WSU Part of National Climate Change Webinar
While the COVID-19 crisis has demanded much of our attention over this last year, Weber State University’s Sustainability Practices and Research Center (SPARC) works to also keep attention on the looming issue of climate change and how Utahns can make a difference.
SPARC, along with WSU’s Environmental Initiatives Committee and the Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics & Public Service, will host a statewide live-webcast on climate solutions, April 7 from 4-5:30 p.m., as part of a nationwide and global dialog event called Solve Climate by 2030.
This is the second year Weber State will host the Utah webinar event. Due to its leadership and involvement in sustainability, WSU was asked to serve as the host for the first Utah Solve Climate webinar last year.
This time around, universities in 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 45 other countries are hosting Global Dialogs: interactive webinars with climate leaders. From Australia to Kyrgyzstan, Colombia to Malaysia, and South Carolina to South Africa, these events will help people find out the big, ambitious things that can be done in local communities over the next year to help solve climate change and create jobs as the world recovers from COVID.
“We will focus on what Utahns can do to help improve our future in the face of climate change,” said Alice Mulder, SPARC director. “We want to translate the solutions identified by state experts to next steps we can each take on the ground. Time is short for us to make a significant difference in reducing the impacts of our changing climate.”
COVID-19 has shown how fragile our health and economic systems are in the face of extreme events and how vulnerable communities are disproportionately impacted by them. Mulder said it is important to remember the best climate scientists have told us clearly that unchecked, climate change will turn our lives into a series of extreme events around the world. There is still time to change that future.
Eban Goodstein, economist and director of the Solve Climate project at Bard College urges climate-concerned teachers at the college, university and high-school level to kick off Earth Month by assigning the webinar as homework — either live or recorded — and then discuss with students.
“You don’t have to be an expert on climate to talk with your students,” Goodstein said.” Every subject contributes to understanding climate solutions. Whether teachers are teaching art, literature, business, philosophy or any other discipline, they can access easy-to-use guides to incorporate climate change.”
Faculty and teachers across the country and globe, and across disciplines, will assign the webinars as homework to springboard discussion for climate solutions and energy justice. Subject-area online resources are available to #MakeClimateaClass.
Weber State’s webinar will begin with a short presentation from Bard College followed by a Utah-focused panel presentation and community discussion.
To watch the free webinar, or receive a link to the recording, register here. For more information, contact katherinemeyr@weber.edu.
You can learn more about Weber State sustainability work at this link.
April 7, 2021 Webinar Schedule
4-4:05 p.m.: Welcome to Power Dialog - Solve Climate by 2030,
Eban Goodstein, Bard College graduate programs in sustainability director
4:05-5 p.m.: Climate Solutions Live Panel
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Vicki Bennett, Salt Lake City sustainability director
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Congressman John Curtis, Rep. for Utah's 3rd District
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Thomas Holst, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and David Eccles School of Business senior energy policy analyst,
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Olivia Juarez, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Latinx community organizer,
5 - 5:30 p.m.: Community conversation including questions and answers regarding the solutions, getting engaged, and next steps.
For more information about SPARC, visit this link.
Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
Melissa Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications
801-626-6348 • melissasmith9@weber.edu- Contact:
Alice Mulder, SPARC director
801-626-6198 • amulder@weber.edu