Green Cafe Network & Nomad Cafe Join Largest Teach-In in History
January 29, 2008 by Christopher
Thousands of organizations & campuses help focus nation on solutions to global warming
Oakland, CA. — On Jan. 30, 2008, Green Café Network and Nomad Cafe will participate in Focus The Nation, an unprecedented teach-in model on global warming solutions. “We are in a time where critical decisions need to be made on global warming, which means today’s leaders and the youth who will inherit the crisis need serious education on the issue,” said James “Gus” Speth, dean, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. “Focus The Nation is our country’s foremost model to create that level of education and interaction with law makers.”
Focus The Nation has created a teach-in model centered on the three most essential pillars for today’s youth to embrace solutions to global warming: education, civic engagement and leadership.
Green Café Network, a Bay Area non-profit organization dedicated to greening the coffeehouse industry and harnessing café culture for environmental education, is co-hosting a public event in support of Focus the Nation with Nomad Café, a community-centered café in Oakland known for its green business practices.
The Focus the Nation teach-in will kick off the night of Jan. 30, with the 2% Solution web cast produced by the National Wildlife Federation and aired by the Earth Day Network. Panelists will include actor Edward Norton, Stanford climate scientist Steve Schneider, Hunter Lovins, CEO, Natural Capitalism and environmental justice leader, Van Jones, executive director, Ella Baker Center in Oakland, Calif.
At Nomad Café from 7-9pm, Green Café Network and Nomad will host a free screening of the 2% Solution, followed by Q&A and discussion. They will also screen a 20-minute film, “The Story of Stuff,” produced by Free Range Studios with host Annie Leonard. Both Nomad Café and Green Café Network are big believers in the power that informal gathering places - especially cafes - have in building community and catalyzing a movement. When they heard about Focus the Nation, they immediately decided to join the teach-in and host an event for the public.
After screening the 2% Solution, participants will be encouraged to vote on what they think are the top five solutions from a list of ten that are available at www.focusthenation.org. Vote results will be presented nationally in mid February. All students who vote on the Choose Your Future ballot will be eligible to win a $10,000 leadership scholarship for a project to be completed by end of August 2008.
Green Café Network and Nomad Café will have information for people to continue their participation in Focus the Nation the next day, Jan. 31, at campuses across the Bay Area. Many Bay Area colleges and universities will be inviting local, regional and national civic leaders to engage in the culminating event, a Green Democracy round-table. In the event that members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives can’t make it back to their states for these discussions, Focus The Nation has partnered with a company called SightSpeed to provide live, video conferencing technology between campuses and Congress.
For more information on Green Café Network and Nomad Cafe and their participation in Focus The Nation, please visit www.focusthenation.org or call 415-788-3666 ext. 208. Please also visit www.greencafenetwork.org or www.nomadcafe.net for more information.
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Focus The Nation is an unprecedented educational initiative on global warming solutions for America occurring at more than 1,000 universities, colleges and civic organizations in all 50 states on Jan. 30th and 31st, 2008. As the largest teach-in in U.S. history, Focus The Nation is preparing millions of students to become leaders in the largest civilizational challenge any generation has faced. For more information, please visit www.focusthenation.org.
