THE COLLEGE OF NEW ROCHELLE
HELPS TO “FOCUS THE NATION” ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

NEW ROCHELLE, NY, January 17, 2008 - For three days, beginning on Wednesday, January 30, The College of New Rochelle (CNR) will participate in Focus The Nation (FTN), an unprecedented national educational symposia on global warming solutions for America. FTN’s goal is 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 is preparing hundreds of thousands of students to become leaders in the largest civilizational challenge any generation has faced. CNR is one of two Westchester colleges participating in FTN and the only college in the County to dedicate three days of programming to this vital environmental initiative.  All events will take place on CNR’s Main Campus in New Rochelle.

Wednesday, January 30, 7 p.m.
Focus The Nation at CNR will kick off with “The Daily Planet: On the Front Lines of Climate Change, from the North Pole to the White House,” a keynote address by Andrew Revkin, environmental reporter for The New York Times.

Thursday, January 31, 9 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
CNR will host a full day of presentations, panel and round-table discussions, student showcases and a student forum with local politicians on environmental issues, beginning with roundtable breakfast discussions on climate change themes hosted by Honors Program students. Presentations throughout the day will include:

• Psychology’s ABCs of the Environmental Crisis: Attitudes, Behavior & Change

• Environmentalism in France, Germany and Canada

• Ecofeminism and Climate Change

• Environmental Challenges in Developing Nations

• The Price of Climate Change: Some Ethical Considerations

• Climate Change and Human Health

• Agreements on Climate Change: US & International Policies

• (for the complete list of presentations, visit www.cnr.edu/focusthenation.html)

From 12:15 – 2 p.m., students will showcase their artwork, projects and displays on the theme of climate change, including a bicycle-powered generator and other environmentally-friendly technologies.

From 5:00 – 6:30 p.m., there will be a screening of 2% Solution, a national, interactive webcast, featuring Stanford climate scientist Stephen Schneider, sustainability expert Hunter Lovins, and green jobs pioneer Van Jones.

The day will conclude with “Green Democracy,” a forum with student leaders and local political leaders, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in Romita Auditorium. The moderator will be Paul Gallay, Executive Director, Westchester Land Trust and member of the Westchester County Global Warming Task Force and Westchester Chapter of the New York League of Conservation Voters. Panelists will include:

• Peter M. Iwanowicz, Director, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation – Office of Climate Change

• Nicola Coddington, Energy Conservation Coordinator, Town of Greenburgh, Member, NYS Renewable Energy Task Force and Westchester County Global Warming Task Force

• Noam Bramson, Mayor, City of New Rochelle

Friday, February 1, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Faculty and students from CNR’s Education Department and Environmental Studies Program will host campus visits by local school groups to participate in “Educating Children about Climate Change,” a program of activities and discussions about climate change.

Focus The Nation is 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, members of the College Community were on hand to support the 40 students, 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. To read more about these events, visit www.cnr.edu/focusthenation.html.

The College of New Rochelle is currently looking forward to the opening this semester of its $28 million Wellness Center, for which the College will apply for certification by the U.S. Green Building Council under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System®.