Focus the Nation at Cypress College

Calendar of Events

Date 2008	Time	Event	Location
Monday January 28,	6-8 PM	Movie: Who Killed the Electric Car?	CCC-216
Tuesday January 29,	6-8 PM	Movie: An Inconvenient Truth	CCC-216
Wednesday January 30,	7 -9 PM	Focus the Nation Webcast	CCC-216

Global Warming Heats Up Cypress College

Dear Cypress College Students, Staff, and Faculty:

We stand at a unique moment in human history. Unchecked, global warming poses severe challenges to human welfare, and will drive a significant percentage of the earth's animals, plants, and other creatures into extinction.

Failure to act soon increases the likelihood of a swing in global temperatures of Ice Age magnitude, only in the opposite direction, within our student's lifetimes. The science is solid and this threat is greater than that from any human terrorist. We have a window of time for action NOW that can hold future warming to the low end of the possible range, and in so doing, create the foundation for a just and sustainable future.

Cypress College Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) seek to foster a community informed on vital public issues. As educators, we owe our young people at least a day of focused discussion about this key issue and our response to it. Decisions we make personally and as a community over the next few years regarding controls on global warming pollution and investments in clean energy solutions will have a profound impact not only on our lives and the lives of our children, but indeed for every human being who will ever walk the face of planet Earth.

Therefore, we the undersigned urge you to participate in a national teach-in on the climate change challenge: Focus the Nation.

This initiative is coordinating teams of faculty, students and staff at colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools and elementary schools across the United States, engaging a nationwide discussion about "Global Warming Solutions for America". From a base in educational institutions, Focus the Nation is also incorporating participation by religious, civic, and business organizations, leading up to a national teach-in on January 30^th 2008, designed to involve millions of Americans.

Focus the Nation is growing rapidly. Already more than 1000 institutions have signed up, and over twenty college presidents have endorsed the national teach-in which presents the opportunity to catalyze the country, and indeed, "Focus the Nation" around a non-partisan, reasoned, campus-lead discussion of this defining 21st century issue.

Website http://www.focusthenation.org/

College Focus the Nation page

http://www.focusthenation.org/actionmap/?type=sing&id=1271

What? National Focus the Nation Webcast: This webcast will feature Professor Stephen Schneider from Stanford University and will lay the groundwork for the teach-in.

When? Wednesday January 30, 2008 at 7 PM.

Where? Cypress College (CCC-216)

We are now asking for volunteers to help us coordinate this event. Please Email me if you wish to be part of the organizing committee, especially if you are a club advisor. We need participation from Geography, Geology, Political Science, Business, Economics, and Philosophy faculty to bring a variety of perspectives to the teach-in and panel discussion.

Please Email Ron Armale, RArmale@CypressCollege.edu

your name, discipline, and Email address

such as:

Ron Armale, Physics, RArmale@CypressCollege.edu

I will add your name to the organizing committee.

We'll probably do all our work by Email or at the Engineering and Physics Club meeting on Tuesdays at4 PM in room 113.

Together, we can help move America beyond fatalism to a determination to face up to this civilizational challenge, the challenge of our generation.

Sincerely,

The Cypress College Focus the Nation Team

1.Ron Armale, Physics, RArmale@CypressCollege.edu , Team Coordinator

2.Alex Mintzer, Biology, AMintzer@CypressCollege.edu

3.Brinda Subramaniam, Physics, BSubramaniam@CypressCollege.edu