Focus the Nation

Colleges and Universities A-Z Williams College
1

<p>Check out the awesome event planned on the Williams Campus for February 5th!</p>

<p>Williams:</a> Focus the Nation</p>

<p>For those of you who haven't heard of Focus the Nation (founded by a Williams alum, by the way), it's a national teach-in, the largest in US history, and it's all about finding solutions to the challenges of global warming. You can check out the national website at Focus</a> the Nation.</p>

<p>The national event is on the 31st, but due to dead week, coordinating with that schedule was impossible here. However, on the 5th, tons of faculty will be taking anywhere from 5 minutes to the full class period to talk about how their subject relates to global warming. throughout the day, panelists from all over are coming to give workshops and the student center will be transformed into a place for political and personal action. Key administrators are holding a panel discussion to talk about Williams' sustainability initiatives. Later that night, Christopher Flavin, Williams alum and president of the Worldwatch institute, will be giving a keynote address. Pretty sweet, huh?</p>

<p>Did I mention this is almost entirely student organized?</p>

2

<p>rhapsody, </p>

<p>if the planet periodically experiences temperamental adjustments, then could one argue the merits of environmental conservation are but proverbial sailboats at sea? </p>

<p>If we are not to see the complete disunion of industrialists within the near future, can it be argued that efforts at conserving the environment are at best futile?</p>

<p>don't get me wrong - sustainability is indeed a noble cause. But in order for the concept to carry relevance it must be more than a buzzword.</p>

3

<p>I really don't want this to turn into a "does anthropogenic global warming exist?" argument (which is I think what you're arguing against in your first point?) and I don't know about the disunion of industrialists, but I would like to disagree with the idea that all we're doing is environmental conservation. This is about building a new, better economy that doesn't run on fossil fuels, one that can provide new jobs to the poorest members of our society. It's about creating new technology and opportunities that help people at the same time as they help the planet. That's what I mean by sustainability.</p>