Focus the Nation organizing meeting for April 20 2007

Attending: Matt Hutton, Chad Worth, Dominique Luong, Ben Eckold, Neil Bulger, Jorge Montezuma (students), Kate Lancaster, Steven Marx (faculty)

A.conference report - Chad is in contact with focus the nation students from UNC Chapel Hill. A short video about their FTN effort is available online. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTYifQEE3ME
B.message from provost - Bill Durgin, our provost, has expressed his support of FTN.
C.Immediate Tasks
1.Budget - Budget has been finalized and will be submitted.
a)modifications
b)setting up account - Funding for FTN will be through the Empower Poly Coalition's account.
2.Reserving Venue - Chad and Matt will complete E-Plan paperwork before the next meeting. We will make any necessary changes at the meeting and submit the E-Plan on May 1st.
a)Chumash January 31 all day
b)UU 220 and others
c)UU Plaza
3.Scheduling meetings
a)Every Friday noon in Garden Grille - Steve and Kate cannot make it to the next meeting. Student's, please bring other interested students to the organizing meetings.
4.Planning committee
a)one faculty and one student from each college
(1)college subcommittees?
b)representatives from staff and admin
c)representatives from student and faculty organizations, e.g. clubs, sustainability committees
(1)empower poly
(2)academic senate sustainability committee
(3)SARC
(4)CENG
d)community organizations
(1)Seachange
(2)Sierra Club
(3)Ecoslo
(4)Hopedance - Bob Banner from Hopedance would like to be involved in FTN at Cal Poly. We need to get into contact with him.
(5)religious groups
(6)high schools and community colleges
(7)Rotary
(8)SLO chamber
5.Draft Mission statement: objectives
D.Long range Tasks
1.Coordinate with Step-It-Up, Campus Climate challenge, etc. - I will look into how our FTN program fits into other national programs.
2.Fundraising - We have a list of companies that may be interested in support Cal Poly FTN and will begin drafting letters to them before the next meeting.
3.Produce Educational/Promotional materials - Everyone should start thinking about what type of educational material they can produce to encourage faculty, administrative, student and community involvement in FTN. Steve has suggested the following format.
a)Global warming-climate change primers
(1)1-2 page paper
(2)SLOFocus website - Neil has some experience with web design and will begin working with other students on getting FTN into the digital age.
b)Smart Energy Solutions
(1)1-2 page paper
(2)SLOFocus website
c)What you can do: personal and political
(1)1-2 page paper
(2)SLOFocus website
4.Create Program
a)format
b)FtN Webcasts—Major speaker and interaction with students
c)late afternoon plenary with politicians
d)lewis and clark sample: http://www.focusthenation.org/curriculumlc.php
e)corporate recruiting booths - Green companies may be interested in setting up a card table at FTN and doing some recruitment?
5.Audience recruitment
a)On Campus
b)Off Campus
6.Faculty recruitment to make this subject of class
a)target every professor
b)training students 10-15
c)email to all faculty
7.Recruitment of politicians - Chad and Matt are beginning to draft some letters to politicians about focus the nation. We're shooting for the stars here, because the worst they can say is no!
a)National
b)State
(1)Sam Blakeslee - If we can get Sam Blakeslee onboard, he may be able to help us get through to Arnold Schwarzenneggar. Boxer and Feinstein will also be contacted. President Baker's support may also give us some leverage with politicians at the local and state levels.
c)County
d)City

Easter in Las Vegas: A Personal Report on the Focus the Nation Organizing Conference April 6-8 2007

From the Cal Poly Delegation

Cal Poly Institutional Endorsement

FOCUS THE NATION
CAL POLY INSTITUTIONAL ENDORSEMENT

Global warming poses a serious threat to people and natural systems across the planet. Public and private policy decisions about global warming this decade will have impacts lasting for generations. To focus the nation's attention on this crucial issue, Cal Poly, in conjunction with colleges, universities, and high schools across the country, will organize a symposium about "Global Warming Solutions for America" on January 31 2008. On that day, faculty and students are strongly encouraged to participate in on-campus programs about climate change and to engage in discussions. The symposium program committee has offered to work with interested faculty, help to develop materials for their classes, and insure that diverse disciplines and views are represented in symposium panels and workshops.

Short Video about Focus the Nation

Interview with Eban Goodstein, Focus the Nation Founder

Academic Senate Resolution

Adopted:

ACADEMIC SENATE
of
CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY
San Luis Obispo, CA

AS-___-07

RESOLUTION ON
FOCUS THE NATION


WHEREAS, In May 2003, the Academic Senate endorsed the Talloires Declaration, committing Cal Poly to a ten-point program of promoting sustainability in education; and

WHEREAS, Addressing the threats of global warming and climate change has become a crucial priority in educating students about sustainability; and

WHEREAS, Focus the Nation is one way that colleges and universities can use their educational mandates to motivate their students and others to address these threats; and

WHEREAS, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, in conjunction with colleges, universities, and high schools across the country, will organize a symposium about “Global Warming Solutions for America” on or around January 31 2008; therefore be it

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Cal Poly endorse the following statement formulated by the national Focus the Nation organizing committee:

Global warming poses a serious threat to people and natural systems across the planet. Public and private policy decisions about global warming this decade will have impacts lasting for generations. To focus the nation’s attention on this crucial issue, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, in conjunction with colleges, universities, and high schools across the country, will organize a symposium about ‘Global Warming Solutions for America’ on or around January 31 2008. On that day, faculty are strongly encouraged to travel with their classes to attend scheduled programs about climate change or to discuss it with their own students. The symposium program committee will work with interested faculty to develop appropriate material for their classes and to insure that diverse disciplines are represented in symposium panels and workshops.


Proposed by: Academic Senate Sustainability Committee
Date: January 24, 2007

Rationale:
The threats of global warming and climate change are becoming more manifest every day. Our patterns of energy production and consumption need to undergo profound transformation within the next decade to avert possible catastrophic consequences by the end of the century. Educational institutions are obliged to join government, businesses, community organizations and individuals in raising awareness of the threats and searching for ways to bring about these transformations.

Focus the Nation is one way that colleges and universities can use their educational mandates to contribute to such an effort. Its goals are to shift the national conversation about global warming from fatalism to determination and to create a national educational dialog on policy options by involving 1,000 participating schools, 5,000 organizers, 20,000 presenters, and 3 million students in discussions of “Global Warming Solutions for America” on a single date, January 31 2008, just before the first 2008 presidential primaries. [See http://www.focusthenation.org]

At Cal Poly, an organizing committee representing students and faculty from all colleges is developing programs culminating in this day’s events. The committee’s work will be facilitated by the endorsements of Cal Poly administration, faculty and student organizations. Such endorsements have already been provided by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and by the presidents of Lewis & Clark College, The University of the South, Smith College, and Mount Holyoke College, among others.

In May 2003, the Academic Senate endorsed the Talloires Declaration, committing Cal Poly to a ten-point program of promoting sustainability in higher education. The Senate’s endorsement was followed by President Baker’s signing the Declaration in August of 2003. The Declaration has served as a statement of commitment and a guide to action for Cal Poly’s sustainability programs. Though more specific in scope, the endorsement of the resolution of support for Focus the Nation will similarly signify commitment and lead to action. The statement submitted herein for endorsement has been formulated by the national Focus the Nation organizing committee.

Getting started

Focus the Nation on Global Warming Solutions is a national organization devoted to raising awareness of the threat of climate change and of ways these threats can be addressed by government, business, community organizations and individuals.

It's goal is to involve more than one thousand colleges and universities and three million students as well as other organizations in a day of education on January 31 2008, shortly before the first presidential primaries. This non-partisan nationwide event should encourage all the candidates to put this issue high on their campaign agendas.

This website is a place to gather input and publicize information about activities leading up to and culminating in the events of January 31 2008 at Cal Poly University San Luis Obispo. Your participation is welcomed.