Focus the Nation - Global Warming Solutions for America
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By Alexis Illyn, Restoring Eden staff
On Thursday, January 31st, over 1400 of colleges, universities, places of worship and various other institutions across the nation will join forces for Focus the Nation, a nationwide teach-in on global warming solutions for America. Focus the Nation hopes to create an open dialogue about global climate change and directly engage millions of students and citizens with the nation’s decision makers. The event was first introduced to provide an opportunity for university staff to speak out about how global warming is impacting their academic disciplines. Click here for Focus the Nation's web site.
Christian colleges and universities are participating in Focus the Nation to help raise awareness on their campuses that climate change is not separate from faith and justice issues. Among these colleges are Abilene Christian University, Baylor University, Bethel University, Bluffton University, Calvin College, East Texas Baptist University, Goshen College, Hope College, Luther College, Oral Roberts University, Pacific Lutheran University, Seattle Pacific University, and Whitworth University. Below are details of what some Christian colleges and universities are doing to help raise the discussion of climate change on their campuses.
Abilene Christian University (Abilene, TX) is hosting Climate Week 2008 on Jan 28-Feb 1, in conjunction with Focus the Nation. They will be kicking off the week by starting ACU Unplugged, a two week long competition between campus dorms to reduce energy usage. ACU’s Climate Week will also include a tour of Lone Star Wind Farm, various tree plantings, a viewing of the film Inconvenient Truth, library and internet resources tours, and several seminars. The seminars will include Recycling Fluorescent Bulbs: Why and How?, The 2% Solution, Endangered and Declining Species, and Greening ACU.
The Bluffton University (Bluffton, OH) Student Senate will be doing their part in Focus the Nation by hosting two forums on global climate change. Each panel will consist of three professors followed by an open discussion. The first panel will focus on the government’s response to global warming, environmental disasters and justice, and the physical effects of global warming. The second panel will cover the cost-versus-value aspect of global warming solutions, the moral and ethical implications of global warming, and the health effects of global warming.
At Goshen College (Goshen, IN), they'll be entertaining, focusing and brainstorming with students to come up with the ideal world free of climate changing technology. They're showing the webcast Face it/Reverberate at architecture2030.org that offers a $20,000 prize for the best video and graphic arts piece that will educate the public about this issue. Goshen College will be seeing Al Gore through Jeff Riegel's slide show called "Earth's New Reality." They'll be proposing a greener Goshen College through ideas generated by the GC Environmental Economics class last semester. And they'll be learning through the documentaries "Everything's Cool" and "Transforming Energy" that visually offer history, background and an idealist future for all students to shoot for.
Hope College (Holland, MI) will be taking part in Focus the Nation by hosting a variety of presentations on climate change. They will be addressing various issues such as nuclear energy, ecological foot printing, and the impact of climate change on wildlife populations. Hope College will be holding a panel discussion featuring elected officials and institutional representatives concerning the potential of wind power as an energy source for Holland, MI. They will also be taking part in the national, interactive web cast, The 2% Solution. On the same day, Hope’s dining halls will feature the theme “Think Global, Eat Local” for lunch menu items- including Michigan foods, and the Creative Dining Services staff will highlight other initiatives to emphasize local products.
Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, WA) will be joining in Tacoma's Focus the Nation event. Tacoma’s Focus the Nation will consist of a short film, poetry reading from elementary students and a question and answer session between the public and state and local elected officials. This will be held at Evergreen State College's Tacoma Campus.
Whitworth University (Spokane, WA) is holding an event in conjunction with Focus the Nation, however they are holding it this Thursday, January 24. They are having an event where students will present the science of global warming and different perspectives on dealing with climate change including, the developing world, Europe, and the US. They will end the event with a short discussion on simple steps everyone can take to address climate change. Whitworth's event will be held Thursday, January 24 at 7:00 PM in Weyerhaeuser Hall 203.