Climate @ Noon is an event hosted by the Northern Climate Network (NCN) in hopes of educating the public and students about the efforts that they have made to improve the knowledge surrounding climate change and generate conversation about the topic. The event took place on Friday, Sept. 13, in Jamrich Hall and was open to any interested students.
The NCN is a campuswide group for faculty, staff, students and community members who want to learn more about the local impacts of climate change.
According to Assistant Vice President for Sustainability Jessica Thompson, this event was not only meant to generate conversation but also inspiration.
“[This event is meant to] empower people to see that there is hope, and there is action, and that they can be part of it,” Thompson said.
To make the event appealing to students, members of the NCN made Climate @ Noon interactive. This entailed timelines that lined the room explaining the past events that the group has hosted, dating back to when the organization was founded in 2014.
“I like that it’s interactive and that we can physically see the timeline,” Freshman Leah Cody said. “It’s really cool to see the impact the Northern Climate Network has had on the Marquette area.”
Cody explained that she believes the NCN has made Marquette a better place.
Through the interactive timeline, students and community members also had the opportunity to learn about future events the organization has planned.
Participants also had the chance to write in ideas they had for future events, and what they would like to see more of on the timeline. This allowed members of NCN to reflect on the popularity of their past events and plan more in the future that will motivate students to attend, so they can reach a larger, more diverse audience.
“We have some exciting talks coming up this year. We try to have one seminar a month on Fridays at noon,” Thompson said. “We love to see a diverse audience come and learn.”
These events are crafted to teach attendees about the simple things they can do within their own homes to battle climate change.
“On Oct. 4, Partridge Creek Compost will be here to talk about the role composting plays in climate action and how to get started,” Thompson said.
Other events include Dialogue Dinners, which serve to provide advice for the county’s Climate Action Plan over dinner and drinks, and a series of community-wide learning circles.
