In light of the changing global climate, departments across the University of Idaho are joining efforts with Focus the Nation, a national teach-in for education and discussions about reducing greenhouse gases and creating a more sustainable world.

Evan Goldstein, founder of Focus the Nation, was invited to visit campus by UI Sustainability Center director Alecia Hoene. This was when the university decided to join the initiative for global discussion at colleges around the nation Wednesday and Thursday, said Rosemary Streatfeild, research proposal writer for the College of Environmental Science.

“Focus the Nation should, I hope, really get people to start thinking about global climate change,” Streatfeild said. “It’s culminating in these two days.”
There will be a Web cast screening of “The 2% Solution,” a previously recorded, live discussion about global warming solutions noon Friday in the Commons Whitewater Room, hosted by UI’s Sustainable Idaho Initiative and the Environmental Club.

Stanford University climate scientist Stephen Schneider developed “The 2% Solution” and will speak with green jobs pioneer Van Jones and multiple youth climate leaders, Streatfeild said.
“We’re hoping that there will be a discussion,” she said. “See what stimulating conversation we have afterward.”

The “2% Solution” comes from the prediction that developed countries will have to reduce global warming pollution 2 percent each year for the next 40 years to avoid irreparable climate damage. This is a hot topic because of many opponents who say global warming does not exist.

“If it’s true and we don’t do anything, we’re screwed,” said Nick Hubof, senior and president of the American Institute of Architecture Students’ UI chapter.
The architecture department will focus its students on global warming from a disciplinary point of view by taking the Architecture 2030 challenge, an initiative to reduce emissions in the building sector from 50 percent in 2010 to complete carbon neutrality in 2030.

“It’s a huge task but it’s attainable,” Hubof said. “2010 is probably not attainable.”
Architecture 2030 creator Edward Mazria will stream a Web cast, “Face It,” about his two-step plan that will be shown at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Life Sciences Building Room 277. One aspect of the plan is to stop America’s dependency on coal.

“There’s tons of money in the coal industry and you can’t just tell them to stop,” Hubof said.
Hubof attended an AIAS conference in Milwaukee earlier this month where Mazria spoke about his challenge for architect students to learn and apply sustainable practices, said architecture instructor Bruce Haglund.

“Our faculty has accepted that challenge unanimously,” he said. “I like to think of it as low-energy, high-performance building.”
“You can’t design one sustainable building and use it across the nation,” Hubof said. “Each one has to be cleverly designed.”

Architecture students are learning about shading devices, heating and cooling designs and passive design. Haglund has been teaching the Environmental Controls Systems since 1982, a two-semester class he shares with instructor Phillip Mead.
“It’s your typical green architecture class,” Haglund said. “We’re among the greenest architecture schools in the world.”

Mazria will also announce the details for his reverberate competition to design a poster or video that will earn the winner $20,000 during his Web cast. Nothing will be revealed until 9 a.m. Wednesday. All that is known is that the focus of the competition is for the entries to

“reverberate” across campuses and the nation.
“A student told me they’re going to win,” Haglund said. “We don’t even know what it involves.”
A later event in conjunction with the Focus the Nation effort will be a forum, “Obstacles to Combating Climate Change and How to Overcome Them” at 6 p.m. Thursday at Mikey’s, 527 S Main St.

Kenton Bird, director of the school of journalism, will discuss media impact at the event. Professor of civil engineering Fritz Fiedler will discuss technology and Washington State University graduate student Heather Truelove will cover denial. Following the panel discussion will be a raffle and presentation of the documentary “Revolution Green: A True Story of Biodiesel in America.”

UI’s Environmental Club will unite with UISC in the UI Commons Thursday to encourage students to sign a petition asking President Tim White to improve the campus’ recycling program, said James Blakely, UISC event planner and environmental science major.

“The residences are working on establishing recycling,” Streatfeild said. “I think we have to start doing things at home before we can make a difference around the world.”

After the Web cast of “The 2% Solution,” the UIEC and UISC will start a planning committee for Earth Week in April. Blakely said he is happy the university has a grasp of the importance of global climate change and looking for solutions.

“I think UI is a really good place to start,” he said. “We’re small enough that we can really see change happening.”

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