NextGen Climate teams up with Pi Lam to keep Trump out of office

On Sept. 8, Penn’s chapter of Pi Lambda Phi teamed up with Pennsylvania organization NextGen Climate to educate and encourage students to vote for candidates who support the fight against climate change.

According to its website, NextGen Climate is an organization that “acts politically to prevent climate disaster and promote prosperity for every American.” The organization works to encourage young people to vote, in an effort to prevent Donald Trump from winning the election. According to NextGen’s webite, “Younger voters have the power to stop Trump. But only when we vote.”

“NextGen Climate is on over 90 campuses in Pennsylvania, registering and educating voters on the importance of voting for candidates who support combating climate change and transitioning to a clean energy economy,” according to an email statement from NextGen.

In conjunction with NextGen, Pi Lam organized a DIY rock show featuring several local musicians. The event served as a venue for NextGen to educate young voters about the importance of climate policy.

“What Pi Lam helped NextGen do was create a space where they could bring this environmental rhetoric to the young people that are interested,” College sophomore and fraternity member Anton Relin said. “It was all in all a very beneficial event because lots of people got to enjoy their time and got to learn about who ... these students should be voting for.”

NextGen reached out to Pi Lam because of the fraternity’s history of openness to serving as the venue for similar events, they said.

“Not only have PA Senator Pat Toomey and Donald Trump vowed to serve the interest of corporate polluters over their own constituents, they’ve also stood for a racist, anti-woman, and xenophobic agenda,” NextGen’s email statement read. “NextGen was proud to host an event with Pi Lam at UPenn, who has a long history of promoting inclusion and acceptance, to talk about the importance of building a future and economy that works for everyone.”

Part of NextGen’s advocacy at Pi Lam included handing out anti-Trump material. Fortunately, according to Relin, there was no backlash in response to these handouts.

“I don’t think we attract those sorts of people,” he said.

Relin was also glad that his fraternity was welcoming to an organization like NextGen climate.

“I’m glad that our space allows for these sorts of events to happen,” he said.

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