Focus the Nation fosters environmental activism

Alexandra Matthews Assistant Life Editor

“Vassar’s not here yet?!” was all that Christopher Klabes ’08 could say when he realized that Vassar was not yet part of Focus the Nation, a nationwide event to stem climate change. On Jan. 31, months of hard work from Klabes and other members of the Vassar community will culminate in an environmental activism “teach-in” here in Poughkeepsie.

Focus the Nation (FTN) is one of many global warming education programs sponsored by the Green House Network, a non-profit organization based in Portland, Ore. FTN, which aims to promote awareness of global warming, pollution and clean technology investments, aided students and other activists from more than 1,000 institutions in organizing the “teach-ins.”

Teach-ins, modeled after the non-violent protests of the Vietnam era, aim to mobilize activists, giving them the means to promote their message of change.

Organizer Danielle Goldie ’09 wanted to bring FTN to Vassar “to achieve interdisciplinary collaborative discussion about what climate change is, what’s happening and [try] to work towards solutions as a community.”

“Climate change is related to the way we treat ourselves and what’s around us.” Goldie said. “It’s related to class issues, race issues and feminist issues. [We must] respect and understand the...environment.”

Many members of the Vassar community have contributed to planning the event. Organizers include the Vassar Greens, Klabes, Goldie and other students, FTN Vassar College student coordinators and Professor of Anthropology Lucy Johnson, who also serves as the Coordinator of the Sustainability Committee.

An environmental and archaeological anthropology specialist, Johnson views her participation in the fight against climate change as imperative. Fighting climate change “was most important thing I could do with my time,” she said. “When I heard about FTN, that obviously fit right in with the plans I had.”
Johnson explained that the purpose of FTN is “to activate young people in particular, but all Americans in general, to become…politically active in developing adequate mitigation and adaption steps in terms of reducing our energy use…through educating young people and convincing them to vote and be activists in their community.”

Kicking off the event was a screening last night, Jan. 30 of the Webcast 2% Solution, which features a panel of well-known environmental leaders and activists.
Stanford University climate scientist Steven Schneider, sustainability expert Hunter Lovins and other experts debated the possibility of reducing two percent of pollution that induces global warming in the United States each year for 40 years in an effort to reduce the United States’s current environmental impact by 80 percent. If you happened to miss the screening, you can find the Webcast online at earthdaytv.net.

Throughout the day, Vassar Student Association organizations including the Vassar Greens, Hunger Action, and Amnesty International will be tabling in the College Center to inform students of not only the physical, but also the political implications of climate change.
Some Vassar professors have even incorporated today’s activities into their lesson plans. Goldie, a biology major interested in environmental justice, said that the committee has “asked faculty to incorporate FTN into their lessons, and I’ve actually gone to my classes and FTN is on the syllabus. It’s awesome.”

The major events of the day include the panel discussions, information sessions and lectures featuring Vassar professors and local environmental experts. The sessions will be geared toward educating both students and the surrounding community on the dire environmental situation at hand. These sessions begin today at 12 p.m., ending with a presentation at 6:30 p.m. in the Villard Room by Executive Director of the Sustainable Hudson Valley Organization Melissa Everett.
Even though others are involved, FTN remains a student-run event at Vassar.

“It was very important [for FTN to] be a student initiative that I would support in any way possible, but the students should be at the helm,” Johnson said.

“It’s important to set an example for students who come through college and have global considerations in mind,” said Goldie. “By educating our generation, it will promote [pollution] reduction in future generations.”

He cautioned, however, that there is much more work to be done. “It takes a lot more than just one day of a “teach-in” or panel discussions,” he said.

For more information, visit the FTN Web site, focusthenation.org, or the Green House Network Web site, greenhousenet.org.