Accomplishments

New Voters Project
On Oberlin’s campus, Ohio PIRG and the November Committee registered over 1/3 of campus, a total of 991 people, to vote.  They also worked with over 8 groups on and off campus to register voters and to work around a new Ohio law that disenfranchised students. Nationally, the increase in youth voter turnout was four times the rate of the general population’s increase (4% for youth, 1% overall).

Hunger and Homelessness
Ohio PIRG students organized both a Local Foods festival and Local Foods conference, which educated over 500 community members about local foods.

Ohio PIRG students organized the annual Hunger Clean-Up, where 100 students, faculty and staff, and members of the community volunteered at local shelters and food banks during a one day community service-a-thon that raised $4000 for the Second Harvest Food Bank and Oberlin Community Services.

In 2006, Ohio PIRG's Oberlin Chapter held a very successful Local Foods Fest during the first week of October to promote locally grown and produced foods. During this fest students helped to connect other students and community members with local food venders by hosting the farmers market and having donations from the Jones Farm available for all.

Environmental Protection
Ohio PIRG students organized to pass the first statewide bill that protects swimmers from polluted waters, the Beach Bill.

Working with the Ecopledge campaign, Ohio PIRG helped convince Staples to stop selling paper made from endangered forests.

Ohio PIRG helped to win historic protection of 60 million acres of our national forests, including the Tongass Rainforest in Alaska, from logging, mining, and clear-cutting.

As part of a national coalition, Ohio PIRG helped convince members of the Ohio Congressional delegation to vote against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The Ohio PIRG Oberlin Chapter definitely did our part to prevent drilling in Lake Erie.  We got 900 postcards addressed to both of the candidates for the state senate in the November 2006 election signed in the 2 months of this campaign!  After collecting these postcards we were able to meet with both candidates and educate them on the importance of the issue of drilling in Lake Erie.  And, by the election on November 7th, both candidates agreed with us on the issue.

Toxic Pollution and Public Health
Currently, Ohio PIRG students and advocates are working to pressure Congress to pass legislation providing $15 million in federal funding to help relocate River Valley Schools, which were built on top of a military toxic waste dump. Students collected 1600 petition signatures that were delivered to Governor Taft demanding the immediate relocation on the students in the River Valley Schools, in a press conference covered by state media outlets.

Higher Education
Ohio PIRG students met with members of the Department of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education to discuss student debt issues facing students in Ohio and across the country.

Ohio PIRG students worked with a national coalition to convince the U.S. House of Representatives to pass HR 5, which would cut in half the interest rate on student loans.  The bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, by a vote of 356 to 71.  The bill would lower interest rates over five years on subsidized Stafford student loans, which are used overwhelmingly by students from low- and middle-income families.  This would save the average low or middle-income borrower starting school in 2007 $2,300 in debt.

Consumer/Tenant's Rights
Students conducted a local landlord and tenant survey, and then used it to find housing for students and community members with the best landlords.

Ohio PIRG won a class action lawsuit against Agra General, the country's largest egg distributor for repackaging six month old eggs.

Accomplishments over the Years
Ohio PIRG won 15 lawsuits against some of Ohio's worst water polluters.

Ohio PIRG saved students across the country $8 billion in student financial aid through federal legislation.

Students were effective in strengthening clean air standards to protect public health nationwide, including closing a loophole that allowed SUVs and light trucks to pollute far more then cars.

Students initiated an expansion of the recycling program at Oberlin College.

Ohio PIRG worked with a coalition of student groups to register over 1,000 students to vote over the past 3 years.