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Climate Change will be the talk around UO campus as part of national teach-in
University to host local area Climate Summit, 13 public lectures and evening keynotes
EUGENE, Ore. -- (Jan. 23, 2008) -- Urging the community to protect the climate, the University of Oregon will play host to the Eugene-Springfield area's day of activities focused on climate change on Jan. 31 as part of Focus the Nation, a national teach-in on global warming solutions.
Focus the Nation is an unprecedented educational initiative on global warming solutions for the U.S., with events at more than 1,100 universities and colleges and in all 50 states. The organization has created a teach-in model centered on education, civic engagement and leadership -- three pillars essential for youth to embrace solutions to global warming.
"The Focus the Nation event is an important opportunity for the University of Oregon campus and the Eugene-Springfield community to come together and discuss the roles we all play in climate change issues," said UO President Dave Frohnmayer.
UO's day of activities begins with the first-ever Eugene-Springfield Climate Summit from 9 a.m. to noon in the Erb Memorial Union (EMU) Fir Room. UO President Dave Frohnmayer will convene the summit, which is intended to be a dialogue between leaders at public entities including the City of Eugene, City of Springfield, Lane County, Lane Transit District, Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB), and Lane Community College, as well as 4J, Bethel and Springfield school districts.
At the Climate Summit, representatives from the local organizations will present steps taken or planned to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; preparations for potential effects of climate change on infrastructure, human or natural systems; ways to support, grow or recruit businesses that produce low-carbon goods and services; and global warming-related educational activities.
"The Climate Summit provides an opportunity for the public to learn what the key public organizations in the area are doing or plan to do in response to the global climate crisis," said Bob Doppelt, director, Resource Innovations and the Climate Leadership Initiative in the UO Institute for a Sustainable Environment. "Although we cannot solve global warming on our own, the problem can't be resolved unless each of us in the local community does our part."
UO is a recognized leader in campus sustainability and had the first university recycling program in the country more than 30 years ago. Among its many accomplishments, the UO is home to world-class green chemistry research, strong student, faculty and staff use of alternative modes of transportation, and an on-campus composting program. In fact, approximately 10,000 pounds of pre-consumer food is composted annually and used at the University of Oregon Urban Farm.
After the Climate Summit, 13 public lectures by UO professors will be held between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the EMU Fir and Walnut rooms. Topics include alternative energy solutions, ethics and climate change, carbon offsets, climate change and entrepreneurial leadership and China’s greenhouse gas emissions. The lectures will be presented by professors from various schools and colleges within the UO to represent the complexity inherent in climate change issues.
"From my viewpoint, climate change is an ethical issue first and foremost," said Ted Toadvine, professor of philosophy and environmental studies presenting a lecture titled "Who is responsible for the climate?" "As a society, we haven't considered the collective effects of our actions or the responsibility we all share to find a solution."
"Everywhere we look there is evidence pointing to the opportunities available as we move to an economy with new, clean technologies that offer long-run economic growth potential," said Mike Russo, director of the Sustainable Supply Chain Management Center and the Charles H. Lundquist Professor of Sustainable Management. Russo's talk will focus on business and policy responses to climate change.
Evening activities include the Lane County Energy Round-up's keynote address, "Renewable Energy -- Crossing the 21st Century Chasm" by Christopher Dymond, senior analyst at the Oregon Department of Energy, beginning at 7 p.m. in 150 Columbia Hall, 1215 E. 13th Ave. The lecture is free and open to the public.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.
Contact: Julie Brown, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu
Links: University of Oregon Focus the Nation: http://www.uoregon.edu/~recycle/FTN/ Focus the Nation, http://www.focusthenation.org.
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