Eden Vitoff represented youth throughout the state and Edwardsville High School recently on Earth Day, lobbying with area Sierra Club members to support the Illinois Clean Jobs Bill in Springfield.
He described the experience as “fantastic.”
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“We arrived in Springfield and we were one of the first people there and there was a huge rally that took place outside the capital building,” Vitoff said. “If you looked out into the courtyard in Springfield you could see hundreds of college and high school students lobbying for the Clean Jobs Bill.”
Millennials understand the need to transition to a sustainable future, Vitoff said.
“I am 17 and I will be voting in the next election and supporting politicians that will commit to a sustainable future,” Vitoff said. “I also met with my state representative Dwight Kay and Bill Haine.”
“As with most lobbying you don’t have too much time to speak to them, but we gave them information on the bill,” Vitoff said. “I did not go as an expert on the bill; I knew the basics. I was a young person who is passionate about the environment and I was able to tell those politicians my story so they can see some of their constituents and opinions on the bill.”
This was Vitoff’s first lobbying encounter, but he says it will not be his last.
“It was a really fun experience,” he said. “It was a great group of adults from the Sierra Club who showed me the ropes of lobbying and it was great to represent the Environmental Club at EHS and the Illinois Youth Environmental Network.”
