Trevor Davis

ENGL 145

3 March 2008

Focusing the Fight

            As the issue of sustainability becomes an ever larger part of our daily lives, one cannot help but think of the world we live in today and how it would be different if our forefathers had endeavored to preserve it. For generations, our ancestors consumed this planet’s resources with little regard for the environment. Some great men, however, wanted to make sure that the younger generations would not repeat these mistakes. One such man was Aldo Leopold, renowned environmentalist and author, who once said, “A land ethic ... reflects the existence of an ecological conscience, and this is turn reflects a conviction of individual responsibility for the health of the land. Health is the capacity of the land for self-renewal. Conservation is our effort to understand and preserve this capacity” (Leopold). Today, people across the globe are finally beginning to understand the enormous responsibility that Leopold outlined over thirty years ago. And as the harsh reality of our present circumstance settles in, we must act to make sure that the world we hand down to our children is not on the verge of destruction. On January 31^st, 2008, thousands of American students chose to act by attending Focus the Nation, a symposium on sustainability that reached over 1900 college campuses (Focus the Nation). Focus the Nation is the embodiment of our generation’s commitment to a sustainable future. This commitment took months to plan, but thanks to the dedication of its many presenters and coordinators, its impact will last for years to come.

            Focus the Nation was not built in a day. The long process of its construction began on April 6, 2007, when Eban Goodstein (a professor from Lewis and Clark University and the mastermind behind Focus the Nation) welcomed eager activists to the University of Nevada – Las Vegas campus (Marx). The next 72 hours were devoted to discussing the problem of climate change and its potential solutions. One of the more feasible solutions Goodstein suggested was an effort to stimulate grassroots environmentalist networks through a nationwide teach-in on sustainability. Little did Goodstein know, his suggestion would garner support from hundreds of American educational institutions.

           As Focus the Nation began to take shape, students from the host campuses were left with the responsibility of coordinating the events that would take place at their schools. For Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo, that meant that the Empower Poly Coalition would plan a week of events leading up to the day-long symposium on the 31^st­ (Empower Poly Coalition). As the second school to receive an endorsement for Focus the Nation from its president, Cal Poly was expected to be one of the symposium’s flagship schools (Hutton). Many Cal Poly faculty members were eager to contribute to the event, and committed to speak in one of the afternoons many lectures. Some speakers, such as keynote speaker Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee, needed to work out some scheduling conflicts, but eventually agreed to participate. All told, over 150 faculty members threw their weight behind Focus the Nation (Ford). As the end of January rolled around and volunteers continued to join the cause, Cal Poly found itself floating in a vast sea of support.

            Following three days of smaller events like the Environmental Poetry Slam and a live webcast featuring actor Edward Norton, Focus the Nation flooded Cal Poly’s Chumash Auditorium, University Union, and Dexter Lawn (Empower Poly Coalition). Over four thousand students, faculty, and townspeople attended one of the many sustainability-oriented events which ranged from discussions of solutions for the climate crisis to an art show which featured artwork by “four students who drew inspiration from different aspects of the theme in order to promote sustainability” (Vincent). As the day turned to night, and the solar panels which fueled a musical performance by Blue Turtle Seduction were powered down, students left the numerous exhibits with a new appreciation for the severity of Earth’s predicament.

            Although the symposium lasted only 24 hours, Focus the Nation’s message continued to resonate with Cal Poly students long after its conclusion. Veterans of the environmentalist movement felt their cause strengthened, while some global warming skeptics (myself included) were ushered into the ranks of the believers. Many students left Focus the Nation eager to join the movement toward a sustainable tomorrow, and while they may not all be ready to run for political office, Focus the Nation showed people that “taking small steps can make a big difference” (Knight). Even if only a small percentage of the millions that attended Focus the Nation make an effort to change their lifestyles, the effects of global warming can start to be reversed. In her Mustang Daily column, “Leaning Left,” Focus the Nation student coordinator Erica Janoff echoed this sentiment by saying, “If thousands of students can rally together all across this nation in support of what they believe in, then this is just the start” (Janoff). This optimism is characteristic of the mood across the campus following the groundbreaking event that Professor Bud Evans described as “one of the most monumental political moments on campus” (Van Romburgh).

            Focus the Nation certainly achieved its goal of educating thousands on the subject of global warming, but the symposium was also geared at increasing political awareness. In an essay written for the environmentalist blog Gristmill, Eban Goodstein emphasized this point. “Focus the Nation is not only about education. More critically, it demands direct engagement with political leaders” (Goodstein). Even the scheduling of the event had political motivations, since Focus the Nation was held the week before Super Tuesday, an important day of primaries. These political motives were not lost on the organizers at Cal Poly. One such organizer, Chad Worth, made sure that Focus the Nation forced the issue of sustainability into the front of people’s minds as they filled out their primary ballots (Supiano). Because of efforts like this, Focus the Nation succeeded in stimulating college-age students (a group with notoriously low voter turnout), and encouraged many to vote for candidates that promote environmental awareness.

            The recent changes in our planet’s climate cannot be reversed over night, and Focus the Nation was not intended as the answer for all of our climate woes. The goal of the symposium was to educate our generation and prepare us for the responsibility of preserving our planet until the next generation is ready to take over. Thanks to the contributions of thousands of volunteers, Focus the Nation achieved this goal. Now, as we get ready to wear the mantle of sustainability, we can find solace in the knowledge that Focus the Nation will continue to fight for the environment. Each year, Focus the Nation will reach millions of listeners, and some of these millions will be forced to face the facts and change their ways. Slowly, but surely, things will begin to change. So as we wait for the next chapter to be written on February 5^th, 2009, we must follow the advice of Aldo Leopold and preserve the health of our planet so that our children have something to inherit.

                                                                  Works Cited

Empower Poly Coalition. “Focus the Nation – Cal Poly, SLO.” Focus the Nation Cal Poly. 22 February

2008. <http://focusthenationslo.pbwiki.com/>.

Focus the Nation. “Focus the Nation: Global Warming Solutions for America.” Focus the Nation. 24

February 2008. <http://www.focusthenation.org/index.php>.

Ford, Jessica. “Hey Poly, got climate change?” Mustang Daily 30 January 2008.

Goodstein, Eban. “Focus the Nation, save the planet – now!” Gristmill. 4 March 2008.

<http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/1/9/10459/31807>.

Hutton, Matt. “Poly to focus on global warming solutions.” Mustang Daily 3 December 2007.

Janoff, Erica. “Your voice, your choice, our future.” Mustang Daily 13 February 2008.

Knight, Lauren. “Cal Poly San Luis Obispo hosts Focus the Nation global warming symposium.” KSBY 6

Action News. 31 January 2008. <http://www.ksby.com/Global/story.asp?S=7805973>.

Leopold, Aldo. A Sand County Almanac. New York: Oxford University Press, 1949.

Marx, Steven. “Easter in Las Vegas.” 3 March 2008. <http://www.stevenmarx.net/2007/04/easter-in-

las-vegas/>.

Supiano, Becky. “Campuses Nationwide Take Creative Approaches to Climate Change Event.” The

Chronicle of Higher Education. 1 February 2008. <http://chronicle.com/temp/reprint.php?id= hnnv9f0k4gk651426s6zmn4ztsbr23zl>.

Van Romburgh, Marlize. “A look back in time at politics at Poly.” Mustang Daily 13 February 2008.

Vincent, Mica. “Student art exhibit ‘focuses the nation.’” Mustang Daily 24 January 2008.