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FOCUS THE NATION 2011: TRANSFORMING OUR ENERGY FUTURE
With oil prices skyrocketing due to instability in Libya and other Middle East countries, there will be plenty to talk about this weekend at a campus conference on clean energy alternatives.
Saturday, Focus the Nation, a non-profit organization in Portland, hosts an event on campus about clean energy.
The event includes keynote speakers – Wyeth Larson, class of 2009, and Bill Bradbury, former Oregon secretary of state – session panels, a sustainability fair and an engagement session, according to Bill Barnes, associate professor of economics and environmental science.
"(It) is an opportunity for all members of the community to get involved and help change our understanding of energy," Dan Browne, a senior and event organizer, said.
Browne said the event is a day to learn about the future of clean energy, reflect on the use of energy and generate ideas on how to transform it.
"This is more than just a conference where people get talked at," Renee Heath, a communications professor, said. "We want students to engage in and see what they can do to change the future of energy."
Barnes said UP students will find the event relevant because the protection and preservation of the environment ensures the health and livelihood of future generations.
"I strongly believe clean energy and a more sustainable approach to our economy is our future," Barnes said. "Whether we believe in climate change or not, our graduates need to prepare for that reality."
Like Barnes, Browne says renewable energy is an important source of potential economic growth.
"There will be plenty of green-collar job opportunities (at the event)," Browne said.
The job opportunities include engineers to design products, technicians to install them, maintenance workers to repair them, marketers to sell them and managers to oversee operations, Browne said.
You can register for the Focus the Nation event at http://climatechange.up.edu.
-Caitlin Yilek
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHY HALLOWS
Friday and Saturday, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will play in the Buckley Center Auditorium at 10 p.m.
