ken Berlin. “Young people, and especially students, bring an unmatched enthusiasm to their activism – they want a say in the future of the world they will inherit. Through this new effort, we hope to empower passionate millennials with the tools they need to help solve the climate crisis.”

“It’s inspiring to see so many young people champion this cause and take ownership over the future of our planet,” said Founder of Cool Globes and KNOW TOMORROW Wendy Abrams. “A lot has changed over the past decade and I think we’re finally hitting a tipping point with the movement. Our kids know what climate change means and they know what tomorrow holds if they don’t take action now.”

Climate Reality and Cool Globes’ partners in this effort include Defend Our Future, Earth Guardians, Farm-Aid, 350.org, Sierra Club, NRDC, Generation Progress, Live Earth, Next Gen Climate, OurTime.org, Grammy Museum, Climate Central, Participant Media, Ian Somerhalder Foundation, Attn: Media, Ben and Jerry’s, Vita Coco, Kind Bars, Solar City, Climate Action Campaign, White House Council on Environmental Quality, Goldman Sachs, and the Waterkeeper Alliance.

KNOW TOMORROW will also help millennials add their voices to a number of other Climate Reality campaigns: student leaders will also play key roles in the US effort for the Road to Paris campaign, Climate Reality Leadership Corps trainings, and 24 Hours of Reality: the World is Watching.

For more information, visit www.knowtomorrow.org or follow the campaign on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For media inquiries, contact [email protected].

About KNOW TOMORROW

KNOW TOMORROW is a student-led campaign to demand action on climate change, launching with a national Day of Action on October 2nd, 2015. With students at more than 50 schools participating and dozens of environmental and corporate partners, KNOW TOMORROW’s mission is to empower the students to take action to create a better tomorrow.

About The Climate Reality Project

The Climate Reality Project is one of the world’s leading organizations dedicated to mobilizing action around climate change. With a global movement more than 5 million strong and a grassroots network of trained Climate Reality Leaders, we are spreading the truth and unleashing cultural momentum to solve the climate crisis. Former US Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore is the Founder and Chairman of The Climate Reality Project. For more information, visit www.climaterealityproject.org or follow us on Twitter at @ClimateReality.

About Cool Globes

Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet, is a public art exhibition designed to raise awareness of solutions to climate change.  Cool Globes grew out of a commitment at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2005, and was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 2006.  Since that time, Cool Globes premiered in Chicago and went on tour across North America, Europe, and the Middle East, has been translated into nine languages and been viewed by millions of people of all ages.

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