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TechnoratiHundreds of Professors Hold Green 'Teach-In'
PORTLAND, Ore. - Global warming issues took over lecture halls in colleges across the country Thursday, with more than 1,500 universities participating in what was billed as the nation's largest-ever "teach-in."
Organizers said the goal of the event, dubbed "Focus the Nation," was to move past preaching to the green choir, to reach a captive audience of students in many fields who might not otherwise tune in to climate change issues.
Faculty members from a wide spectrum of disciplines _ from chemistry to costume design _ agreed to incorporate climate change issues into their lectures on Thursday. Community colleges and some high schools also took part.
"It's about infusing sustainability into the curriculum of higher education, so students can graduate prepared to deal with the world they have been handed," said Lindsey Clark, 23, who organized events at the University of Utah.
The day's activities were the brainchild of Eban Goodstein, an economics professor at Lewis & Clark College in Portland who authored a widely used collegiate textbook on economics and the environment. Major funding came from Nike, Clif Bar and Stonyfield Farms, among other companies and foundations.
Goodstein, who has spent years training people to speak on climate change, said he issued a call to arms to fellow professors across the country a few years ago, as his certainty grew that time was running out to address global warming.
Some participating professors said the climate change issue already had been woven into their syllabus, in areas as disparate as philosophy and urban planning.
"For my students, three years ago, it felt like I was shoving this down people's throats. Now it feels mainstream," said Jane Nichols, who teaches interior design at Western Carolina University. "Students don't want their future clients to know more than they do."
Nichols said global warming is relevant to interior design because a designer's choice of materials has environmental implications. Bamboo floors and furnishings, for example, are more environmentally sustainable than old-growth wood, she said.
Other schools held panel discussions with political luminaries, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, who participated via video satellite at the University of Nevada's campuses in Las Vegas and Reno.
A few schools took the concept beyond the classroom. At Lewis & Clark, student actors portrayed presidential candidates for a mock debate on climate change issues, with the Hillary Rodham Clinton character stressing the need for "green collar" workers and the John McCain figure echoing the candidate's calls for a cap-and-trade system to regulate carbon emissions.
Glendale Community College in Arizona and the University of Kentucky have been serving "low carbon" meals all week. Organizers at New York's Fordham University put up a mock wind farm to show people that "solutions are close at hand," said philosophy professor Jude Jones.
Western Carolina University hosted a recycled fashion show. And at the University of California at San Diego, a student dressed as a polar bear sat in a mock electric chair to illustrate how climate change could erase the species' habitat.
Goodstein said the event comes at a crossroads for those involved in the climate change movement: There's less debate over whether global warming is happening, but many people have the sense that it's too late to change course.
"If you go back to 1960, most Americans felt that segregation was wrong, but they were fatalistic about it," Goodstein said. "But now, 40 years later, Barack Obama is a serious contender for the presidency. And 40 years from now, when our young people have finished the job of rewiring the planet, they will look back and say that 2008 was the year Americans woke up."
On the Net:
Focus the Nation: http://www.focusthenation.org
© 2008 Associated Press
13 Comments so far
Show AllHi all you foul-mouthed cynics, and all you true dreamers, for really, that's what we all are doing, and all we can do, dream and BE. I'm a 44 year old mother of two amazing young women, lower-middle class, educated northern californian (ie. global elitist, yeah, we eat and drink well here) and have worked relentlessly since the early 80's to protest, organize, walkout on nuclear power, central american policy, post 911 war and police state. Been arrested and wounded by our police state, but what's been much harder is organizing these educational events. Call Focus the Nation trite or green-elite. In my town it was the first time educators, policy-makers, activists, business owners, faith communities, and yes STUDENTS all got together for a long day of interactive DIALOG on climate change and related issues (eg. war, capitalism, profiteering) That was the goal, dialog. Bash it if you want. Seems trite to me though. Power to the People.
Peace to all, even you rude cynics (the first and last time I posted someone immediately called me ignorant and have been a little reticent to post again. Let's see how this goes...)
I see this article represent the mainstream green movement. Its all about what kind of big money you spend on your fresh remodel. All the big market movers are afraid to notice these movements as they have made the environmental approach to costly to implement for themselves. It takes change, expensive change. The 'bamboo floors vs the old growth timbers' comment is basically the idea behind what drives a portion of the new building ideas when it comes to remodels, mostly remarked upon but rarely practiced. The market has introduced different ideals when it comes to interiors and furniture, ideas different enough to have a huge push for these environmental products. The thing is, the future in environmental procedures for interior design market has to be introduced to our children so they can help drive the environmental home furnishings market, it to is in its infancy. Infantile or morally corrupt and a farce.
As a re-modeler I find it difficult to sell the environmental products that require a change from most mainstream practices like plastic coating wood products instead of using a hard-wax oil. Most wood can be finished with products that don't come from terrible sources. We don't have to kill our environment to build our own home, people have found ways. None of the best wood products are made in the US. The finest craftsmanship for tools is not US based anymore, the market knows this.
These are some of the things that drive the green movement. The fact that you could once purchase green paints, epoxies and furniture oils, only over seas, that are totally safe, edible almost, dry/cured, have changed our market at home tremendously. Sources for recycled timbers are small. There is enough market for clean recycled timbers for recyclers to charge hefty prices for these timbers, out of someones trash. Most go to the trash destroyed. They take a small percentage more to extract with out destroying but most contractors still find it easier to just slash and dump than clean it and store it, find a buyer, or wait to schedule it to be salvaged first. That is waste, throwing things away that the market wants to recycle. These things need to be brought to our youngest generations so they can develop the world when we are gone, not to mention to influence their parents. Most of these changes are happening slowly in the building market. Seattle has its first, I believe, maybe not yet finished, Five Star Green Certified Built house! The market drives this if people are aware of it. It is a slow moving change as the rest of the entire country is so poorly knowledgeable, if aware enough to even notice, of these opportunities at hand. The more, in this case, the market asks to support these changes, the more we can afford to make the right choices for our future not to mention, our health. We can promote a change in the way the world functions, but, first it takes knowledge.
Ya know what, Matti and Mike, ya gotta start where ya are with what ya got. So what Big Thing have you two done lately? Interesting excuses to give yourselves permission to continue to do nothing . . .
The whole issue is so huge that it will take everyone to help out. Saying that Kyoto is DOA because India and China are not doing their part is an excuse.
Bush grew up hating protesters and activists during the Viet Nam war. I think that he sees certain people all in that category. "If you are not with us, you are against us". That is one of the more divisive statements that W has made. Now we have to define once and for all who US is...
take action: http://frepubtra.blogspot.com
Illustrates the depravity of the USA. People can organise like this for global warming, while not the wholly criminal GWoT. Why? Self-centered, -interests are prioritised.
Hence, the most this activism represents is expenditure of energies that don't really contribute anything to humanity, for the ruling elites employing and applying wars of aggression and human depopulation must be stopped, first. We don't unite on these much greater issues, so "who cares about global warming, except the selfish!".
If those issues aren't corrected, including first, then I don't care about global warming, for then I'd be caring only about the spoiled, selfish people; and I have no care for them at all. Instead, I will side with the least fortunate, the most oppressed, ..., the greatest victims.
I really don't have 2 cents worth of care about global warming if we don't stop the hellbent criminally corrupt U.S. govt and then correct this f*cked-up organisation.
Why don't we see such university and college activism with respect to the GWoT wars, the wholly hellbent criminal coup d'etat against the govt of Pres. Jean-Bertrand Aristide and The People, majority of them, of Haiti, etc.!!!
Very serious selfishness!
Even if they achieved really significant govt moves with respect to global warming, it does not mean that GW isn't going to continue; and the genocides in Iraq and Africa, as well as in Haiti and Afghanistan, etc., this will all continue. Yet that's what needs to be focused on most of all.
As it is, this world is no place really worth living in; and that has nothing or very little to do with global warming, which is not a concern of mine. I'm not concerned about it at all. Other matters merit my attention first.
I recycle and reuse en masse, but I'd never make this a higher priority than the need to stop the GWoT, etc. The former is important and simple to do, but it's an issue that's dwarfed by the need to stop the GWoT, etc.
It seems to me that if these universities and colleges could unit in this global activism, which may actually be seriously based on beliefs that don't fit with reality, that is, unproven causes, then they should be able to unite all the more strongly against the GWoT.
Unproven causes? Yes. I have not yet heard or read of any scientific statements saying that it's not likely that the global warming on Earth is due to the basically same thing going on in much more of the cosmos and due to the sun. I've read of the claims that this is cosmically happening, instead of only on Earth, but have seen and heard nothing saying that this is false; really no mention, either way, pro or con.
Because that theory or explanation was quoted, and by the either Telegraph or Register, UK, from one or more scientists, global warming activists should presently focus on getting independent verification. After all, if GW really is mostly and very much due to a greater cosmic phen., then it's really a total waste of time to expend energies as activists on this topic; it'd be totally futile nonsense to be activist. To be an "alarmist", that is, to warn people and govts that the cosmos is going through this phase and what the believed consequences are for Earth is one thing; but to be an activist to try to get govts to try to stop GW is another matter.
Govts aren't going to be able to do anything against the Earth being subjected to cosmic events that affect Earth.
These activists not only illustrate selfishness, they also don't show the general public respect by not answering critical and pertinent questions!
Bunch of egotistical, pin- or pointy-headed dwibs.
I think Matti has a very valid point. As long as we continue to tell people that solving the crisis of climate change is just a matter of consumer choice...bamboo vs hardwood (in our 6000 square foot mansion), then we are screwed.
The problem is capitalism itself, which is predicated on continued growth and exploitation of the planet. Corporate green is not a real solution, it's just the same old co-optation, designed to divert us from what needs to be done, which is to bring down this cancerous system. If our raised consciousness, and eventual reforms, don't point down that path, then they are not worth supporting.
Teach-ins are important, and I applaud the teachers who are engaging their students, but we should be encouraging a more radical approach.
Matti-
you are worse than useless.
What a trite troll.
commentator matti's spewing is mainly adding to the greenhouse gases when we need to be focused on cutting them back. i'm sad to hear such dark cynicism from what i presume is a fairly young man. I've had to live through 25 years of sabotage and wasted time since that cretin Reagan took office. I don't have a lot of patience for nay-sayers and whiners now that we have a viable chance once again to commence construction on a world that works for everyone ( mama Eartha included).
yesterday the next generation of lever-pullers,innovators, owners, investors, leaders of all sorts just got a good dose of vaccine against the virus of cancerous corporate consumption. one injection will not provide lifetime immunity, but it will have a positive effect on public & planetary health.
the first steps to FUN are the avoidance of the colossal assault on our Mother and her vital regulating systems that allow us large bags of germs to strut about on her surface acting as if WE are the main or possibly the only point of all this wondrous living blue-green spitball racing through the cosmos.
matti could have benefitted from a day of 'teach-in'. for having missed class I suggest some remedial reading:
James Lovelock; "Gaia: a new theory of life on Earth", and "Revenge of Gaia" for a magnificent overview of the 3.5 billion year old living thing of which we are a recent and highly invasive species.
Anything by Bill McKibbon who is anything but Corporate.
This year's 4 summary reports from our current Intellectual Superheroes: the IPCC. Not the most exciting plot and characters, but an absolutely stunning tribute to thousands of people giving a damn and working hard for every living things' benefit.
Yes, I am one of those now-middle-aged nutjobs from the 60's. We've got a job to finish. Deal with it.
The bit at the end is great too.
"Look the President MIGHT be a half-black guy! Progress like that must have something to do with the progress I hope happens after this 'teach-in'" says professor that wrote a book about this.
hilarious. I love it.
The way the AP writer is so quick to inform us that the event is sponsored by Nike and Clif Bar and that it is the idea of a guy that wrote a "widely used collegiate textbook" is so classic too.
Its like:
"Don't be fooled by the 'teach-in' label, this ain't just a bunch of nutjobs from your vague middle-aged recollection of the '60s, this thing's got SPONSORSHIP folks! Not just Nike, but Clif Bar too,...CLIF BAR, people!
--This is stuff that matters! Drop whatever plans or thoughts you have come up with on your own, the experts have things in hand.
--Professors with Jewish-sounding names! Corporations with "Farm" in their title!
--Corporate Capital and Academic Thinking will find the solution, your job is simply preparation for consumption!"
That last isn't a knock on the teach-in or its organisers and participants, just a shot at the way the "journalist" frames the whole thing, BTW.
--------------------------------------------
I love when CD "publishes" these kind of so-called mainstream articles on "serious issues" and "progress".
They never fail to crack me up.
wait...
We ARE supposed to be mocking the sad attempts these articles make to reinforce the Establishment, even when forced to "cover" progressive events, right?
That's why they find there way onto this site which is supposed to be genuine and informative, not obsfucating and confounding, right?
We're supposed to take note of the event, realise CD or some other decent source hasn't written about it yet or couldn't be there, then notice all the Corporatist Crap the story has been filtered through, right?
Or is this article meant to be taken seriously?
I certainly hope not.
If we're not supposed to be laughing or shaking or heads at this "Corporate Green" bullshit, then I hope this piece is here solely for the implicit Barack Obama advertisement, as "pro-Obama" seems to have been elevated to the Level of Editorial Priority 'round here.
Anyway.
Remember to have FUN kids, this ride is supposed to be FUN.
-matti.
Corporate Green! Ivory Tower Green!
We're saved!
-matti.
I'm pleased to see such a large turnout. 1500 campuses is no small effort.
Finally, the decades of college "fringe" schools pushing ecological sound, green ideas
comes full circle. Too bad the Nike sponsored economist is quoted the most.
I'd rather hear more from the scientific community's opinion on the subject.
and....On presidential picks for green politics future sparked by comment above. We have to look
to historical records to find the answer. And if there's no record -what do you do? Take a gamble?
We have to look to who supported the environment and which candidates pushes in loopholes
and tax breaks. Energy Policy Act of 2005 is a good starting point. Equally, let's look at the GOP
absolute full-on assault against the EPA. The madness started with Ronald Reagan,
had a pause and rebuilding of the guard during Clinton, followed by Bush attacks.
EPA, DOE, USFW -- DOI. All have serious problems brought on specifically by
Republican legislation.
Some good news for a change.
It's really happening people. Irregardless of who is the next president, green is the new red white and blue.