Over 1,000 'free the planet' at conference

More than 1,000 college students from across the country joined together to "free the planet" this weekend. The Free the Planet Conference was held on campus in preparation for the 25th anniversary of Earth Day, which will occur in April. The conference's goal was to plan a future movement to save the planet, according to Barbara Dudley, executive director for Greenpeace, USA. Dudley set the mood for the conference with her opening discussion of "The Future of the Environmental Movement." She said the reason Greenpeace has not been successful in protecting the Earth is because it went directly to Congress in an attempt to gain aid. "We must trust the people," she said. Dudley said the enemies of Earth conservation are corporations. She said it is pointless to appeal only to legislators because "the corporations own Congress." Instead, the movement must ask the people to raise their voices and define "right and wrong," she said. Dudley emphasized that Greenpeace was begun in the 1970s largely as a student movement, adding that students control the future of the Earth. Dudley said the only way to save the planet is to take control of government policy by appealing to the people. "We must say 'no' to corporate power in our government," she said. The second speaker was Britta Ipri, chairman of the National Student Forum of the student Public Interest Research Groups. Ipri said the youth are the future of environmental movements, adding that student-funded and directed groups are very influential. She said the people of the world must "create a new community on our planet." The companies who are responsible for pollution are at fault, not the people, she said. "Environmental groups are attacked from all angles," she said. The final panel speaker was Carl Pope, the executive director of the Sierra Club. "The future is being planned ruthlessly and systematically," he said. "We face the greatest challenge that anyone has ever faced. We must use the scant time we have to free the planet." He fiercely attacked the 104th Congress, which he said is trying to dismantle environmental laws such as the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Air Act. He added that Congress is composed of "Social Darwinists" who are allowing the Earth to be destroyed. "Social Darwinists believe that competition is the purpose of life, that humans are the only species that matters, and that only individuals count," Pope said. "They invented the concept of 'winners and losers.'" Pope emphasized that the importance of the conference is that "the present depends on us." The conference then broke down into small discussion groups that allowed students to get to know each other better and network. The students reconvened Saturday for workshop sessions, which were the main activity of the weekend. Students were able to choose four workshops from the more than 100 offered as well as listen to a number of speakers. On Sunday, the conference continued with its final workshop and two panel discussions entitled "Future of Activism" and "Reflections on Environmental Action." The conference concluded with a march to Independence Hall, rally and press conference. "I think it is heartening and thrilling to see over 1,000 students come from 35 states to speak out for the environment," said Pete Smith, a field director for the United States PIRG. "Now is the time to act to save the environment and these are the people who will do it."

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