Terry Link, director of the Office of Campus Sustainability. Photo by G.L. Kohuth

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EAST LANSING, Mich. – A climate change teach-in at Michigan State University featuring panel discussions led by top experts Feb. 2 will coincide with a national program that week to generate discussion and action on global warming issues.

The teach-in will take place in Room 145 Communications Arts and Sciences Building and will be webcast live and recorded by WKAR, MSU’s public broadcasting affiliate.

The event is an expansion of a community forum held last year as part of the national “Focus the Nation” program, said Terry Link, director of the campus sustainability office. This year, seven sessions will discuss climate change, instead of just one.

“The idea is to get people thinking about the issue through a variety of contexts and layers. It’s not simply a technology issue,” Link said. “Part of the goal is not just for people to understand this, but to become engaged in crafting solutions in places where they live.”

Ample opportunity for attendee input and interaction will be provided, organizers said. “We’re really viewing it as a two-way conversation, a way for people to contribute and learn,” said Maya Fischhoff, assistant director of the MSU Environmental Science and Policy Program.

Also helping organize the program is environmental economist Robby Richardson in the Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies.

• Scheduled panels are:11-11:50 a.m.: "The Big Picture: Climate Change and the Environmental, Social and Economic Drivers" with Tom Dietz (director, ESPP) and Jeff Andresen (Geography)
• Noon-12:50 p.m.: “Solutions for the First 100 Days” video
• 1-1:50 p.m.: "Energy Supply and Demand Issues" with Jan Beecher (MSU Institute for Public Utilities) and Marty Kushler (American Council for Energy Efficient Economy)
• 2-2:50 p.m.: "Ethical and Justice Issues of Climate Change – What Ought We to Do?" Scot Yoder (Residential College Arts and Humanities/Philosophy) and Michael Nelson (Lyman Briggs, Fisheries and Wildlife/Philosophy)
• 3-3:50 p.m.: "Weighing Impacts and Responsibilities on Developed and Developing Nations" with Brent Simpson (MSU Institute for International Agriculture) and Subbu Kumarappan (Agricultural and Resource Economics)
• 4-4:50 p.m.: "Media and the Message: Communicating Climate Change" with Jim Detjen (Journalism) and Rich Grogan (CARRS)
• 5-5:50 p.m.: "What Can MSU and Individuals Do?" with Lauren Olson (Office of Campus Sustainability) and Lynda Boomer (Physical Plant) 

Visit this Web site for the new insights into sustainability issues.

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