The Chronicle

Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: News
Last update: 2/1/08 at 6:41 AM EST

Media Credit: Maya Robinson The Blue Devils turned green at Thursday night's game against N.C. State to raise awareness of environmental issues.

Media Credit: Melissa Wiesner State Senator Ellie Kinnaird, left, shared her sustainability proposals at a roundtable discussion Thursday evening.

Media Credit: Melissa Wiesner A sustainability fair was held on the plaza Thursday as a part of Focus the Nation, a national teach-in to raise awareness about environmental issues.

The drought may have dried up the quadrangle lawns, but Duke looked greener than ever yesterday as students wearing lime-colored shirts promoted environmental issues and packed Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The University was one of thousands of schools to participate in Focus the Nation, a national teach-in seeking to raise awareness about climate change and other environmental issues among students and the local community.

"It's an opportunity for Duke to showcase some of the sustainability initiatives we have achieved on campus and highlight some of the future plans for further reducing our environmental impact," said Tavey Capps, Duke's environmental sustainability coordinator.

The teach-in featured a sustainability fair on the plaza, a roundtable discussion with North Carolina state senators and representatives and several panels chaired by Duke professors from multiple disciplines. A panel on environmental justice featured faculty members from civil and environmental engineering, women studies and the University writing program.

"[The panel discussions] were very involved and very interactive," said sophomore Kelsey Shaw, co-vice president of the Duke Environmental Alliance. "I feel like people learned a lot from them."

Senators and representatives from the North Carolina General Assembly discussed their proposals to create a greener state. North Carolina Democratic senators Ellie Kinnaird and Floyd McKissick told roundtable participants that the best way to address climate change is to solicit their representatives.

Capps said she was pleased with student turnout at the panels and on the plaza.

"A lot of students are very excited," she said. "It's a great opportunity to educate more people."

The organizers of the event greened up Thursday's men's basketball game against North Carolina State University in more ways than one. In addition to giving out green shirts on the plaza and in front of Cameron, the group also provided recycling options for items, such as pizza boxes, that would not normally be recycled.

"[Men's basketball head] coach [Mike Krzyzewski] is wearing a green ribbon, the band is wearing green and white and the Blue Devil mascot is wearing a green cap," said sophomore Patrick Ye, a member of EA.

Several dozen fans, however, responded by flinging their green shirts onto the court when the Blue Devils trailed at halftime.

In addition to raising awareness, the group of students handing out t-shirts on the plaza also gave students surveys to determine which environmental issues were most important to them.

"We are going to compile all the results and send them to the national commission," Ye said. "It's really a grassroots movement."

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