![\"Lauralee](\"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/news\/images\/illustrations\/crainlauralee.jpg\")
LEXINGTON, Ky.\u2014The two weeks that Transylvania University student Lauralee Crain spent as a delegate to the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen last month was an \u201cemotional roller coaster\u201d that she won\u2019t soon forget.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was excited, frustrated, built up and torn down,\u201d said Crain, a senior from Flemingsburg and one of only 18 youth leaders nationwide chosen to represent the Sierra Student Coalition at the conference Dec. 7-18.<\/p>\n
But, she added, \u201cI see the experience as something that has changed me forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
The conference, attended by many of the world\u2019s top leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, was the much-anticipated attempt to forge agreement among industrialized nations to curb emissions of pollutants and help developing nations curtail their greenhouse gas emissions. Although they did not come away with a binding agreement, participants for the first time acknowledged that climate change was a real problem that needed to be addressed. <\/p>\n
For her part, Crain is hopeful that she and the many other young people who were on hand, including 2009 Transy graduate Marcie Smith \u2013 helped change the way the world views climate change and promoted the continued need for a \u201cbold and just\u201d climate treaty among nations.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur role, on the broader scale, was to represent world youth, American youth and to remind the world leaders that their decisions today will affect us when they\u2019re gone,\u201d Crain said.<\/p>\n
In addition to attending meetings, watching negotiating sessions, blogging about her experiences and participating in daily briefings by the U.S. negotiators, Crain had the opportunity to attend demonstrations and other activities to call attention to climate issues. One such event, a 6K march, involved 30,000 people from \u201call walks of life and of every age\u201d marching in support of a global climate agreement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe march solidified the seriousness and the necessity of climate justice,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Crain also had the opportunity to meet and discuss topics with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. A highlight for the young activist came when she was able to ask Salazar a question about green energy efforts in Appalachia.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have had a lot of time to reflect about Copenhagen,\u201d she said. \u201cNow I feel like a legitimate and important part of the negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crain has been involved in environmental causes since joining the Transylvania Environmental Rights and Responsibilities Alliance at age 19. But the roots of her activism can be traced to her parents and grandparents, who cultivated a belief in being good stewards of the earth.<\/p>\n
The anthropology major has also been involved in a variety of other efforts, including serving on the college\u2019s sustainability committee. She credits Transy graduate Smith with helping her develop into a campus leader, \u201cwhich put me on the fast track to national and global activism.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClimate justice means so much to all of us that the stakes are too high to not get involved on the deepest of levels,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LEXINGTON, Ky.\u2014The two weeks that Transylvania University student Lauralee Crain spent as a delegate to the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen last month was an \u201cemotional roller coaster\u201d that she won\u2019t soon forget. \u201cI was excited, frustrated, built up and torn down,\u201d said Crain, a senior from Flemingsburg and one of only 18 youth leaders nationwide chosen to represent the Sierra Student Coalition at the conference Dec. 7-18. But, she added, \u201cI see the experience as something that has changed me forever.\u201d The conference, attended by many of the world\u2019s top leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, was the much-anticipated attempt to forge agreement among industrialized nations to curb emissions of pollutants and help developing nations curtail their greenhouse gas emissions. Although they did not come away with a binding agreement, participants for the first time acknowledged that climate change was a real problem that needed to be addressed. For her part, Crain is hopeful that she and the many other young people who were on hand, including 2009 Transy graduate Marcie Smith \u2013 helped change the way the world views climate change and promoted the continued need for a \u201cbold and just\u201d climate treaty among nations. \u201cOur role, on the broader scale, was to represent world youth, American youth and to remind the world leaders that their decisions today will affect us when they\u2019re gone,\u201d Crain said. In addition to attending meetings, watching negotiating sessions, blogging<\/p>\n