Central College and Iowa United Nations Association will host a climate change conference April 25 on Central’s campus in Pella. Through networking, workshops and keynote sessions, participants will discuss challenges and opportunities for climate justice. The conference runs 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., with check-in at 8:30 a.m. in Roe Center. The conference is free to attend. Lunch will also be provided free to the first 100 guests to register.
Confronting the Fierce Urgency of Now: Acting Locally and Globally for Climate Justice
Brian Campbell, director for sustainability education at Central, said climate change is an urgent issue affecting people around the world — and many are ill-equipped to respond. “It’s not just some far-off issue for the polar bears,” Campbell said. “It’s for real people, right now.”
The conference title is inspired by words of Martin Luther King, Jr., who called concerned citizens to confront “the fierce urgency of now” and “move past indecision to action.”
In addition to learning about climate change, director of community-based learning Cheri Doane said guests will learn how they can get involved. “This isn’t a conference about ‘everyone needs to recycle and change their light bulbs to the little curlicues and try to ride their bikes,’” Doane said. “It’s much more than that.” Doane said participants will learn effective ways they can show policymakers they care about the earth and its inhabitants.
“It’s not just some far-off issue for the polar bears. It’s for real people,
right now.” – Brian Campbell, director for sustainability education
Keynote speaker Michael Roman returns to Central College, where he worked as service learning AmeriCorps VISTA 2002-2003. Roman has since completed master’s degrees in anthropology and public health and a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology. Roman gained his first experience discussing climate change on Central’s campus, and he continues to share about possible impacts that have been coming true over the past decade. “There are entire countries devastated that nobody knows about,” Roman said. “I’m really excited to bring that message back to Central, where it literally all started for me.”
Roman has extensive connections with the island nation of Kiribati and will share images and stories of the impacts of climate change through rising sea level, king tides and typhoons. He served in the Peace Corps there 2000-2002, and the nation remains one of the world’s most vulnerable to climate change.
“I’m coming back with a lot of real voices from the nation,” Roman said. “I’m hoping I can make people understand that this is something real. It’s not something they need to worry about for their children and grandchildren – it’s something they need to worry about for themselves. We might be alive when these countries disappear.”
“This isn’t a conference about ‘everyone needs to recycle and change their light bulbs to the little curlicues and try to ride their bikes.’ It’s much more than that.” – Cheri Doane, director of community-based learning
A second keynote speaker, Todd Edwards, is an expert in global climate change governance and will present on the 2015 United Nations Climate Talks in Paris — and how Iowa citizens can be part of the process.
The Roe Center’s solar array is one of many sustainable design features at Central College. Conference guests are invited to tour the platinum LEED-rated Roe Center in a workshop led by director of facilities planning and management Mike Lubberden and architect Kevin Nordmeyer.
In a conference workshop, Anya Butt, associate professor of biology, will speak about the science of climate change. Guests will be able to tour the Roe Center in a workshop led by director of facilities planning and management Mike Lubberden and architect Kevin Nordmeyer. The Roe Center is Central’s platinum LEED-rated building, with a living roof, daylight harvesting system and other green design features. Also, students Amy Andrews ’15 and Ethan Van Kooten ’15 will give a tiny house tour, and Jakob Steenhoek ’15 will present his project to clean up a former coal mine in Marion County using an unmanned aerial vehicle or drone. Additional workshops will be led by guest presenters from organizations across the state. These will focus on climate justice, carbon policies, grassroots advocacy and the role of faith communities.
“There are entire countries devastated that nobody knows about. I’m hoping I can make people understand that this is something real. It’s
not something they need to worry about for their children and grandchildren – it’s something they need to worry about for themselves.”
– Michael Roman, keynote speaker
Sustainability at Central
This conference is part of Sustainability Week at Central, which also features All Iowa Food Day April 23. Director of dining services Richard Phillips will feature dishes prepared from local foods, plus an outdoor farmer’s market.
Central has been recognized for more than a decade as a leader for sustainability in Iowa and the Midwest. Central is also one of the few U.S. colleges and universities that make global sustainability part of the core curriculum for all majors.