I listened to a total of eight different speakers this afternoon--an ambitious schedule, but one that paid off in the end. In Viking Theater I heard Professor Bob Jacobel (pictured above) speak about the effects of global warming on the cryosphere (the Arctic and Antarctic regions of the Earth). Associate Professor of Sociology Bruce Nordstrom-Loeb followed Jacobel up with a
presentation entitled "A Changing Climate for the World's Poor." It was an excellent speech concerning a topic that, in my opinion, doesn't get as much coverage in environmental circles. Associate Professor of Religion David Booth concluded this particular teach-in with a presentation concerning self-sacrifice (in a consumerist manner), religion, and our "sacred obligation" to care for the interdependencies of the environment. (In the photo above, Professors Booth, Jacobel, and Nordstrom-Loeb are answering questions immediately following their teach-in session.)
I split my time during the next teach-in session attending a speech given by Professor Jonathan Hill in Viking Theater and one given in the Black Ballroom by Brett Werner. Both of them were cool presentations--Hill is possibly the most articulate person ever, and listening to his presentation on literature really appealed to the English major in me. Brett gave a great presentation on environmental communication and fielded a lot of questions from the audience.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Afternoon Teach-Ins
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This afternoon at the World Cafe, Jim Farrell started our small group, round table conversations by asking everyone to weigh in on our experiences from the last 24 hours: what was something important we learned, what was something scary or troubling that we learned, and what was the most hopeful thing we learned?
There were a wide variety of answers, but through the conversations we had, a very hopeful sign emerged: attendance, excitement, and commitment of large numbers of college students. High school students from the area, community members, and college students of all ages and majors attended these sessions, heard about climate science from Bob Jacobel, and the implications for forests from Kathy Shea, water from Mike Swift, and environmental health effects from Diane Angell. There were social, economic, moral, religious, and political viewpoints, institutional and individual, campus and national perspectives, and in the end a number of thoughtful and inspiring talks. All were well organized by students, faculty, and staff.
But as I said before, the level of student excitement, and yes, focus, was what is really catching. It was quite a treat. More thoughtful and analytic content to follow... and keep up the great work, David!
--Brett W
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