April 16 - University of Denver (Denver, CO)
Location: Davis Auditorium, Sturm Hall rm 248
Time: 7-10
Speaking:
Dr. Frank Laird: DU's Graduate School of International Studies (http://www.du.edu/gsis/faculty...)
Cory Nadler (or other representative): Student Organizer with CoPIRG (http://www.copirg.org/)
Stephan McGuire from Tree Media to discuss the making of the film (http://www.treemedia.com/)

The 11th Hour screening at the University of Denver (held at Davis Auditorium) was largely affected by unfortunate circumstances. There was a flu epidemic that had broken out among the DU students and authorities were asking community members to steer clear of the campus. Furthermore, Denver was experiencing an unexpected snowstorm in the middle of April. These incidents greatly affected the turnout, which consisted of 50 very dedicated students. They consisted in large part of members of the DU Sustainable International Development Institute and the DU Environmental Team.

Jessie Burley, Executive Director of the Sustainable International Development Institute, announced Stephan McGuire, co-Producer of The 11th Hour. Stephan spoke briefly about how the 11th Hour Campus Tour came to fruition and Hewlett Packard’s sponsorship of the tour.

After the screening, Dr. Frank Laird, Associate Professor of Technology and Public Policy at the Graduate School of International Studies at DU, Emily Schosid, an environmental policy major at CU Boulder and representative of the Colorado Public Interest Research Group, and Stephan McGuire answered audience questions. Stephan said that he considers the 11th Hour to be a “call to arms” against rampant industrialism. Among the topics discussed by the panel were the extent to which new technologies can reduce humanity’s impact on the planet, and how a change in consumer behavior will become necessary to protect the environment. Dr. Laird stressed that the development of alternatives to petroleum is an essential part of the sustainability process. He pointed out that thankfully there are a number of alternative solutions to be investigated. Students also inquired about the measures that the DU administration is taking to make campus operations sustainable, as well as which on-campus initiatives would most effectively reduce DU’s ecological footprint. Asked why there is no mandatory requirement for students to attend sustainability classes, Dr. Laird noted that the Colorado-wide implementation of this requirement is currently being discussed at the state level.

Various students signed up to www.11thhouraction.com using the Hewlett Packard laptops after the event.

The Sustainable International Development Institute has purchased several copies of The 11th Hour for purposes of showing the film on campus and loaning it to students.

The DU Clarion published the article “Take heed before clock strikes the end” on April 22, 2008. A copy of the article is attached hereto.
 

Student groups at Denver come together to support the film

Students sign up for 11th Hour Action

Cory Nadler, Dr. Frank Laird, and Stephan McGuire speak on the panel after the film.

Cory Nadler, Stephan McGuire, and Frank Laird