Public Invited to Climate Change Teach-In with University of South Carolina President and Columbia Mayor
April 14, 2009COLUMBIA, SC – April 14, 2009 – University of South Carolina President Harris Pastides and Columbia Mayor Bob Coble will discuss solutions to climate change at a breakfast Friday, April 17, as part of a national teach-in on climate change.
The breakfast will take place from 8 – 9 a.m. at the Learning Center of the university’s Green Quad residence complex, located at the corner of Wheat and Sumter streets. It is open to the public and is free for the first 100 people.
The two leaders will discuss the climate commitments made by the university and the city, as well as steps taken and future plans to address climate change and the need to create healthier and sustainable communities.
After the breakfast, there will be a panel discussion, The Impacts of Climate Change in South Carolina: Present and Future, featuring panelists from business, the media, agriculture, policy, science and student activism. Participants include John Clark, director of the S.C. Energy Office; Dr. Greg Carbone, geography professor and expert on climate change; Frank Knapp, co-founder of the S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce; Sonya Duhé, associate professor of journalism and expert on environmental topics and the media; Ron Wilson, member of the executive board of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association; and Sara Tansey, university student and organizer of the Southern Energy Network. Carey Chambliss, lobbyist for the S.C. Sierra Club, Conversation Voters and Wildlife Federation, will moderate.
The teach-in is part of a national call to action for university and community leaders to address the topic. The university’s teach-in events were organized by Green Quad and the university’s Student Environmental Committee.
While the breakfast and panel discussion are the major events for the public, additional teach-in events will take place Thursday, April 16. Thursday’s events also are open to the public.
A green-design lunch and learn will take place at 12:30 p.m. at the Green Quad Learning Center. The event, which includes lunch, a panel discussion on green building design and tour, costs $5 at the door.
The Moore School of Business will host a panel discussion, The Business of Climate Change, at 4 p.m. in Room 856 of the Moore School. It is free.
Sierra Club to attract more youth involvement. The presentations will be followed by the screening of two films on climate change beginning at 8 p.m. They include Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming and The First 100 Days. The evening events are free.
For more information about the teach-in, call Thomas Chandler at Green Quad Learning Center for Sustainable Futures at 803-777-6400 or via e-mail at [email protected].
Sponsors of the 2009 teach-in include Students Advocating a Greener Environment (SAGE); Students Engaged in Aquatic Science (SEAS); Net Impact, a student organization that focuses on responsible business; Emerging Green Builders; the university’s residence hall association; the Green Learning community; and student government.
The university’s Green (West) Quad residence hall is a living and learning community that incorporates sustainability into all aspects of its operations and serves as a model for sustainable living on campus and in the community. The Green Quad Learning Center for Sustainable Futures brings together faculty, staff and students and the community to offer programs that explore the changes required to create a sustainable society.