Focus the Nation Event at UCSB brings out WalMart, Mayors of Goleta and Santa Barbara, SB City Council

The University of California, Santa Barbara will host four days of lectures and workshops prompting students, faculty and staff to consider solutions to climate change. The Focus the Nation event will begin with the 2% Solution, a free, live interactive webcast at 8:00pm on January 30th at Bren Hall 1414, UCSB. The webcast will feature Stanford climatologist, Stephen Schnieder, sustainability expert, Hunter Lovins and green jobs pioneer, Van Jones.

On Thursday January 31st from 8:30-5pm, the University will be featuring Ernst von Weizacker, the Dean of the Bren School of Environmental Policy and Management speaking on the Bali Mandate and creating sustainability curriculum. From 11:00-12:15pm Janelle Kearsley, the Director of Corporate Strategy/Sustainability for Wal-Mart Stores, will join a panel discussing some of the ways in which Wal-Mart has reduced its environmental significance. In addition, local economists from the Donald Bren School will address the issue of localizing economies or investing in large scale green economies. This panel will be followed by a panel on Environmental and Climate Justice.

Green workshops showcasing the four-day event include a panel with Das Williams, SB City Councilman addressing work force housing. Barbara Hirsch, David Cleveland and RC Green will be having a panel discussion on creating a sustainable home and self. Other lectures include identifying local impacts of climate change. CalPIRG will be hosting a workshop where the audience can get involved with focusing our politicians on climate change.

Thursday will also include the showing of “The Shape of Water” in the university multicultural center starting at 3:30pm. The featured documentary brings light to the innovative and sustainable spearheading women that are confronting the challenges of the developing third world.

In the evening there will be a Green Business mixer at the Goleta Valley Community Center from 6:30 to 9:00 PM to which community members and students are invited. The mixer will be followed by speeches from community leaders. The featured speakers are Abe Powell, Mayor Bennett, Goleta and Mayor Marty Blum, Santa Barbara, Adam Green the Director of the Center for Sustainability, SBCC and Donna Carpenter, Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services, UCSB. The forum will address the local strategies of defending against and coping with climate change.

Saturday, February 2nd, will have a Day of Youth Climate Action and CFL exchange where over 1,500 light bulbs will be exchanged in Isla Vista.

For more information go to www.focusthenation.org

See the schedule of events

Contacts
Juliette Wigley
Intern for Dept. of Geog., UCSB
805-893-2003 (office)
408-761-7720 (cell)
jwigley@umail.ucsb.edu

Katie Maynard
805-893-2003 (office)
805-448-5111 (cell)
kmaynard@geog.ucsb.edu