Focus the Nation is based in educational institutions, but also is engaging Americans in their churches, mosques, synagogues, businesses and civic organizations. The intent is to focus the growing concern in the country about global warming, and to create a serious, sustained and truly national discussion about clean energy solutions, linking students and citizens directly with our political leaders.
The event will kickoff on the evening of Wednesday, January 30, with a webcast featuring Stanford University climate scientist, Stephen Schneider, sustainability expert Hunter Lovins and green jobs pioneer Van Jones and youth climate leaders, for a discussion of global warming solutions.
Dr. Richard Cizik, Vice President for Governmental Affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals, will be the keynote speaker for the event, addressing students and the community at 10:40 a.m. in the Conn Center. Cizik is known for his belief that it is imperative for evangelicals to take responsibility for the Earth through the cause he calls Creation Care,” or the belief that this is God’s world.
The two-day event will culminate in a Green Democracy Round-table which will feature elected officials including Reps. Wamp and Bunch who will discuss global warming policy solutions with a bi-partisan panel of students. This event will begin at 5:45 p.m. in the lobby of the Helen DeVos College of Education Building with a reception and the discussion will begin at 7 p.m. in the Rose Lecture Hall.
A Sustainability Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Centenary Room. The fair will feature displays of local “green” initiatives around the region including a geothermal machine from TVA, a solar bike and solar car from Cleveland High School, and radon display and testing by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
Teach-in sessions will be offered throughout the day on Jan. 31 at four times: 9:10, 11:45, 1:10, and 2:35. Each session will last about an hour. The teach-in will feature speakers on topics including “green advertising,” “The Environment: Literary Explorations,” “Zero Energy Housing,” “Anatomy of a State of the Art Landfill,” “Music, Worship and Creation,” and “Importance of an Environmental Court.”
For more information on Focus the Nation, please visit www.focusthenation.org. For more information on Lee University’s involvement, please visit http://www.leeuniversity.edu/events/focus-the-nation/.