Beyond Caffeine: the energy of 12,000 people

Cross posted from ItsGettingHotinHere

Yesterday was a long day. From 8:00 am - 11:00 pm Power Shifters roamed the DC Convention Center to attend panels, workshops, network (sleep on the floor occasionally), and hear from speakers like Jerome Ringo, Jessy Tolkan, and Rep. Ed Markey.

It was late by the time The Roots finished shaking up the crowd with their funk (especially Tuba Gooding Jr!!). I was ready for bed, and so were many around me. But as we wandered slightly dazed out of the main hall, a new energy ignited around us, and it was contagious.

A fresh and fiery spark swept through the crowd and lifted us up in the name of that very clean energy revolution that brought us all here this weekend.

Alliance for Climate Education brought Flip Video cams to try and capture moments throughout Power Shift and after last night, we definitely have some to share. Here's a video from the rally on the steps of the Convention Center (after we were politely asked to leave), getting ready to head to the White House to see if Obama was still awake:



Check out below the fold for more!



And backing up just a step, the sheer number of folks raising their voices inside of the Convention Center halls:




Many people are sleeping on floors, sharing couches, rooms, or simply not sleeping at all! But the energy here is enough to keep us going right through the rally (in the snow) tomorrow.