Declare Your Independence!

We depend on oil to get us to and from our jobs, to get the food we eat to our tables, and to get us and our families from place to place. Well over 97% of our transportation in the US depends on oil.

Yet America’s dependence on oil, especially oil from overseas, threatens our future in many ways.

That’s why we, as young people, need to take over this issue. We need to let lawmakers know that the time for dalliance is over. We hope to deliver over 100,000 signatures to lawmakers next year. Thank you for joining us in demanding a change!

2020 Vision Joins Forces with College Students to Increase Awareness

2020 Vision Legislative Director Ron Zucker went to Bloomington, Indiana to help a group of college students launch an important new campaign. The group, the Student Alliance for National Security, has launched an initiative to try to raise awareness of the importance of energy and climate change for college students.

Led by former 2020 Vision Regional Director Miles Taylor, the goal is to get 100,000 young people across the country to sign on in the next year. The group has an ambition plan to raise awareness on other college campuses across the country.

“We’ve attracted attention from across the country,” says Taylor, “including the Clinton Global Initiative University. Now it’s up to us to take this message across the country.”

The launch event was held at Indiana University. Ron was joined on the panel by Bill Smith, Director of Sustainability at IU, John Clark, Director of Indiana’s Office of Energy and Defense Development, and Jesse Kharbanda, Executive Director of the Hoosier Environmental Council.

Start Making a Difference Today

Since our methods of transportation create a large part of our dependency on foreign oil, it’s a great first place for all of us to start making changes.

> Keep your car in good running condition
> Drive sensibly
> Plan trips wisely

Not only will these things decrease the amount of petroleum used, but will save you money with fewer car repairs, longer car life and cheap car insurance.

If you’d like to go a step further, consider a vehicle that runs on an alternative fuel. Even better, consider walking more, taking public transportation or using a bicycle when possible.

• Oil Dependence

  
  Threatens the planet
  Transportation accounts for 30% of all US greenhouse gas emissions, a staggering 2 billion metric tons of CO2 per year, and that use is growing faster than all other sources of greenhouse gases.
  
  Distorts our foreign policy
  Whether it’s a commitment to protecting oil markets or limiting our policy choices, our oil use limits our standing in the world.
  
  Weakens our economy, shipping almost $1 billion per day overseas to pay for our oil imports. Moreover, energy prices have ripple effects in everything we do, from our farms to our industry.