The University is one of nearly 1,100 universities and colleges around the country that gave students a chance to learn about the effects of climate change by participating in the Focus the Nation teach-in event on Thursday.
More than 10 University organizations, including OSPIRG and Campus Recycling, participated in the nation’s largest ever teach-in event, lining the EMU all day with booths where students could get information on the effects of climate change and how to get involved.
University student Tyler Polich, a coordinator of the event and Campus Recycling employee, said that educating students about climate change is the point of the event and that they accomplished that goal.
“This is definitely a step in the right direction. We are trying to bridge the gap between students and real world problems,” Polich said during the teach-in. “It’s an important issue, and I feel like people are learning, which is what we hoped for. We want students to get involved on a personal level, as small actions add up.”
University President Dave Frohnmayer began the inaugural event with a speech targeting the education of students, particularly those on the University’s campus.
Eban Goodstein, an economics professor at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, started the Focus the Nation project with a goal to bring education on climate change to schools around the country. He also intended to have an event during regular school hours, not in the evening when he feels that communication on the problem is just preaching to the choir.
Lesson plans and ideas for how universities can organize an event were posted on the project’s Web site, but Goodstein noted that what schools should do is up to them.
The University’s schedule not only included a fair, but also speeches by 13 professors on topics ranging from the business aspects of climate change to who is responsible for the climate crisis.
“The idea is to get students in contact with professionals on the issue,” Polich said. “That way students can fully understand what is happening.”
The idea for the national teach-in was ignited two years ago by Goodstein and planning for the University’s event, including calling professors and building booths, has also been in the works for quite some time.
“This is a huge process, and we have been working on it for months,” said Kelly Zillmann, a University graduate and employee of the recycling center. “But it shows students’ awareness that they are the future. To unite schools like this and educate people, it’s a great thing.”
The teach-in gave University student Kathy Redden a chance to promote the campus organization Students for Reusable Bags, but it also provided an opportunity for all the organizations on campus to come together, she said. This reflects the newly formed Sustainability Coalition, which comprises organizations on campus that deal with climate change issues.
“The idea of the coalition is to bring together organizations and make a bigger impact on campus than if done separately,” Redden said. “This way we can get together and not step on each others’ feet.”
Briana Orr, a University student and volunteer at the event, added that the coalition will build power in dealing with certain issues, but also gives students an easy opportunity to get involved.
“The coalition is a great way for people new to campus to find a group that suits them and get involved,” Orr said. “The U of O is one of the best places to be if you want to learn and be a part of change.”
The Eugene-based organization NextStep, which specializes in electronic waste recycling and refurbishes computers for those that can’t afford them, was involved with the teach-in. Intern and University student Sarah Dryfoos-Guss said there is a lot the University can do to help reduce climate change.
“This event is a huge step forward in recognizing the severity of the situation. We are a consume-and-throw-away society that needs to learn the effects of this,” Dryfoos-Guss said. “I encourage students to look at their own consumption. If you do a lot of little things it ends up making a big difference.”
As for life after the teach-in, Polich feels that more events related to climate change will be in store for the future, including plans for an event on Earth Day in April.
“It’s something that is catching on,” Polich said. “We are moving to younger generations that care and are aware of the problem. We hope to keep taking events up a notch and have a bigger impact in changing more minds in the right direction.”