Landis Attends 6th Annual Citizens Climate Lobby International Conference in D.C.

University of Southern Mississippi senior Brenna Landis, a resident of Biloxi who is working on a double major in English and political science, recently attended the 6th annual Citizens' Climate Lobby International Conference in Washington, D.C. June 21 – 23. The goal of the conference is “bringing together 1,000 volunteers dedicated to building the political will for a livable world.”

Landis, who serves as president of the student organization EcoEagles, is a member of the Mississippi Gulf Coast chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL), a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots environmental organization focused on combating climate change through the economic proposal of carbon fee and dividend. According to Landis, CCL relies on the citizen power of volunteer contributions from its members and focuses on empowering citizens to lobby Congress, nationally and locally, on this important issue.

While at the conference, Landis participated in CCL's Lobbying Day on June 23. She visited the Capitol Hill offices of Sens. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), as well as the office of U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss, District 4). She also met CCL members from across the U.S. and participated in presentations from well-known advocates, such as keynote speaker Katharine Hayhoe, an atmospheric scientist and political science professor at Texas Tech University and guest on the Showtime climate change series, “Years of Living Dangerously.”

Landis says the opportunity to meet with politicians representing the State of Mississippi regarding a topic for which she is passionate about was “priceless.” She adds that she was also inspired after meeting current Southern Miss students, as well as Southern Miss alumni, who were serving as interns and legislative aides for Mississippi representatives on Capitol Hill.

EcoEagles hosts bi-weekly meetings that are open to both the University and local community. For more information about EcoEagles or other student organizations on the Southern Miss Gulf Park campus, email gcstudentsFREEMississippi.