By Tim Wigington
American history is filled with examples of its citizens uniting for a common cause - for example, the American Revolution, the abolition of slavery and the push for women's rights. In all of these cases, the status quo had to be overcome. We are living in one of these moments.
The threat of catastrophic climate change over the next century calls us to action. The arctic is melting at an unprecedented pace, global weather patterns have become increasingly erratic and extreme, and the atmospheric concentration of CO2 is still steadily and relentlessly increasing, year after year. Every day, it becomes increasingly apparent how many things need to be done. And yet the pace of real change often seems agonizingly slow.
I used to be cynical about this - I was feeling frustrated by the lack of progress and the seeming lack of concern expressed by political leaders.
In short, my outlook for change was looking rather grim. I felt that even my modest contributions would not matter given the collective apathy of the American public. Yet in one day this frustrated anxiety morphed into a spirit of hopeful optimism.
I was invited to attend the Focus the Nation debut conference at Lewis & Clark in fall 2006. I managed to drag myself out of bed that Saturday morning (no small task for a 21 year old), cautiously waiting to hear the collective moaning of all of Portland tree-huggers. However, what I witnessed and experienced that day took me by surprise.
At first, I thought the meeting had a bit of a typical feel - with talking heads and break out sessions, but I was soon caught up in the excitement, enthusiasm and collective hope in the room. Instead of bemoaning our fate, Focus the Nation was asking us to remember that change often starts with a small group of determined people, and that the nation's youth is usually a part of this change.
We are the ones who will inherit the problems caused by preceding generations, and so it is up to us to let everyone know that our current social and economic system is neither sustainable nor acceptable. Most importantly, this concern needs to be heard clearly by our elected representatives through a united national voice.
Focus the Nation provides us a framework to empower ourselves, to act as a group of coordinated universities and colleges across the country, and to be heard while doing it.
So when UP committed to a concerted day of collective focus on the issue back in 2006, I saw a legitimate opportunity for hope, for change, for collaboration - young and old, black and white, Catholic and atheist, liberal and conservative - but most notably, for solutions.
Fast forward to the present: I am no longer a student at UP, but I still work here on campus. I have seen Focus the Nation grow from its infancy to the dedicated organization it is now. The group of participants has mushroomed in size as has the collective consciousness. UP is about to host one of the largest regional events of the single largest teach-in the American history! You may ask, how did this happen? What has motivated all these people (including the governor, a Congressman, the secretary of state, a city commissioner, many businesses, non profits and our own faculty, staff and students) to participate on our campus? Well, it all happened because people now want to DO something about climate change. We are all looking for action, not for denial.
Imagine what would have happened if all of the dedicated students, faculty and staff on campus had simply maintained their concerns but had neglected to accompany them with action.
So start your own search for solutions today. Jan. 31 is just the beginning, but you have to dedicate yourself to being an active participant (however large or small that role may be).
But it all starts by showing up with an open mind. You'll be amazed by how much you can accomplish once you take care of that first step.
Tim Wigington is a ?programs assistant in the Office of Alumni Relations
