By simply parking (not driving) your vehicle for one day, the average driver will keep more than ¼ pound of pollution out of the air. If every driver at UP leaves his/her vehicle at home for one day, emissions will decrease by 476 pounds.  This Thursday, January 31st challenge yourself to choose another form of transportation such as walking, carpooling or taking the bus.

The University of Portland campus will be carbon-neutral on Focus the Nation day, with all energy expended offset by wind and solar green tags. In the spirit of this historic day, we urge you to leave your car at home and join us in commuting to campus by walking, public transportation, bicycles, Zip Cars or carpooling. COMMUTE GREEN!

Focus the Nation: LIVE at the Chiles Center! featuring a live OPB radio broadcast featuring students from across the state exploring climate change solutions with Governor Ted Kulongoski, Congressman Earl Blumenauer on a live feed from DC, and other leading policy makers.

Live Wire! will also be there with great climate themed comedy and commentary. Hillstomp will open the event and the amazing band Stars of Track and Field will close out the night.

DON'T MISS THIS EVENT
It's free, but you must register and print out REQUIRED TICKETS. College students will be given floor seating until it's filled - registration, tickets, and ID required. Register by clicking on the sun in the upper right corner! SEATING IS LIMITED!

"Focus the Nation is an unprecedented opportunity to put global warming exactly where it belongs, front and center. American policymakers, business and community leaders, and the public have a unique opportunity to consider all aspects of what I believe to be this generation's greatest challenge, global warming. I commend all of the organizers and participants nationwide, and look forward to the conversations that will be had across the country."

[Congressman Earl Blumenauer speaks out on the importance of the Focus the Nation project.   He'll be taking questions in the Chiles Center (via webcast) on January 31st, 2008.   So will Governor Ted Kulongoski, and state house representative Jackie Dingfelder and State Senator Ben Westlund. 

Focus the Nation can now easily claim to be the biggest national teach-in ever, and the national press is beginning to notice.  And the governator of Caleefornya........]  

Don't miss it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On Saturday, December 8th, 2008 - the Focus the Nation loyal waddled into the Willamette River.   Missing:  one Wyeth Larson, who said he was "sick" the night before and didn't answer his phone the day of.....   But Lacey and Bill were there..........

The event was held to raise money and attention for Focus the Nation and global climate change action, and yes, it was completely insane to jump into the nasty Willamette in December.   Or was it?   To borrow from the ever quotable Lacey Riddle:  We're so smart on this issue that we're dumb enough to do this.

It also happened across the country - for a huge event on the East Coast, click this. 

A great performance by Katelyn  McCormick during Powershift in Washington DC.  

Click above or here.

For more on Powershift, see Lacey Riddle's article in our Beacon.  She went to Washington DC with the Focus the Nation staff at Lewis and Clark, where she saw Katelyn testify.    

Lacey also coordinated a statewide Green Torch Relay to Salem to ask the state's elected officials to discuss global warming solutions in a Green Democracy forum at the Chiles Center.  During the relay David Gregg was interviewed by the local television stations......