Along 13th Avenue — the street that separates the Erb Memorial Union from the Lillis Business Complex at the University of Oregon — members of OSPIRG spend much of their time campaigning, encouraging students to sign petitions and collecting signatures to fund their advocacy.
OSPIRG is an acronym for Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group. Its purpose is to support student involvement in activism by offering resources and leadership opportunities.
“Our first mission is actually to train students to be effective activists and be able to work on a bunch of different issues beyond what campaigns we run,” OSPIRG’s Vice Chapter Chair and 100% Renewable Energy Campaign Coordinator Eliza Garcia said. “The other part is to actually make real change on the issues in our community and our state.”
OSPIRG’s UO chapter is currently directing its efforts to three different campaigns: Hunger and Homelessness, 100% Renewable Energy and Klamath Tribal Water Rights.
This year, its focus is primarily on 100% Renewable Energy, as the issue was named OSPIRG’s statewide campaign after having been voted on by staff members. Now, most of their time is spent advancing efforts related to achieving clean energy in Oregon.
OSPIRG’s Chapter Chair and Tribal Water Rights Campaign Coordinator Christie Clark said this campaign is at the forefront of their agendas because of the way it intersects with the challenges experienced by the homeless population and Indigenous people. She also attributed its stature to the harm caused by climate change.
“Us, as the generation that we are, all these issues have just kind of been inherited to us,” she said. “I think we also recognize that we’re the generation that can make the change, and I think the youth power is really important.”
According to Clark, the 100% Renewable Energy campaign already has a set of victories.
Last summer, for instance, a group of student organizations, including OSPIRG, collaborated to pass a clean electricity bill in Oregon. Additionally, Clark said that OSPIRG has collected over 1,000 petition signatures so far this year and recently hosted a panel to raise awareness about climate change to motivate conversation about the benefits of implementing renewable energy.
“We’re building on that momentum and trying to reach clean energy as a whole,” Clark said.
Garcia echoed these thoughts and said OSPIRG’s progress is leveraging climate justice.
“We are on the way in the right direction, but we are trying to get a full switch to renewable energy,” she said. “We know that is kind of one of the best ways we can fight against climate change. I also really like it because I feel like it puts less of the pressure on the people and more pressure on a business or corporations to actually make sure that we are building stuff and we are creating stuff that will only exist with renewable energy.”
For those interested in joining in on OSPIRG’s efforts, Clark emphasized the opportunities for camaraderie the organization can provide.
“The people that I’ve met throughout, I generally don’t think I would have met and been exposed to in any other way, but I’m really glad that I have been because they’re such amazing people, and we all have similar interests,” she said. “There’s a really big sense of community and support.”
Garcia said OSPIRG has allowed her to develop a set of skills that will be applicable on whatever path she decides to pursue and feels others should get involved for the same reason.
“This does kind of get you out to do stuff that you wouldn’t normally get to do, and it really does build your confidence,” she said. “Everybody has so much potential, but it’s just getting there and being able to actually work on it.”
