By Alex Bainbridge
SYDNEY — Young environmentalists from all over Australia gathered in Sydney to attend Environmental Youth Alliance's fifth national conference on April 5. The conference was opened by eminent environmentalists Susan George and Christabel Chamarette and attended by more than 75 activists.
Susan George spoke about the need for global solutions to the environmental crisis and an international movement to achieve them.
Chamarette addressed the need for greens to challenge the status quo and emphasised the role that young people could play in winning an environmentally sustainable future for humanity.
One of the conference features was a Campaigning for the Environment session in which members made presentations about some of EYA's recent activities, including participating in the Boycott Mitsubishi campaign, the Pasminco EZ campaign (against toxic wastes being dumped into the ocean) and the East Gippsland old-growth forests campaign.
One of EYA's major activities for the immediate future is around World Environment Day. For the last two years, EYA has been the only environmental group organising nationally coordinated mobilisations for World Environment Day. This year EYA plans to broaden out the campaign, reaching out to more people with the theme "Young People and Communities for Environmental Justice".
EYA activist Amy Philips described the conference as a success and called on young people to organise. "Government 'leaders' in Australia and overseas have proven repeatedly that they are not prepared to take the steps necessary to save our planet. If people don't get involved in large numbers in environmental campaigns, then we can expect nothing but an ever bleaker future.
"By contrast, there are numerous examples, like the Franklin Dam campaign, of movements that have successfully challenged the questionable priorities of business and government. This is what EYA aims to achieve today."