North Central College, U.S. Congressman Bill Foster to host forum on climate change

North Central College and U.S. Congressman Bill Foster will host an open forum on the topic of climate change May 6 at the College’s Science Center, 131 S. Loomis Street in Naperville. Tom Skilling, chief meteorologist at WGN, is a featured speaker.

“North Central College has taken a leadership role, demonstrating how colleges and universities can lead the way in sustainability,” said Troy D. Hammond, president of the College. “With a novel financial approach, we have deployed extensive sustainability projects to promote green campus living and to prepare students for a world that increasingly relies on sound sustainable decision making.”

The College’s sustainable goals and practices range from reducing electric and natural gas energy to reducing water and paper use on campus. The College’s new Science Center has been constructed to feature sustainable, energy-efficient technology. A new interdisciplinary environmental studies major will be offered in the fall.

“The vast majority of scientists believe that climate change is real and largely man-made,” said Foster. “It’s time for our policymakers and elected officials to stop arguing about it and take steps to begin fixing it now.”

Other forum speakers include Paul Bloom, associate professor of physics at North Central College; Mary Gade, president of Gade Environmental Group, LLC; and Doug Sisterson, research meteorologist at Argonne National Laboratory.

The forum is free and open to the public but a ticket is required. Tickets are available at the North Central College Box Office, 171 East Chicago Ave, or by phone, 630-637-7469. Office hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are also available online at northcentral.vbotickets.com/event/Climate_Change_Forum/19741. Student tickets will be held at the box office (must present a North Central College student ID).

The forum will take place in Ratio Hall of North Central’s Science Center. The program begins at 9:30 a.m. Organizations dealing with matters related to climate change will have materials for distribution from 9 to 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 to noon.

Photo (clockwise): Tom Skilling, Congressman Bill Foster, Mary Gade, College President Troy Hammond, Professor Paul Bloom, Doug Sisterson