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 On
January 31, The College of New Rochelle participated in Focus The
Nation (FTN), an unprecedented national simultaneous educational
symposia on global warming solutions for America. FTN’s goal was to
create a dialogue and promote civic engagement with local, state and
federal political leaders nationwide on environmental issues. As the
largest teach-in in U.S. history, Focus The Nation prepared hundreds of
thousands of students to become leaders in the largest civilizational
challenge any generation has faced.
 The CNR event kicked
off on Wednesday, January 30, with a presentation
by Andrew Revkin, environmental reporter for The New York Times, who spoke on
the topic “The Daily Planet: On the Front Lines of
Climate Change, from the North
Pole to the White House" to an
overflow crowd of several hundred. On Thursday, students and faculty
presented a full day of presentations,
panel and round-table
discussions, and student showcases covering such topics as the
attitudes, behavior, ethical consderations, and governmental policies
that impact environmental issues in the U.S., Europe, Africa and
other devolping areas of the world, as well as what solutions can be
achieved on global, regional and local levels. That evening local and
state
legislators, and student leaders, participated in “Green Democracy,” a
political panel on environmental issues. On Friday, faculty and
students from CNR’s Education Department and Environmental Studies
Program invited local school groups to the Main Campus to participate
in “Educating Children about Climate Change,” a program of activities
and discussions about climate change.
 Focus The Nation
was the culmination of several student initiatives at
the College during the fall semester that focused on protecting the
environment and raising awareness of the issues surrounding the
subject. In October students were part of a three-college “Green Torch”
relay team that biked to Albany to deliver an invitation to New York’s
elected leaders to participate in discussions on global warming
solutions at their colleges during the January FTN event. CNR’s
invitation included over 500 signatures.
 In December, over
100 members
of the College Community were on hand to support student, faculty and
staff who participated in the “Keep Winter Cold! Fight Global Warming!
National Polar Bear Plunge” by jumping into the icy waters of the Long
Island Sound to draw attention to the issue of climate change.
 In January and
February, events held in support of CNR's "Focus the Nation" included Gill Library's preparation of
Ecology and
Enviromental Studies Resources that featured book displays and
research guides, and an Art Exhibition in Mooney Center's Bridge
Gallery that focused on themes
of global warming.
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For more about
Focus The Nation events at CNR,
click
here.
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