Alex Cornell du Houx '06 Addresses Climate Change at White House

Story posted September 17, 2009

U.S. Marine Corps reservist Alex Cornell du Houx '06 spent seven months of his college career deployed to Fallujah, Iraq.

Now a democrat representing the town of Brunswick in the Maine House of Representatives and a field director for the Truman National Security Project, he continues to fight for global causes.

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Maine Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx '06 speaks to more than 150 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and administration officials at the White House on the issue of national security and climate change.

Cornell du Houx was asked to speak at the White House September 10, 2009, with Operation FREE, a coalition of veterans organizations that have assembled to tackle the issue of climate change from a national security perspective.

"Our dependence on oil is a serious threat to our national security, which is why a coalition of national security organizations have joined together to make America more secure by taking control of our energy future," said Cornell du Houx.

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Cornell du Houx talks with former Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), who served as Secretary of the Navy (1972–1974), at the White House after speaking together to fellow veterans.

"Here in Brunswick we are doing our part by working to develop the composite industry to support the development of wind mills, since we have the equivalent of more than 40 nuclear power plants' worth of wind energy off the Maine coast."

Operation FREE, whose acronym stands for Freedom from fossil fuel dependence; Right to affordable, clean energy; Economic growth; Environmental security and renewal; says climate change legislation is critical to allowing the U.S. to reduce its carbon consumption and emissions.

Its goals include creating clean energy incentives that will help accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technology, such as electric vehicles, as well as wind and solar power, creating green jobs in the process.

It also seeks to promote energy efficiency by helping consumers and businesses develop and acquire energy-efficient appliances and buildings.

"We want to see these principles become law so America can call its own shots in the world, combat climate change, and protect our nation's safety and security," says Jonathan Powers, chief operating officer of the Truman National Security Project.

Cornell du Houx, in Print and in Video


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Cornell du Houx in a video produced by Newsweek

Cornell du Houx was interviewed on campus for a Newsweek.com video that accompanies his 2009 Newsweek Kaplan College Guide essay about his transition from campus to combat and back again.




Watch the video.

Read the essay.


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