Newswise — Ursinus College is in the forefront of an unprecedented national teach-in on global warming solutions. Journalists, scholars, activists and legislators will gather at Ursinus Jan. 30 through Feb. 2 for the national initiative to cultivate awareness of climate change.
Nationally, Focus the Nation will bring together nearly 1,200 schools and civic organizations across the country for a non-partisan national discussion Jan. 31.
Registration for the events at Ursinus is free at the web site http://academic.ursinus.edu/ftn/
The Ursinus event is co-chaired by Environmental Studies professors Leah Joseph and Richard Wallace. Wallace is a member of a national project to review and evaluate the Endangered Species Act and a former senior staff member of the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission. Joseph holds degrees in marine geology and oceanography and has focused most of her research on climate change through the study of deep-sea sediment. Both teach in the Ursinus Environmental Studies program, where students, in addition to completing academic work, run successful sustainability and recycling programs, and have converted a temporary detention basin into a wetland and established an organic garden on campus.
Echoing the commitment of students, Ursinus President John Strassburger signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, pledging to reduce carbon emissions by changing practices on campus.
Ursinus Focus the Nation speakers include:Richard Alley, a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences at Penn State University;
Margaret Bowman, Director of the Lenfest Ocean Program of the Pew Charitable Trusts;
Heidi Cullen, host of The Weather Channel program, 'Forecast Earth with Heidi Cullen;
Dale Jamieson, environmental ethicist and professor of environmental studies and philosophy and affiliated professor of law at New York University;
Richard Kerr, senior environmental energy and climate correspondent for the journal, Science;
Henry Pollack, professor emeritus of geophysics at the University of Michigan and faculty member of The Climate Project; and member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change;
Timothy J. Ragen, executive director of the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission;
Andrew Revkin, New York Times senior environmental correspondent;
Sara Steele, nationally recognized artist and environmental activist;
Judy Wicks, co-founder and co-chair of the national Business Alliance for Local Living Economies and owner and founder of Philadelphia's White Dog Café;
Dar Williams, musician and activist, will perform in concert Sat., Feb. 2, at 8 p.m. (Free, but tickets needed).
Additionally, Ursinus is hosting an environmentally-themed art competition for partner elementary schools in surrounding school districts.
To see national events planned, go to the web site http://www.focusthenation.org for a look at the national events planned.
The Ursinus Focus the Nation had its roots in an Environmental Studies seminar on climate change, where students who were deeply interested in education initiatives drafted a mission statement and the framework for the event, and took the lead in much of the planning. The Environmental Studies Department at Ursinus continues to attract more students each year as majors.
Ursinus College is a highly selective, independent coeducational liberal arts college located on a scenic, wooded 170-acre campus, 28 miles from Center City Philadelphia. The college is one of only 8 percent of U.S. Colleges to possess a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Its web site is located at http://www.ursinus.edu.
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