By Emily O’Brien, Special to the Chronicle
Students and educators alike assembled in Monroe Lecture Hall on Wednesday for the event, “Climate Change: Myth or Reality.” The panel of professors consisted of Kathleen Wallace, the chair of the philosophy department, Steve Lawrence from the physics department, Robert Brinkmann from the global studies and geography department, and Bret Bennnigton from the geology department.
The event started with a clip from the Climate Reality Project’s “24 Hours of Reality.” It was centered on the change in the Earth’s climate over the years and what sort of causes are factors in this problem. In the video, Al Gore addressed a live audience about climate change and said, “It’s not a political problem; it’s a human problem.”
After the video, the panel opened the floor for questions and concerns. Audience members divulged their want for a future without fossil fuels and for people to understand that global warming is a real threat. “No faith required,” said Russell Burke, a biology professor, when speaking about the amount of scientific facts behind the problem.
Charles Haddad, a freshman business major, came to this event without much knowledge of climate change. He said, “I’d love for a change to happen,” but he wished it were easier to do so. Hofstra is making that happen by jumping into the green campaign and not taking a backseat in this global epidemic.
Solar panels have been added around campus and changes have been made to lower the use of water, light and electricity. The new medical school’s building is LEED certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and strives to make all new buildings on campus LEED certified. Professor Brinkmann says that Hofstra will soon be printing a pamphlet about the strides they are taking in making the campus greener.
