2010: In March, Congress enacted the single largest investment into financial aid in our country's history. An additional $36 billion in Pell grant aid will reduce loan debt by providing money students never have to pay back. WashPIRG students organized several grassroots actions this year. We created a “wall of debt” to emphasize, in numerical terms, the level of debt facing Washington students. We launched a “Raising Pell” week of action to engage young people to call Congress to demand the passage of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. Our national advocacy team with the US PIRG took the fight to DC, while our sister chapters across the country also helped generate 50 national media hits. Close to the vote deadline, WashPIRG Student Board Chair Carl Davis lead an all out campaign to make sure students told Congressman Baird how important increasing student aid is! Davis and WashPIRG volunteers at The Evergreen State College generated over 50 calls and emails into Baird’s office. And we won! Congressman Baird and his colleagues passed HB 4872, and President Obama signed it into law on March 30th!
2010: WashPIRG students at the University of Washington built remarkable student support to create the largest Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF) in the nation. The fund would set aside $650,000 to fund projects that increase campus sustainability, prioritize student leadership and involvement and engage the campus community in creating an environmentally responsible campus. Volunteers and Interns on the CSF campaign collected over 5,500 signatures of support, 53 endorsements from student organizations during winter quarter and generated over 30 media hits. The ASUW Senate, ASUW Board, and the Graduate & Professional Student Senate have all passed resolutions supporting the creation of the CSF. The work of both the CSF campaign and WashPIRG Intern Allen Wright prompted the Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee to award each with a Husky Green Award. The Services and Activities Fee Committee will make a final decision on funding in May.
2010: In February, the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act WashPIRG helped pass in 2009 went into effect. ASUW Student Body President Tim Mensing teamed up with US PIRG Consumer Program Director Ed Mierzwinski to host a national press conference shining the public spotlight on the Act’s implications for young borrowers. The conference resulted in seven media hits in Washington, and 30 nationally.
2009: In November, WashPIRG interns hosted a CFL light-bulb swap at the University of Washington. Over 30 volunteers came out to swap out 3,500 energy light-bulbs donated by Seattle City Lights. The energy-saving efforts will save the university over $12,000 a year!
2009: In May, the Student PIRGs helped convince Congress to pass strong legislation, called the “Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act” that will halt the most egregious abuses by the credit card industry. The CARD bill eliminates a lot of unfair practices, including: excessive and growing penalty fees, unfair billing practices, and unjustified and retroactive interest charges. It also restricts and requires greater transparency for marketing targeted exclusively at college campuses or consumers under the age of 21. Despite the credit card industry's lobbying to defeat or gut the bill, the Senate and the House both passed the bill with overwhelming, bi-partisan majorities.
2009: In February, The Student PIRGs helped convince Congress to include several key measures in the economic stimulus package. The final package included a $17 billion increase in Pell grant funding, more work-study aid, and bigger tax credits for low-income students and their families. In September 2007, WashPIRG students joined PIRG students around the country and the United States Student Association to help pass the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, the largest increase in federal student aid in 20 years. This law also made dramatic cuts in interest rates for student loans. We followed up by helping pass the Higher Education Opportunity Act, which contains several important policy changes, including an increase in the maximum authorized level of the Pell Grant to $9,000.
2008: WashPIRG students at the University of Washington helped to pass Proposition 1, an initiative to give the greater Seattle area a world-class transit infrastructure, this November. Students organized educational events, gathered hundreds of pledges, and generated media attention for the issue. On November 4th, Proposition 1 passed by a healthy 10% advantage showing that voters embraced a transportation vision for Seattle that revolves around a comprehensive transportation solution that doesn’t rely only on the automobile.
2008: WashPIRG students across the state helped register over a thousand Washington students to vote and made over 17,000 contacts to students reminding them to vote in the days leading up to Election Day. Their efforts helped to contribute to the overall increase in youth voters by 2.2 million as compared to 2004. In addition, the young voters’ share of the electorate also surpassed that of over 65 year olds, an impressive feat. The student vote got a lot of attention from the media and elected officials, and we expect them to be paying attention to us during upcoming elections.
2008: In August, WashPIRG helped get an Affordable Textbooks provision included in the federal Higher Education Opportunity Act. The provision helps lower the cost of textbooks for millions of students by requiring publishers to disclose textbook pricing and revision information to faculty and requiring publishers to offer textbooks and supplemental materials "unbundled." It also asks colleges to provide the list of assigned textbooks, including prices, for each course when students are registering for classes.
2007: WashPIRG students, along with student leaders across the state, spearheaded an effort to help make textbooks affordable for college students. Governor Gregiore signed the country’s second law requiring college textbook publishers to proactively tell faculty the price of all the products they are selling – during the sales conversation. This comes on the heels of a new report by the Student PIRGs showing that publishers do not adequately disclose price information to faculty, who care about the cost of textbooks and want better information. The disclosure law will help re-inject price back into the sales conversation and provide a helpful tool to get less expensive options on the table.
2006: Students helped build public support for a tough energy standard for Washington State. At least 15% of our electricity will come from clean, renewable energy sources, thanks to the 2006 voter-approved Initiative 937.
2006: In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, WashPIRG students traveled to New Orleans over spring break to aid in the relief effort. They raised over $4000 for the trip and to purchase supplies needed to help with the reconstruction of the city. Numerous community fundraising and educational events were held, and upon returning from the trip, students followed up with educational forums for the public detailing the Katrina crisis.
2006: WashPIRG staff helped to secure funding for the Department of Ecology to implement its proposed program to eliminate discharges of persistent bioaccumulative toxics like lead, mercury and dioxin. This legislative session, WashPIRG, in coalition with a number of environmental groups across the state, worked on legislation to ban mercury from our consumer products.
2005: To address the problem of auto pollution, WashPIRG students campaigned successfully to pass tough auto emissions standards in Washington. As part of this campaign, students hosted car shows that showcased low emission vehicles, and generated TV, radio and newspaper coverage in Olympia and Seattle. You can expect cars that get 40 miles per gallon to be the norm, thanks our work to pass the Clean Cars Program, which has also been adopted by 13 other states. Thanks to President Obama’s approval of the program, cars sold in Washington and 13 other states must emit 40% less carbon pollution by 2020.
2005: WashPIRG students at The Evergreen State College helped organize a referendum where students voted to have the campus buy 100% renewable energy through the Green Tags program. The program is funded through a $1 per credit student fee, and 10% of the money goes to fund research for local renewable energy projects. Now Evergreen students are working with the campus administration to create a sustainability plan for the future. This plan involves using 100% recycled paper on campus, reducing energy use, and installing on-campus renewable energy sources.
2004: WashPIRG students working on our New Voters Project in 2004 helped register over 3,000 voters and contacted over 7,000 students to remind them to vote. This contributed to an 11% increase in youth voter turnout nationwide. Nationally, the Student PIRGs’ New Voters Project helps to register 524,000 young voters and works to turn them out to the polls.
2004: WashPIRG helps pass I-297, which prevents more nuclear waste from being dumped at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
2002: U.S. PIRG efforts are instrumental in defeat of dirty energy bill.
2002: U.S. PIRG helps win critical Senate vote blocking drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
2001: WashPIRG reporting helped show that half of our national forests were disappearing due to destructive activities such as logging, road-building, and mining. This prompted WashPIRG to play an important role in convincing the Clinton Administration to move to protect over 2 million acres of forests here in Washington and 58 million acres across the country of National Forests from such activities.
2000: Working with a coalition of groups, WashPIRG's Aisling Kerins helped defeat developer-backed Initiative 745, which would have required the state to allocate 90 percent of its transportation budget to road-building. The victory helped preserve hope that Washington can create a sustainable and effective public transit system in the Puget Sound area.
2000: WashPIRG and coalition partners persuade Washington state to adopt a 20-year-plan to eliminate all emissions of persistent bioaccumulative toxics such as lead and mercury.
2000: President Clinton announces PIRG-sponsored plan to protect 60 million acres of national forests.
1999: WashPIRG helps block Cross-Cascades pipeline that would have endangered residential areas, drinking water supplies and unspoiled wilderness in Washington.
1998: Student PIRGs win law suit requiring colleges to distribute voter registration forms to students.
1995: State PIRGs together deliver 1.2 million petition signatures to Congress, helping stop rollback of environmental laws.
1995: WashPIRG advocacy strengthens Seattle’s "Buy Recycled" policy.
1989: WashPIRG helps win Washington law requiring better oversight of pesticide storage and use.
1988: WashPIRG helps win referendum creating one of nation's strongest toxic waste cleanup laws, I-97.
1986: Eighty-three percent of Washington voters affirm citizens’ right to veto a nuclear waste dumpsite. Hanford is removed from the national priority list soon after.
1985: Student PIRGs and USA for Africa launch National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness.
1984: The Student PIRGs' newly launched National Student Campaign for Voter Registration helps registers 750,000 student voters in its first year.
1983: WashPIRG’s esposé of mismanaged nuclear power plant construction helps Washington state taxpayers avoid $7.5 billion in bond debt.
1983: Students at The Evergreen State College vote to start a second PIRG chapter in Washington.
1981: Students vote to start the first PIRG chapter in Washington at the University of Washington.
