Amidst young people’s growing concerns about the state of the environment, Campus Progress launched a new comprehensive campaign and website, Polar Opposites, offering information and resources for young people who want to take action to help combat climate change on their campuses, in their communities, and in their daily lives.

More and more, Americans are coming to realize that the climate crisis goes far beyond the plight of the polar bear. The effects on wildlife are devastating, but Hurricane Katrina, the asthma epidemic sweeping our cities, and the economic and social toll of mountaintop removal coal mining demonstrate that the climate and energy crisis are already having a tragic human impact. As such, the cornerstone of the new campaign is a PSA that begs the question: Why does it take a polar bear to get people to care about climate change?

Polar Opposites offers young people a myriad of resources to address the climate crisis in their communities, on their campuses, and in their own homes, including information on ways to engage public officials and hold them accountable for addressing the climate crisis, a guide to help young people host events, finance their campaigns and connect to the national youth climate movement, and practical tips about how to reduce their carbon footprint. The Polar Opposites campaign was designed in part to support Powervote, a national, non-partisan campaign to mobilize 1 million young ‘climate voters’ for the 2008 election. Powervote is an initiative of the Energy Action Coalition, of which Campus Progress is an active member.