All Campaigns

We all know that burning oil, gas, and coal has polluted our air, water, and land for decades - and now it's changing the climate even faster than scientist feared it would. We know we can have healthier communities right now and a livable future for ourselves and generations to come. But to get there, we must transform the way we produce and consume energy. That's got to start with a commitment to 100% clean, renewable energy. 

A college degree is practically a necessity these days, not only for the individual student, but for the economic and social health of the country. But as states cut budgets, and grant aid has diminished, students are relying on loans to pay for college.

Fracking is an environmental nightmare, and it is expanding to California. Fracking contaminates our water with toxic chemicals, releases air pollution that causes smog and soot, and exacerbates global warming. It turns beautiful places into industrial zones – ruining their recreational and ecological value. It also threatens drinking water supplies and generates air pollution that puts nearby residents at risk. And putting more oil on the market will keep us addicted to fossil fuels instead of producing more clean, renewable energy. 

Unfortunately Governor Brown has not decided where he stands on the fracking debate. The oil industry has convinced him that drilling is safe and no drinking water has been contaminated due to fracking. If we are to stop the fracking boom in California, we must educate the Governor that fracking is an environmental nightmare for California. 

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Here in California, the number one source of global warming pollution comes from cars. We’ve had the technology to produce zero emission vehicles for years now, but the oil industry has been doing what they can to keep us dependent on dirty fossil fuels.

Everyone knows that textbooks prices are outrageous. With student debt skyrocketing, young people can't afford to spend $1200 on books and supplies every year. Together, we can change that.

Every student knows that textbook prices are outrageous! Many books cost over $200 a piece and end up worth pennies by the end of the semester, often thanks to unnecessary new editions and pass-codes that expire. It's time for publishers to stop charging ridiculous prices and start taking advantage of today's technology to offer students a better deal. Our campaign is working to increase the use of "open textbooks," which are free online, free to share, and affordable in print -- the ideal publishing model to make textbooks affordable.

The New Voters Project is a non-partisan effort that engages, educates, and inspires young voters to be active participants in the political process. As the history of our successes demonstrate, our peer-to-peer organizing model achieves measurable increases in voter registration and voter turnout rates while building the next generation of civic leaders. Over the past 35 years, we have helped to register more than 1.9 million young people and made millions of get-out-the-vote reminders. 

Our national parks had nearly 11 million more visitors in 2009, but could face budget cuts in the coming year. Proposed budget cuts would come on top of billions of dollars in funding shortfalls, making it harder for parks stewards to hire park rangers, host educational programs, maintain general facilities and trails and preserve the Best of America. At a time when more and more people are visiting our national parks- we should be giving our parks more resources, not digging the hole deeper.

 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that at least 23,000 Americans die every year from antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and warns that the widespread overuse of antibiotics on factory farms is putting our health at risk. We're calling on the top restaurant chains to commit to serving meat raised without anitbiotics. 

After Wall Street practices brought down the entire U.S. and parts of the world economies, Congress finally stepped up in July 2010 and created the CALPIRG Students-backed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a new agency that will act as a counterbalance to the banks and ensure that the credit cards, mortgages, and student loans that consumers use are safe and easy to understand. When you have a complaint about a bank or credit card company, you can call on the new CFPB.