CFACT’s top student activists from
around the nation eagerly flocked to Port Charlotte, Florida for the annual
“Eco Summit” student retreat over their winter break. While the Collegians
gathered to escape the cold winter for a few days in the “Sunshine State,” they
returned fired up and ready to shed light on the faulty arguments presented by
their peers and professors at their campuses.
16 student leaders from Minnesota,
Louisiana, Virginia, Ohio, New York, and West Virginia heard from policy
experts such as James Taylor of the Heartland Institute, CFACT President Craig
Rucker, hunting advocate and media expert Gabriella Hoffman, and Captain Travis
Thompson, a fisherman’s guide with extensive knowledge on Florida’s water
quality. In addition, attendees visited a manatee refuge center made
possible by warm water coming from a nearby coal and natural gas fired power
plant, and got some fun bonding time in the sun at Venice Beach.
“As someone who goes to a very progressive university, hearing the facts
behind the scientific argument about climate change and what our side – the
facts that we have that backs up our argument, is going to be really useful
when I take it back to campus,” explained Marcus Maldonado of Tulane University
in New Orleans.
“I really liked the water quality talk, I thought it was super
interesting,” said Abby Draiss, a junior at the Ohio State University on
Captain Travis Thompson’s discussion on how to solve issues like Red Tide and
invasive species to Florida’s ecosystem.
“I found [James Taylor’s] talk very interesting,” said Sarah
Knickerbocker, a law student at Syracuse University. “He has a lot of knowledge
about hydraulic fracturing, in particular how it pertains to New York and
upstate New York.”
As newly elected members of Congress like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez try to
appeal to millenials by advocating for policies such as the “Green New
Deal,” CFACT’s efforts on college campuses are more important than ever, and
are seeing incredible impact.
“I’m very excited to take back what I learned to campus,” said Maggie
Anders, a junior at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette.
David Bucarey, a sophomore at George Mason University in northern
Virginia said: “One of my favorite topics was about…how hunting was actually
helping keep extinction away from animals when the media makes it seem all the
time like ‘oh hunting is bad and you’re gonna kill everything’ when in reality
its a very good tool to use to conserve animals.” According to Hoffman, hunters
and anglers have contributed billions of funding towards conservation efforts
by purchasing permits.
After discussing important issues such as free market environmentalism,
climate change, fossil fuels versus wind and solar, hunting, and smarter
approaches to Florida’s water with red tide and invasive species, CFACT visited
the Manatee Viewing Center managed by Tampa Electric. This refuge is a popular
spot for manatees to congregate in winter because the discharge water from the
coal and natural gas fired power plant is warmer than the natural water in and
around Tampa. It is a perfect example of how meeting the needs of humanity can
also help protect species and the environment.
“We wanted to bring the students here because it takes the theories we’ve
been discussing of how technology and development helps the environment
and puts it in a real practical example,” said Craig Rucker, CFACT president
and co-founder. “A lot of the students were impressed that this was an animal
refuge managed by a private company, and one that uses fossil fuels at that!”
“We got to connect with a lot of members of
different chapters, which was a really rewarding experience,” remarked
University of Minnesota chapter member Michael Geiger. “It was good to get a,
sort of a national perspective on the issues relating to climate and in
different parts of the country. It will definitely color our viewpoints moving
forward.”
The Eco Summit is more than just a retreat. The Summit is intended to be
a training boot camp to empower Collegians and
motivate them to keep up the good fight at our nation’s colleges and universities. Based
off the comments and reactions of the attendees, the Eco Summit certainly hit
its target.
“I approached [James Taylor] afterwards and discussed the possibility of
bringing him to Ohio State, giving a talk on global warming,” said James Smith,
a junior. Kenny Horsley, a senior at Ohio State, and president of the
CFACT chapter there, echoed James’ thoughts. “It would definitely be great to
have him debate some professors or someone from the other side.”
“West Virginia has a long storied history with coal,” explained
Nathan Burdette, a sophomore at West Virginia University. “And the regulations
have sort of burdened the industry in the State. I also thought Travis Thompson
gave a good speech about water quality issues here in Florida. Being in West
Virginia, we don’t get to hear about that a lot, so I thought it was neat to
get a perspective on that.”
The students learned a lot, but still made some time for fun and
relaxation in getting to know fellow liberty-minded Collegians in attendance.
After a long day of speakers and workshops, students took pleasure in cutting
their own coconuts to drink from at the pool party, and got a first-hand
experience in enjoying Florida’s beautiful water by swimming in the Gulf off of
Venice Beach.
“Making the real connections with these students and showing them how
energy and free markets help both humanity and nature is why I do what I do,”
said Graham Beduze, CFACT’s Associate Director of Collegians. “The things the
students learned here and the conversation I and all my colleagues had with
them are going to stick with them for the rest of their lives. We’re helping
build a generation of leaders who will fight for freedom and sound science on
issues relating to the environment and energy policy.”
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