How two Minnesota youth made an all-electric road trip to our nation’s capitol to push for action on climate change.
Aryanna and Elena, 11 year old activists from the Twin Cities, are serious about climate change.
This summer, with their dads’ guidance (and driving!), the best friends set off on an all-electric road trip to Washington D.C.
Their goal? To urge lawmakers to take action on our generation’s most pressing issue. “Climate change is very important to me because it will affect my future,” says Elena, “I think going to D.C. will help because we will talk to people who are capable of making a change.”
Carbon-free cruising
To make the trip as environmentally-friendly as possible, the four took off in Elena’s dad’s electric vehicle (EV). They knew they’d have to make pit stops along the way, both to charge the car and rest up along their 1,136 mile journey.
The girls kept busy playing many card games, while their dads, Leo and Federico, made sure the car was properly charged at each stop. While they hit a couple of snags at hotel charging stations, on the whole, supercharger stations allowed their EV to power up quickly and efficiently.
“Considering that eight years ago the supercharger network didn’t exist, it is pretty incredible how fast things can change,” remarks Leo.
Change-making at the Capitol
After 23 hours in the car, the climate crew made it!
Aryanna and Elena registered with the Citizens’ Climate Lobby Conference and got ready for a big day of lobbying and meeting their elected officials.
The four first met with a staffer from Representative Ilhan Omar’s Capitol office, and later in the day, Elena and Leo met with Representative Collin Peterson from Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District, while Federico and Aryanna met with Representative Dean Phillips from Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District.
In all of their meetings, the girls shared their message loud and clear: they want action on climate and believe it’s up to Congress to make it happen.
Fresh Energy will continue to support efforts from youth like Aryanna and Elena to electrify our nation’s transportation sector as we work to advance the clean energy economy. Learn more how you can participate on our Take Action page.
To learn more about the girls’ epic road trip, click here to access Leo’s full journal.
