Billy Parish

Can you explain what, exactly, is the Energy Action Coalition and a little bit about the work that you do?

It was founded three years ago and is the largest youth global-warning coalition in the U.S. and Canada. There are 43 organizations that are part of the coalition right now. Our focus is on empowering young people to make their schools—K-12 schools, colleges, and universities—models of sustainability for the rest of society.

You mobilize young people in North America. Are there youth organizations doing similar work on other continents?

It's been fascinating to see that all over the world there are similar networks emerging—Australia, Japan, the U.K., Brazil, France, China, South Korea—that are working on very similar campaigns to us. We've begun to network and share logos, materials, resources and are coordinating around international climate negotiations and treaties. I imagine we will begin to coordinate more and more.

Tell us about your blog, It's Getting Hot in Here.

I love the blog. It's a community youth blog and we have 100 youth who contribute from five different countries. The subtitle is "Dispatches from the front lines of the youth climate movement" and it's about victories and ideas, and a space that lots of people come to. I think it's the second most widely read climate-focused blog in the country.

In high school, you spent a semester working on an organic farm in Vermont. How did that experience influence you?

The Mountain School in Vermont was my first introduction to environmental work and where I first felt the call to do this work. I loved being on the farm but it was a series of things that happened to me there—some of the teachers became strong role models, the students, getting to know the forest. I read a book called Ishmael [one of Sprig.com's favorite books!], which was what really called me into this work.

Grassroots organizing is hard work. How do you avoid getting burned out?

I just love the people that I work with and that's the main thing that continues to sustain me. Going out and seeing the students get inspired and beginning to win all the time has been the best part of the work. In the last year or so, things have really taken off in this movement. I don't see myself getting burned out any time soon.

Being green is very in right now. How do you avoid selling out? And is there anything you wouldn't do to promote your cause?

It's increasingly out of our control, what's happening with all sorts of new initiatives and opportunities emerging. We're trying to organize and give people things to do. This is my life's work and I'm prepared to put my life on the line for it. I wouldn't degrade myself but I feel a very strong commitment and dedication to this cause and movement.

Take us through your typical day.

I'm becoming more and more like my mom—waking up early. I get a couple hundred emails every day and respond to different opportunities, connecting people, pursuing new partnerships, fundraising, and talking to the different organizers on the campaign. I'm on the road more than half the time—visiting campuses, going to conferences, speaking.

What is different about this generation's approach?

The millennial generation is a huge generation—it rivals the baby boomers in size. It's the most diverse generation that there's ever been in U.S. history. It's more politically engaged than previous generations and interested in service more than any previous generation as well. There are all sorts of opportunities for this generation to play the lead role in building a social movement. With our new ability to educate and connect and empower people over the Internet, there have been huge upticks in voting in 2004 and 2006. Youth are now a political constituency that people really need to watch.

You dropped out of Yale to run the Energy Action Coalition. At the time, what did your friends and parents make of your decision? Any plans to go back?

It took a year or two for my parents to fully support what I'm doing. But they've always trusted me and they believe in me to determine my own direction. We have a very, very short amount of time to deal with this problem, to avert the worst consequences and the most important thing I can be doing is continue to empower young people and build this movement. I don't plan to go back to school any time soon.

What do you make of green being trendy these days?

I do think it will continue—it may not maintain the same faddish quality that there is right now. I don't think these issues are going away and will probably only intensify. I think this country is on a verge of a real change and this awareness is the start of it but I think it will move from a superficial level and begin to seep into people's actual lifestyles and into real political and institutional change. It will seep into all aspects of our culture. And that's a transition that I'm excited about and want to be a part of.

Any seemingly insurmountable challenges that you've encountered along the way?

The biggest roadblock in the country is Pennsylvania Avenue—the Bush administration. In some ways the Bush administration has really galvanized the grassroots movement in the country by blocking all progress on this issue and setting this country back. That's the obstacle we need to overcome. There are signs of movement with the new Congress.

What are three things that you recommend to people who would like to do their part to lead more sustainable lives but don't know where to begin?

I would divide it into three categories. The first, empower yourself. Make the lifestyle changes you can make—change the light bulbs, do an energy audit of your home to make it more energy efficient, buy more energy efficient appliances and car, travel less. But even more, empower yourself as a citizen and a change agent. Think about what institutions you are a part of—what can you do in your church and your business to reduce its greenhouse gas footprint. The last would be thinking about political change. Can you write a letter to your Congressperson, can you go meet with your Congressperson, can you organize other friends in your community? The most important things we can do is pass federal climate policy. Whatever people can do to advance that goal is the most important.

What does "green" mean to you?

Green is green as in economic opportunities. Green is the new red, write, and blue, Thomas Friedman says. To me, green is our past and our future. It's opportunity and survival. It's the direction that world society will be moving in.

What green products do you use?

Besides food? I really like the Naked juices, but getting the individual containers is a little irritating. Our whole office uses MacBooks, but they use a lot of energy and don't recycle very well. Probably electronics and my computer is the thing that I buy the most that is not that responsible.

Do you have any eco-sins—something that's not green but you crave anyway, something you love so much that you don't care it's not green?

My eco-sin is Starbucks Java Chip ice cream.