WATERVILLE -- Only a sustained, citizen-led campaign will create enough momentum for the country to pursue alternative energy sources aggressively and hinder global climate change, according to several speakers Saturday afternoon at a student-organized forum held at Colby College's Diamond Building.

"Non-engagement isn't really an option," said Li Yu Chan, 22, a sophomore at Colby and head organizer of the forum. "We must make our voices heard if we want climate legislation that is just and sustainable. ... It affects all of us."

The forum, part of others being held across the country on "America's Energy Future," was presented by the Colby College Environmental Coalition and other groups, including Greenpeace.

Major climate change legislation is being debated on Capitol Hill. It includes a cap-and-trade tax system that aims to limit carbon dioxide emissions -- the cause of climate change.

Six panelists spoke at the forum and answered questions: Dr. John Joseph of the Mid-Maine Sustainability Coalition; Rob Brown, executive director of Opportunity Maine; Rosemary Winslow, a representative of Rep. Mike Michaud; Amy Carroll, energy adviser to Sen. Susan Collins; Jeremy Pare, a Manchester selectman; and Lisa Pohmann, deputy director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine.

Panelists said more renewable energy and funding for energy efficiency could give a boost to Maine's economy by creating new jobs and businesses while reducing the state's dependency on home heating fuel. The state could take advantage of its natural resources to tap new energy sources, from offshore wind turbines, tidal and river power, bio-mass from wood, and more, they said.

Brown said Maine is at a "unique disadvantage" because it has the oldest housing stock in the country and relies on heating oil for 80 percent of its energy.

Joseph talked about the economics of energy, saying the country faces an economic crisis that requires growing industries where investments can be made.

Maine's dwindling manufacturing sector could see a revival with green energy-producing facilities, Brown said.

"We have to find a place to put the money. The green revolution is the place," Joseph said. "This can save the economy."

At the state level, Pohmann said the Natural Resources Council is pushing for an energy surchange for heating oil -- like the existing one for electricity -- to fund an expansion of Maine's energy efficiency program.

Locally, citizens and businesses will need to adapt to new energy habits, Pare said. The key, he said, is taking social, environmental and economic factors into consideration.

Winslow and Carroll said their bosses -- Michaud and Collins -- are likewise advocating for federal energy and climate change legislation, but it's up to constituents to get involved, too.

Winslow cited the three-day Community Catalyst workshop, held in January in Waterville, which explored ideas for energy conservation and sustainability. "You're pushing our buttons, and that is the best thing that could happen to us," Winslow said.

Greenpeace organizer David Pomerantz said some Colby students will attend the U.N. climate change negotiations this December in Copenhagen, Denmark.

This year, he said, "might be the most important year ever to do something about global warming."

Scott Monroe -- 861-9253

smonroe@centralmaine.com