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On Thursday (Jan. 31), BGSU students and faculty will be among those at more than 1,550 institutions across the country participating in Focus The Nation—a teach-in on solutions to global warming. Joining them will be local leaders and University officials for a panel discussion.

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., nearly 35 faculty members will lead discussion groups in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union on various aspects of climate change, from polar bears to journalistic responsibility related to climate change to eco-fragile countries in the Horn of Africa. See below for schedule.
 
From 5-7 p.m. in 308 Union, a panel discussion on climate change will feature BGSU students and CFO Sheri Stoll, Bowling Green Mayor John Quinn and Public Utilities Director Kevin Maynard, County Commissioner James Carter. Kim Peters, an environmental studies major, will moderate. The discussion is free and open to the public.

“We want everyone attending to understand how global warming affects all the aspects of our life and what they can do to help combat it,” said Jazmine Bennett, president of BGSU’s Environmental Action Group and co-organizer of the campus portion of the event.

“The current generation of BGSU students will be affected enormously by global climate change. This ‘teach-in’ will empower our students to be active participants in the critical dialogue about finding solutions,” said Dr. Gary Silverman, director of BGSU’s Environmental Programs. “We are looking for everyone to come not only to listen but to actively discuss these issues throughout the day. It’s a wonderful opportunity.”

A free concert by local musicians will be held from 7-11 p.m. in the Union Falcon's Nest.

The event will begin with a live Web cast at 8 p.m. on Wednesday (Jan. 30). The “2 Percent Solution” will feature climate scientist Dr. Stephen Schneider of Stanford University and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Natural Capitalism president Hunter Lovins and environmental justice leader Van Jones.

The last component of the event is the online ballot. Participants will vote on top solutions, and the top five will be announced in the beginning of February. Students who vote will be eligible to win a $10,000 leadership scholarship for a project to be completed by the end of August.

Across the nation that day, education and civic engagement will be used to provide a platform for students in elementary and high schools to universities and colleges to engage in the critical societal debate about climate change solutions. Live and videoconference round-table discussions will take place between Congress and campuses.

“Today’s youth are truly the greatest generation,” said Dr. Eban Goodstein, creator of Focus The Nation. “No other generation has had to face this kind of challenge. We would be failing as educators if we did not prepare them with the tools necessary to meet this challenge.”


For more information, visit http://www.focusthenation.org/. Or contact Bennett at jazminb@bgsu.edu or Whitney Kraner at wkraner@bgsu.edu.

Schedule of Events (by room):