Global Warming Campus Teach-In At CU

**Update--cufocusthenation.com has gone live:

Why we need a teach-in

The CU Environmental Center knows the challenge of getting students to pay attention to and be motivated by climate change. From surveys we know many students are under-educated or misinformed on the causes and wide-ranging implications of climate change that will invariably impact their professional and personal lives.

We stand at a unique moment in human history. Decisions that are ours to make today – to stabilize climate change pollution and invest in clean energy solutions – will have a profound impact on every human being. We owe our young people one day of focused discussion on climate change solutions for America.

More than just one day, Focus the Nation is an unprecedented educational initiative, to-date involving over a thousand colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, faith groups, civic organizations and businesses.

Focus the Nation is a catalyzing force shifting the national conversation about climate change towards a determination to face this challenge.

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"At CU, we will be organizing a "teach-in" on that date, meaning that no student, faculty, or staff member should be able to go through campus without encountering the topic of climate change."



Hoping to spread the indoctrination to schools across the nation on January 31, 2008 (from a CU email):

Fellow graduate students --

I am working with the Environmental Center on campus to promote Focus the Nation, a nationwide effort to designate one day (January 31, 2008) to discussing climate change and the relevant challenges that face us.

At CU, we will be organizing a "teach-in" on that date, meaning that no student, faculty, or staff member should be able to go through campus without encountering the topic of climate change. The primary way of meeting that goal is to have faculty members -- and TAs/graduate instructors -- incorporate the topic into their class activities. This is by no means limited to departments such as Environmental Studies or Atmospheric Chemistry; in fact, the idea is to get students who are not normally studying climate change to understand its relevance to all of our lives.

I've attached a flyer with more information. How can grad students help with this effort?

1. Commit to incorporating climate change into your recitation or class and register on http://www.cufocusthenation.com.

2. Help convince faculty to join in the effort and incorporate climate change into their courses.

3. Come up with ideas of how to teach/discuss climate change in your discipline.

4. Volunteer to help Focus the Nation's Graduate Student Outreach Committee (i.e., me)!

Please let me know if you have any questions or are looking for more ways to help.

Thanks,
Eric

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Eric Gordon
Candidate for Master of Science
Environmental Studies Program
University of Colorado at Boulder

As far as I can tell, this is still in the germinal stage, with an update promised on November 15. It may be too late, however. The tipping point has already been reached (no, not that tipping point).