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Mayor Nickels to kick off Focus the Nation Climate Change Forum at Washington Center

By Jason Wettstein

The Evergreen State College, St. Martin's University, South Puget Sound Community College, and Centralia College have joined together to host a community forum on climate change to be held January 30, 2008 at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts. The Focus the Nation community forum is free to the public. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. and the forum will begin at 7:00 p.m. The first 500 people will receive an ENERGY STAR® qualified compact fluorescent light bulb courtesy of Puget Sound Energy. On behalf of the four colleges everyone will receive a reusable grocery bag.

The community forum on climate change will kick off with opening remarks by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and Congressman Jay Inslee (via video). Mayor Nickels spearheaded the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, in which mayors across the nation commit to reduce emissions in their cities to seven percent below 1990 levels by 2012. Since its launch in 2005, well over 500 mayors have committed to this goal, and the number continues to rise, highlighting concrete steps taken by communities throughout the country. The forum will also bring together local and state government officials, scientific experts and community members.

The event aims to:

• find socially responsible, equitable and just solutions for climate change in the South Sound region;
• increase action to address the challenge of climate change locally with sound practices;
• increase knowledge and personal commitments in an effort to deal with climate change; and
• demonstrate our broader communities’ willingness to act with responsibility toward the climate. -}

  The partnering organizations are proud participants in Focus the Nation, a nationwide campaign that is bringing campuses and communities together to find solutions to the challenges of climate change. Daytime activities will also take place at each of the four campuses. The day’s global warming teach-in activities are coordinated by area institutions of higher education in an unprecedented partnership, including The Evergreen State College, the South Puget Sound Community College, Centralia College, and St. Martin’s University.

  The event is part of a larger series of actions that Washington State and its academic communities are undertaking in continuing response to climate change.

  • For more information on the evening and daytime events, visit http://focusthenation.evergreen.edu
  • For directions to the Washington Center for the Performing Arts located at 512 Washington St. SE, in downtownOlympia, visit http://www.washingtoncenter.org/directions/
  • For information on the national Focus the Nation campaign visit, http://www.focusthenation.org -}

    Jason Wettstein is the Media and Community Relations Manager at the Evergreen State College. You may reach him at 360-867-5213 or mailto:wettstej@evergreen.edu

    
    

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