Focusing on climate change
Conference ‘Focus the Nation’ aims to galvanize Durango, country

SideStory: Focus the Nation at a glance

A parched earth cracks under the itnense summer sun in this file photo. Next Thursday, Fort Lewis College, in conjunction wiht 1,400 other colleges and universities throughout the country, will be tkaing part in “Focus the Nation,” an interactive day of events, films and webcasts meant to bring attention and action to the problem of global warming./Photo by David Halterman

by Amy Donahue

Next week, Fort Lewis College is shining a light on global climate change. Along with the Sustainability Alliance of Southwest Colorado, the school will be taking part in Focus the Nation, a nationwide effort to spur awareness and united action toward a more environmentally friendly America.

On Thurs., Jan. 31, in solidarity with more than 1,400 other colleges and universities throughout the country, the two local groups will sponsor speakers, presentations and films on the topic of global climate change. Much of it will go beyond education to focus on what people can do to incite change at the national and global level.

“We want to get away from doom and gloom and more toward action,” said Heather Ellis, an intern at the FLC Environmental Center and one of the event’s organizers. “We want to show people what they can do to move in a positive direction. We want them to see there are people in the community think

ing about this, and that there are already programs and initiatives working on it.”

For the last 18 months, Dick White, chair of the Sustainability Alliance and retired FLC professor, has been working as a representative for Focus the Nation, traveling to colleges and universities throughout the West to discuss climate change. He will bring the message back home Jan. 31 and provide a general overview of Focus the Nation and the urgency of climate change.

“For the U.S. to take this issue as seriously as it demands to be taken requires absolute political commitment,” White said. “Focus the Nation is a way to put the

issue on the political agenda so that the next president and Congress put it in their top priorities.”

Throughout the day, participants will gain tools for shaping the issue. The day will be broken into three main sections: causes and consequences; solutions; and actions. It is the latter two parts, solutions and actions, that will receive the most emphasis, according to Marcus Renner, Environmental Center coordinator. He said individual solutions, like changing light bulbs and buying eco-friendly cleaning products, will take a back seat to group action. “It’s about what we can do together to make this a national issue,”

Renner said. “We’d like to be able to push local and state representatives to take action and pass legislation.”

Focus the Nation organizers, from left, FLC student Alex Pullen, the Environmetnal Center’s Heather Ellis (not a student), and student Trevor Ycas stand earlier this week in the college’s ballroom, where most of the events will take place. The goal is to spur involvement, particularly among students, in taking action against global climate change./Photo by David Halterman

Focus the Nation will begin on the evening of Wed., Jan. 30, with a live webcast discussion, “Two Percent Solution,” in the FLC Ballroom. Led by a panel of climate change experts, the nationwide discussion will center on the idea that developed nations will need to cut emissions by 2 percent annually over the next 40 years in order to keep global warming to a minimum. The discussion will focus on whether we as a nation can accomplish this, and if so, how we should go about instigating this decrease in emissions.

White said colleges and universities are the target of Focus the Nation because it is the youth that is entrusted with making the changes, and colleges are often forerunners in fomenting change. “Fort Lewis is commendable because it has really exercised leadership in the community about this,” he said. “The college serves as a valuable resource as the community begins to grapple with these problems.”

In addition to the participation of thousands of colleges and universities, K-12 schools, and religious and community groups throughout the country will also be hosting teach-ins, lectures and film screenings on Jan. 31.

In Durango, 14 presentations are scheduled throughout the day, and most are about programs and initiatives in the Durango area, said Ellis. “They are solution-based presentations, providing ways for people to take action,” she said. “People have been bombarded by the science of climate change, so the idea of Focus the Nation is how we can move forward with that knowledge.”

One such presentation will be given by Koren Nydick, director of the Mountain Studies Institute in Silverton, who will give a talk on climate change specific to our area. The Mountain Studies Institute is involved with several scientific studies in the San Juans, with one study site near Lake City that measures the effects of climate change on the alpine environment.

“We hope to downsize global models so we can project specifically for local and regional impacts,” Nydick said. “Our goal is to learn more and provide tools for adaptation.”

The day will culminate with a discussion on the recent city and county greenhouse gas inventory. Ellis said the hope is to have city and county officials present to react to the inventory and allow the audience to ask questions and comment on the results. The inventory will allow planners to see where emissions are coming from and what can potentially be done to reduce them. It may also provide an opportunity for local groups to target specific areas to address.

“The Focus the Nation event is important because we have all the technology to make the changes that need to happen, but there is not enough awareness within the general public,” said Alex Pullen, leader of the Environmental Center’s Climate Action Team. “Once the public is aware, the government, both at the state and federal level, will have to start passing new legislation that is needed to stop climate change.”

And while the intent of the day is to focus on climate change, Ellis added that she hopes after Thursday, the focus will continue to grow. “I don’t want this day to be the only day that people are thinking about climate change. I want the momentum from this day to carry on into the following weeks, months, years.” •