Pushing the Positive

Jamie Racine joined the Will Steger Foundation in 2009 as a member of the Expedition Copenhagen delegation, led in part by polar explorer Will Steger. Armed with a passion for service, a commitment to environment, a beaming smile, and clever camera, Jamie represented Wisconsin youth at the UNFCCC COP15 international climate negotiations last December, calling for a just and binding global climate treaty and documenting the expedition experience for viewers back home. Jamie recently opened her doors to a team of young bike riders traveling across the US on their way to the COP16 negotiation in Cancun, and shared her reflections with us below.

"What are your thoughts on Copenhagen?" A simple question posed to me over a post-dinner clean-up by Katherine, a noble young woman biking across the country with a small group of her friends, a few laptops and a video camera in search of solutions, out of desire of wanting to be a part of the solution. She and I share a passion and desire to be a part of one of many solutions to the climate realities we face, but, in all honesty, I am still not sure of my thoughts on Copenhagen. The feelings that rocket through my heart are still raw... they still sting with uncertainty. Yet, after pulling the memories forward to share, I find they are still rife with passion.

I flew home from Denmark at the end of 2009 ... speechless. I melded into the holidays at home; I found myself almost avoiding the conversation of my recent life-changing experience. I had no tangible solution to speak of, and this left the words caught in my throat.

Over the course of the first few months of 2010, I found my voice. I spent my time speaking to high school students, community organizations across Southeastern Wisconsin and my family. In reliving this global experience, I found that in each of our communities, on each of our streets, in each of our homes and hearts lies the solution. This is a humanitarian issue that must be addressed as such. Science supports it and can guide us in developing solutions to curb impending realities, but, ultimately, it is the responsibility of each of us to care for ourselves, our families and our communities, acknowledging that our climate is changing ways that threaten every aspect of our lives.

So what did I do to take my share of the responsibility? I organized the Wisconsin Clean Energy Forum to bring solution-based conversation to Wisconsin. I talk, every day, to someone new about one part of this issue. I work with young people, with teens, to develop civic-minded leaders that believe in themselves and believe in their ability to be a part of the solution NOW.

I am working every day to do my part to put this issue in my daughter Madeline's history books. I wake up every morning knowing that I have a responsibility to build a strong, noble legacy for my family and for the generations after me that walk Lake Michigan's shoreline and Wisconsin's parks and streets.

These riders are doing a great thing - inspiring conversation by sharing the stories of solution-minded, creative projects that are fueled by the passion of individuals establishing their legacy in the history books of their community and the scrapbooks of their family. We need sustainable policies, economics and community development - but all that follows the power of people doing it anyways. The power of people who are moving ahead of our governments, businesses and local leadership to challenge us to push ourselves further than what understand to be "the way things are". We must continue to live it and demand it from our leaders.

Before leaving my home, Alec, another rider, told me that we do not yet know the impact of all the positive movements we have witnessed and been a part of over the past few years - 350.org, You Tube videos and blogs documenting the real stories around the world - so, we must keep putting it out there. We must keep pushing the positive into our communities and ourselves. So that is what I will continue to do.

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Several of the 2009 Expedition Copenhagen delegates will be attending the COP16 negotiations this year in Cancun. You can follow their stories and those of other US youth delegates at www.sustainUS.org

The Will Steger Foundation is proud to sponsor Alec, Katherine and rest of the Solutions Revolution cross-country bike riders in their accreditation for COP16. You can see their images and follow their progress at www.solutionsrevolution.org.