Moving on & moving up: Success is worth the hard work
12 hour days are welcome when goals are met, friendships made

November 14, 2007
By: Josh Jones

**Editor's Note: For the next year the Mirror will chronicle the lives of three recent Drury graduates as they move from college life into the real world. This week's story was written by Josh Jones who graduated in May 2007 with a degree in Marketing. Jones is now working for the Green Corps as a campaign organizer.**

I've been working in Chicago with Environment Illinois now for the last three weeks. My task: to build the grassroots and grasstops support necessary to pass strong global warming legislation in Illinois, and to soak up my time with three awesome Green Corps coworkers/roommates. I'm a pretty lucky guy.

James, Rob, Emily and I are sharing a spacious two bedroom, one bath apartment just a few minutes' walk off the Montrose stop on the Blue-line. We joke around about it being 'the commune.' And in many ways it is.

But it's not all fun and games, we're busting our butts (12 hour days or seven day weeks are not uncommon) to pass legislation that would set a mandatory limit on global warming pollution from power plants and industrial facilities, and a clean car standard to cut pollution from the automobile fleet by 30%. The job, on a day to day basis, requires a great deal of communication/persuasion, flat out drive, and detailed organization (see planning out your next week's schedule by the hour).

We're using a variety of tactics (coalition building, media, grassroots pressure, grasstops organizing) to pass the aforesaid legislation. This week I'm co-organizing a news conference with my roommate Rob. I'm glad to say two area Senators are speaking at our conference, which is hopefully indicative of the direction of the changing political landscape here in Illinois and around the country. Needless to say it still feels strange to be 'prepping' a senator for a news conference.

My final hurrah in Chicago will fall on the last week of the campaign. I'm organizing a town hall meeting over global warming, and in my dreams this is how the event would play out: Over 100 people would crowd into the slightly undersized room. The area's representatives and senators, who are crowded in amongst their constituents, would at that moment realize the importance of not only backing, but championing strong global warming legislation. The event would leave local community members impassioned about global warming, ready for sustained action around the issue. Small events would scatter the calendar for the next two months as the communities stay organized around the issue, ready to ensure the vote goes in the right direction.

I'm upset I won't have the opportunity to see this campaign through to its vote in the capitol and upset I won't be able to celebrate that evening with all the community members who've helped make its passing a reality.