Editors: A full agenda of the summit with times and locations of panels is available on the CU-Boulder Environmental Center Web site at .
Energy experts, activists, students, faculty and administrators from colleges and universities around the country will gather at the University of Colorado at Boulder Jan. 24-26 for "Thinking Ahead: Energy in a Changing Climate," a summit focusing on campus leadership in the battle for energy security.
Summit panelists will present the latest information about energy production, fossil fuel supplies, renewable technologies and what is being done to reduce energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and support renewable energy sources, according to Ghita Levenstein Carroll, program coordinator of the CU-Boulder Environmental Center and primary organizer of the summit.
"College campuses are frequently recognized for their leadership on social and economic issues," Carroll said. "In recent years, colleges have helped shine the spotlight on issues ranging from investment policies in South Africa to exploitative labor practices to the need for waste reduction.
"It makes sense that colleges and universities can help lead the charge toward more sustainable energy use," she said.
The summit is free and open to the public. An optional fee of $20 for the general public and $10 for CU students, faculty and staff covers a reception and two breakfasts.
Keynote speakers at the summit will include U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, who will address federal policy developments and how they aid or prevent broadening the U.S. energy portfolio; Karl Rabago of the Rocky Mountain Institute, who will address the opportunities in deployment of energy efficiency; and Randy Udall, director of the Community Office for Resource Efficiency in Pitkin County, Colo., who will discuss a number of troubling energy trends and describe some hopeful prospects for the future.
Speakers from Oberlin College, Tufts and the State University of New York will describe energy programs at their campuses that can be emulated elsewhere.
The summit is co-sponsored by the CU-Boulder Environmental Center, Cultural Events Board, Office of the Chancellor, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and the President's Fund for the Support of Diversity. Other sponsors include the Wirth Chair at CU-Denver, the National Renewable Energy Lab and the Department of Energy Regional Office, Center for Environmental Citizenship and Sierra Club.
For more information about the summit, including a full agenda of panels and registration information, visit the CU Environmental Center Web site at or call (303) 492-8308.