EVENT INFORMATION

"Focus the Nation is a national teach-in engaging millions of students and citizens with political leaders and decision makers about Global Warming Solutions.

We stand at a unique moment in human history. Decisions that are ours to make today – to stabilize global warming pollution and invest in clean energy solutions – will have a profound impact not only on our lives and the lives of our children, but indeed for every human being who will ever walk the face of the planet from now until the end of time. At this moment in time, we owe our young people one day of focused discussion about global warming solutions for America

More than just that one day, Focus the Nation: Global Warming Solutions for America is an unprecedented educational initiative, involving over a thousand colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, faith groups, civic organizations and businesses. Focus the Nation is a catalyzing force helping shift the national conversation about global warming towards a determination to face this civilizational challenge."

On January 31, at 10:00 a.m., faculty and students from The New School’s eight divisions will participate in a nationwide all-day teach-in on global warming. Focus the Nation: Global Warming Solutions for America is an unprecedented educational initiative involving more than a thousand colleges, universities, and schools. The purpose of the teach-in is to educate Americans on the challenges of addressing climate change as the nation moves toward the 2008 presidential elections.

The teach-in will conclude with a roundtable on environmental justice and climate change from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. featuring speakers Peggy Shepherd, West Harlem Environmental Action; Elizabeth Yeampierre, UPROSE; and Philip Silva (a Lang alumnus), Sustainable South Bronx.

The event is cosponsored by Eugene Lang College, Lang’s Office of Civic Engagement, the Tishman Environment and Design Center, and the graduate program in International Affairs. It will take place in Tishman Auditorium, Alvin Johnson/J.M. Kaplan Hall, 66 West 12th Street. Admission is free. For more information, contact Bhawani Venkataraman at venkatab@newschool.edu or Nevin Cohen at cohenn@newschool.edu.

SCHEDULE OF SPEAKERS

10:00    Joseph Westphal  -  The politics of climate
10:15    Joel Towers  -  Design & climate change
10:30    Willi Semmler  -  Economic Growth and Climate Change
10:45    Lopamudra Banerjee  -  Responses to Disasters
11:00    Joseph Heathcott  -  Urban planning and climate change
11:15    Jean Gardner  -  Archictecture and climate
11:30    Ryan Wood  -  The Privitization of Disaster Response
11:45    Rob Buchanan  -  NY harbor and wetlands restoration
12:00    Peter Eisinger  -  Land use patterns and climate change
12:15    Sara Winter  -  Religion and climate
12:30    Nevin Cohen  -  Food systems and energy consumption
12:45    Brian McGrath  -  Design and climate
1:00    Alec Gershberg  -  Carbon tax or cap and trade?
1:15    Laura Briggs  -  Redesigning the built environment
1:30    David Morgan  -  Energy and climate
1:45    Alex Schwartz  -  Housing policy, sprawl, climate change
2:00    Robert Kirkbride  -  Water, speed, climate
2:15    Steven Lambert  -  Communication and social action
2:30    Fred Hochberg  -  Political action and climate change
2:45    Katayoun Chamany  -  Climate change and disease
3:00    Michael Cohen  -  Sea level rise and cities
3:15    Cameron Tonkinwise  -  Ethics, architecture, climate change
3:30    Thomas Forster  -  Impacts on global food systems
3:45    Nadia Elrokshy  -  Climate change basics
4:00    Zishan Ugurlu  -  Chekov and climate
4:15    Dmitri Nikulin  -  Origin of climate crisis in early modern understanding of nature
4:30    Alan McGowan  -  Environmental justice
4:45    Anthony Whitfield   
5:00    Bhawani Venkataraman  -  The science of climate change