Owen Carroll did not attend class Monday night, but he still walked away from a discussion on sustainability feeling engaged.
Carroll, a junior in environmental studies, attended the opening event of this year’s Focus the U Teach-In on Climate Change. The kickoff was a Webcast and discussion about the new potential to address climate change under President Barack Obama’s administration.
“The message (of the discussion) was that it’s our time as a young generation to start doing something, and we have that potential,” said Carroll, who is also a member of the environmentalist student group Sustainable Environments and Ecological Design. “It still left me feeling empowered, though it’s not necessarily what I agree with in my life.”
The Office of Sustainability hosts the U’s annual week of teach-ins that also take place on hundreds of other university campuses nationwide. The Focus the Nation organization, which provided sponsorship and resources for the teach-ins this and last year, designed the week of events to help students think about the future of sustainability in the United States by holding discussions on climate change in class meetings and larger community forums.
“We wanted to create a dialogue about climate change and the issues that are affecting our earth,” said Marie Martin, the outreach and education coordinator for the Office of Sustainability. “These are issues that our generation will face. It’s important that professors and students are discussing these issues and hopefully initiate some change.”
More than 3,000 students participated in last year’s teach-in week, with 36 professors completing 86 teach-in sessions. Approximately 65 professors are teaching 71 classes in this year’s session.
Focus the U week will wrap up Thursday evening. The Hinckley Institute of Politics, the Office of Sustainability and SEED will host a panel of local government officials and U experts in sustainable technology.
Kent Udell, a mechanical engineering professor, will present his research on cheap, zero-carbon technology designed specifically for Utah’s climate.
Udell said the U has developed a project that will allow the use of zero-carbon heating and air conditioning in climates like Utah’s or by accruing minimal costs. The devices are inserted into the ground to store compressed air.
“Let’s store the summer hot for the winter and the winter cold for summer,” Udell said. “We’re starting with technology that was created here and patented (at the U), and that’s enabling zero-carbon emissions. It opens up all kinds of possibilities.”