We stand at a unique moment in human history. Decisions that are ours to make today – to stabilize global warming pollution and invest in clean energy solutions – will have a profound impact not only on our lives and the lives of our children, but indeed for every human being who will ever walk the face of the planet from now until the end of time. At this moment in time, we owe our young people one day of focused discussion about global warming solutions for America.
On Wednesday, January 30 and Thursday, January 31, 2008, Florida Gulf Coast University reached out to students, faculty and the public to collaboratively engage in a nationwide, interdisciplinary discussion about "Global Warming Solutions for America."
Wednesday, January 30 began with a National Teach-In during which faculty from across the curriculum at FGCU offered ten minute presentations about topics related to global warming from the perspective of their disciplines. In the evening we concluded with two larger events. The first, called Green Democracy, engaged local and state politicians in discussing political solutions to the climate change issue. Go to the Green Democracy link to see a summary of this event. The second, and the concluding event of the day, was a live, interactive webcast called the 2% Solution. While we were unable to access the webcast, we did hold a discussion about solutions on the FGCU cmpus. Click on the 2% Solution link to see a summary of this discussion.
On Thursday, January 31, FGCU hosted "Climate Change and the Sunshine State," a presentation by Don Miller. Global warming and the resulting climate change is perhaps the most crucial issue currently facing our global civilization. This presentation is based on the award winning slide show created by Nobel Peace Prize co-winner for 2007, Mr. Al Gore. The presentation covered the causes and effects of global warming, their impact on the Sunshine State and what we, as citizens of the Earth, can do to help.
Wednesday, January 30
Climate Change Teach-In
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Green Democracy
5:30 - 7:00 pm
2% Solution
8:00 - 10:00 pm
Thursday, January 31
Climate Change and the Sunshine State
7:30 - 9:00 pm
Focus the Nation: Global Warming Solutions for America was an unprecedented educational initiative, involving over a thousand colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, faith groups, civic organizations, and businesses. Focus the Nation created a serious, sustained and truly national discussion about climate change and clean energy solutions, linking students and citizens directly with our political leaders.
For more information on the national teach-in, see: http://www.focusthenation.org/; for information on FGCU's participation contact Jim Wohlpart at wohlpart@fgcu.edu or (239) 590-7181.
Sponsors for this event include:
