How will you spend your Thanksgiving break?
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For Gallatin sophomore Amanda Hass, taking a semester off from school hasn't made for an easy break.
In addition helping to improve the environment, she is also using her time off to raise money to attend the COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December.
Hass, who is currently living in New Mexico, was awarded a $10,000 grant from Focus the Nation, a nonprofit organization that encourages young people to address the issues of climate change and clean energy. She is studying the prevalence of coal in the Four Corners Region (southwest Colorado, northwest New Mexico, northeast Arizona and southeast Utah).
To advance her work to the next level, Hass hopes to attend COP15, where negotiations will begin for environmentally friendly initiatives upon the conclusion of the Kyoto Protocol in 2012.
While at the conference, Hass will oversee a booth that addresses the impact of coal on the Four Corners Region and the Navajo Nation, a semi-autonomous Native American homeland. In particular, Hass will highlight her work by training Navajo teenagers to fight the construction of the Desert Rock Coal Plant, which she believes will be harmful to the environment.
Mark Kimbrell, the communication and actions manager at Focus the Nation, is helping Hass work on her project. Kimbrell said Hass is a powerful representative for the conference.
"Having her in Copenhagen to engage delegates, promote a strong U.S. commitment, showcase her unique and important program, and network with activists across the world will benefit the U.S. grassroots effort to move our country toward a clean energy future," Kimbrell said.
However, attending the COP15 conference comes with a hefty price tag, totaling $2,500 for both lodging and airfare. Hass is hoping to garner support from the NYU community to cover the cost.
"NYU faculty and staff should contribute because our generation will bear the environmental and social consequences of current policies made by politicians," Hass said.
Students at NYU support Hass' environmental advocacy and desire to make a difference.
"Our planet is precious and fragile," Tisch freshman Abby Petterchak said. "This conference can help raise awareness."
For more information about Hass' work, visit her blog at rethinkdinepower.wordpress.com.
