Reflection by Zach Greder shown outside the office of Senator Joni Ernst in March. Brian Campbell, president of the board of Iowa IPL and the Director of Sustainability Education at Central College joined Zack, a senior at Central College, in an Environmental Defense Fund fly-in on behalf of Iowa IPL in Washington, DC. Washington D.C., a place of power, grandeur, and just recently one Central student who got the opportunity to advocate for a more sustainable future.
I had the chance of a lifetime to meet with lawmakers from Iowa about how climate change affects Iowans and how we as a rural state can be a part of the solution. From wind policy to carbon sequestration through prairie, I found a place full of smart people and real ideas to ensure a better life for the subsequent generations.
Most importantly I got the chance to see up close how the system can work. I went into the offices of both Iowa Senators and met with 3 of the 4 Iowa representatives’ staff members. All of these meetings were an opportunity to find out more on how our elected officials make decisions and try and help them see the issues that real Iowans care about. I also got the chance to see everything I have learned about in every political science class and then some.
One of the best parts of the trip, however, was the luncheon at the Environmental Defense Fund. Here I met with sustainability leaders from all around the country; from a Native Alaskan woman who cared about her homeland to organizers in South Carolina trying to recruit Republicans to help solve climate change through free-market solutions.
Networking with people who truly cared about the same issues I did was amazing and it gave me hope knowing that there were many people out there helping to make a difference. It was a wonderful learning experience that would have never been possible without the help of Brian Campbell, the Director of Sustainability Education at Central College in Pella and the president of the board of Iowa IPL.