Youth unite for green summit in Lansing

Mark Hicks / The Detroit News

Lansing -- Green jobs, clean energy and a recharged economy are the focus of a three-day summit this weekend expected to draw hundreds of youth from across the state to the Capitol.

Power Shift Michigan 2009 -- an extension of a campaign that brought thousands to Washington, D.C., earlier this year -- kicks off Friday at the Lansing Center downtown. It was organized by the Energy Action Coalition, Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition and other groups.

Some 1,000 young people, including high school and college students, are scheduled to attend workshops examining such subjects as activism/youth organizing, social equality and progressive legislative policies.

And on Saturday, they are expected to participate in various community service projects. These include repairing and retrofitting low-income housing in north Lansing; joining local horticulturists to redevelop a plot into an urban garden; recycling outdated electronics; and converting garage space downtown into a bicycle cooperative.

The aim is to help show how to forge "a sustainable path" and push for laws protecting the environment, said Scott Meloeny, an organizer with the Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition.

"We need as many people as possible to unite to restructure the climate policy and Michigan's economic structure," he said. "We're very focused getting people back to work and passing bold legislation for cleaner energy."

The summit ends Sunday with a march down Michigan Avenue to the Capitol and a rally on the east lawn.

There also will be concerts on Friday and Saturday, including one headlined by alternative rock/hip-hop group Flobots.

For information and to register, go to http://michigan.powershift09.org.