By CAROLINE MOSLEY
News Reporter
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children,” is a powerful Native American proverb. Many students and faculty members on campus will incorporate this proverb into the approaching National Teach-In on Thursday from 11:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in the Harper Center 3023. The nation-wide program focuses specifically on global warming and encourages students to take the lead in making their campus greener.
Student coordinators Sydney Hiatt and Hilary Wething, both Arts and Sciences sophomores, commented on how students are often intimidated by the effort needed to impact global warming.
“Many people think of global warming and are immediately overwhelmed,” Hiatt said. “We want to show that is possible for a group of students to make a difference.”
Open to all Creighton students and faculty, the program covers four main topics of Saving Energy, Saving Money, Footprints and Offsets, America Gets It Done and Climate and Faith. Each segment lasts about an hour and contains a panel of faculty and speakers who address a specific topic, followed by student dialogue and discussion. Information tables as well as food and drink are also available.
“It’s been really exciting to see the enthusiasm that Creighton students are bringing to this event,” said Dr. Jennifer Ladino from the English department, a member of the faculty Sustainability Council who assisted in the planning of the Creighton National Teach-In. “It has been a pleasure to work with the exceptionally motivated and competent event organizers, and they deserve all the credit for making this happen.”
Wething and Hiatt want to make green culture a part of everyday student life.
“We want to create a template for a student-based platform of sustainability,” Wething said. They hope the success of the National Teach-In encourages the formation and registration of a Student Sustainability Council, a student-led organization coordinating with other student organizations, such as the Creighton Center for Service and Justice, Creighton Students Union, Environmental Action Coalition, and Campus Kitchen to raise awareness among the student body of a greener campus culture.
Lennis Pederson, Head of the Sustainability Council, endorses the student initiative.
“We would like to work with the Student Sustainability Council to champion a cause.”
Students are encouraged to get involved by signing up as members or registering for the listserv. With a good turnout, the Student Sustainability Council hopes to continue with an emphasis placed on Earth Day in the spring and various seminars incorporating the focal points of a greener campus culture.