SustainUS Agents of Change Awarded Grant to Send Youth Delegates to Copenhagen

Nov. 18, 2009 - PRLog -- MIDDLEBURY, VT – The Agents of Change program, run by SustainUS, has been awarded $5,000 from the Brighter Planet Project Fund, a monthly micro-granting program focused on fighting climate change.  The project, Agents of Change Copenhagen Delegation, will send a 27-person delegation to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, also known as COP15.  

Powered by Brighter Planet’s social website to nominate and vote on projects of merit, the Project Fund seeds the growth of the climate movement from the ground up.  With twenty-four worthy projects nominated this month, members cast the most votes for Agents of Change Copenhagen Delegation.  Brighter Planet customers endow the Project Fund by using the company’s products and services.  Members think of it like a grassroots stimulus package for the climate.

“November’s Project Fund grant will help SustainUS send delegates selected through a competitive nation-wide process to Copenhagen,” said Patti Prairie, Brighter Planet’s CEO.  “Youth delegates who otherwise would not be able to attend will further their knowledge of climate change issues and make their voices heard.”   Brighter Planet will also donate carbon offsets to ensure that their travel is carbon neutral.

Over the next few weeks, SustainUS and the Agents of Change will continue their leadership in the global youth climate movement.  The team, run entirely by volunteers under the age of 26, will lead workshops before COP15 during the annual Conference of Youth.  They will document their work on www.sustainUS.org and give presentations in their home communities after the negotiations.  

Brighter Planet community members vote for next month’s grant recipient starting December 1st.  Submissions are now open for December’s Project Fund grant of up to $5,146.

# # #

Brighter Planet (www.brighterplanet.com) helps people manage their environmental footprint. The clean-energy start-up is pioneering a new environmentalism — one that is accessible to everyone, fits one's lifestyle, and is fun to share.