Gettysburg College students to join national global warming teach-in

To learn more about global warming solutions, Gettysburg College students will take part in what is expected to be the largest "teach-in" in United States history.

Organizers of "Focus the Nation" expect some 1,500 campuses, faith organizations, and civic groups to join in events planned Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 30 and 31.

At Gettysburg College, members of the campus community will gather Wednesday for "The 2-percent Solution," an interactive web broadcast featuring Stanford University climate scientist Stephen Schneider, sustainability expert Hunter Lovins, actor Edward Norton, green jobs pioneer Van Jones, and young leaders on climate issues. Audiences across the nation will be able to weigh in via cell phone voting. The event will take place at 8 p.m. in Science Center Room 152.

A discussion is planned at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 31 in the Junction of the College Union Building. Panelists will include environmental studies Profs. Caroline Nielsen and Randall Wilson, on the science of global warming and environmental policy, respectively; physics Prof. Bret Crawford on renewable energy; Director of Facilities Planning and Management Jim Biesecker on sustainability improvements under way on campus; and senior Miriam Parson, who is double-majoring in environmental studies and political science, on ways to reduce one's "carbon footprint."

"It's important for students and the whole college community to know that there are solutions to global warming," said senior Marissa Mizeski, an environmental studies major from Califon, N.J., and president of the Gettysburg Environmental Concerns Organization (GECO ), which is sponsoring the events.

Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with approximately 2,600 students. It is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. The college was founded in 1832.

Posted Jan. 29, 2008

By Jim Hale 

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