Carleton College to Participate in “Focus The Nation,” A National Climate Change Teach-In
Carleton College will participate in “Focus The Nation,” a massive nationwide teach-in taking place Wednesday, Jan. 30 and Thursday, Jan. 31, with the goal of engaging both the Carleton and greater Northfield communities with millions of other students, citizens, political leaders and decision makers to raise awareness on the national stage about the issue of global warming. The College’s “Focus The Nation” events are free and open to the public.
Carleton College will participate in “Focus The Nation,” a massive nationwide teach-in taking place Wednesday, Jan. 30 and Thursday, Jan. 31, with the goal of engaging both the Carleton and greater Northfield communities with millions of other students, citizens, political leaders and decision makers to raise awareness on the national stage about the issue of global warming. The College’s “Focus The Nation” events are free and open to the public.
On Wednesday, Jan. 30, Carleton will broadcast “The 2% Solution,” a live, interactive national webcast featuring Stanford University climate scientist Stephen Schneider, sustainability expert Hunter Lovins, and green jobs pioneer Van Jones along with youth climate leaders for a discussion of global warming solutions. “The 2% Solution” refers to the yearly decrease of emissions levels necessary to cut global warming pollution by more than 80% by the year 2050—the goal for minimizing the effects of global warming. The webcast begins at 7 p.m. in Olin Hall, room 149, and will be followed by an informal Q & A session led by Carleton faculty.
On Thursday, Jan. 31, Carleton will host a day-long series of panel discussions followed by a dinner and benefit concert. Panel discussion topics include the global implications of climate change, science and policy options of global warming, and global warming in a Minnesotan context. The sessions will take place hourly between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in Olin Hall, room 141. For complete details, visit http://apps.carleton.edu/campus/sustainability. At 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 31, a dinner discussion focusing on the role of youth in climate change will be held in the Goodhue Hall Superlounge.
The series of events concludes with a benefit concert beginning at 8 p.m. in The Cave, located in the lower level of Evans Hall. Headlining the concert is Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, an indie pop band based in Springfield, Miss., currently touring the Midwest. Opening for the band is Carleton’s all-women a cappella group the Accidentals and acoustic singer-songwriter Aaron Kaufman ‘09. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, an organization that works with citizen groups to advocate for environmental protection and justice in the gulf coast region.
Focus the Nation is an educational initiative, promoting civic engagement. Around the country Focus teams are inviting local, state and federal political leaders and decision-makers to come to campus and participate in a non-partisan, round-table discussion of global warming solutions. Every institution will also vote on their top five national priorities for global warming action, producing a campus and citizen endorsed policy agenda for 2008.
For more information, contact Adam Smith, environmental and technology studies educational associate, at (507) 222-7018.