The Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group's Big Red Go Green campaign hosted a panel Wednesday, allowing local officials to educate citizens about developing environmentally friendly practices.
The panel, organized by Big Red Go Green student interns, featured Guster lead singer Adam Gardner and Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.
Eric Schmidt, director of the Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series, emceed the event. The distinguished lecture committee is the first carbon-neutral committee on campus, according to Schmidt.
""Nothing that dramatic is going to be happening in the next hour and a half,"" Schmidt said. ""The aim here is to focus on the tremendous things these individuals are doing to promote sustainability through their work and their communities.""
In light of President Obama's federal stimulus package, Madison will be able to allocate $1.3 million toward new environmental initiatives to clean the lakes and air and to weatherize city buildings.
According to Cieslewicz, the city wants to launch an effort to reduce carbon emissions by 100,000 tons over the next five years.
""The most important thing we can do as a city is change the way we think,"" he said.
Faramarz Vakali, member of UW-Madison's We Conserve initiative, said there needs to be a continual effort to emphasize individual responsibility.
""Out of 43,000 students [at UW-Madison], only 43 individuals are sitting here in this room,"" Vakali said when addressing the issue of student apathy. ""That is what we have to change.""
We Conserve began in 2006 after a $29 million investment to increase efficiency in campus facilities. The program asks students and faculty to reduce the university's ""environmental footprint"" and to make conservation a conscious part of their lives.
The alternative rock band Guster, who performed at Memorial Union Wednesday, works through Reverb, a nonprofit organization founded by Lauren Sullivan, Gardner's wife, to promote environmental sustainability.
""If we just sit here, preaching to the choir, we're not going to get anything done. It's all about the small steps that everyone can take,"" Gardner said.
For additional ways to get involved protecting the environment visit http://www.wispirgstudents.org/big-red-go-green.
