Raising the Green Torch

Senior routes relay from Portland to Salem to raise awareness about global warming

(Portland, Ore.)—Lewis & Clark is the home of Focus the Nation, an unprecedented national initiative on global warming solutions that will culminate on January 31, 2008. David Norse, a senior from Sherwood, Ore., helped plan the first major event to draw attention to the project. The Green Torch Relay, which included approximately 100 runners, bicyclists and paddlers from the University of Portland, Lewis & Clark College, Linfield College and Willamette University, kicked off in Portland on Sunday, Oct. 21 and concluded at the state Capitol on Tuesday, Oct. 23. Relay participants delivered an invitation to senators Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden, signed by more than 3,000 students and community members, to participate in Focus the Nation events. Norse worked with a University of Portland student to plan the route for the relay from Portland to Salem. He spoke with Public Affairs and Communications about the project and his desire to empower people to fight global warming.

What about the project inspires you to take on more work during what must already be a busy senior year?

When I learned about the Green Torch Relay, I could see that, as a local, I could be a huge asset: I know the roads, my church is nearby, and I could see that this was something I could do, if I worked with people who cared about the issue of global climate change.

My senior year is busy. I work with a local youth group on Tuesday nights, I am a deacon at my church, and I work in Student Support Services. But as a Christian, I feel that I have an obligation to speak truth to power on issues that affect the poor, the disenfranchised and the silenced. The truth is that, as Americans, global climate change would hurt us, but not as badly as it will hurt those people in developing nations, those of island nations and those without the same economic advantages as us. It will hurt us, but the real effects will be felt by people who have no say in the decisions that our nation faces. And I find that repulsive. The problem isn’t the American people though. As a person of faith, as a liberal arts college student and as a voter, I am informed and alarmingly aware of the crisis we face. So, I might be busy, but I’m motivated to take a stand and do something to motivate our nation’s leaders to take on the problem of global climate change.

What were your goals in planning the relay route?

My first concern was for safety. Also, I wanted the runners, riders, rowers, etc. to have a good time and be able to be a part of such an important cause. Then, of course, we wanted to raise awareness. So we worked in some fun parts to the ride, like jumping on the Portland Streetcar, riding the aerial tram and asking the crew team to row.

The coolest part for me is that we are going through my hometown and stopping at my high school. By highlighting the student working as the Green Coordinator there, we can show what she is already doing to be a part of this cause. We want to pull into the conversation people who are taking steps for change but don’t always get a lot of attention for it. I’ve also been in contact with my church and other faith organizations, because we want to highlight what people of faith are already doing to bring this issue to the forefront. My friends of faith were blown away that there was a place for them and an open invitation for their participation because of their faith and their concern about the issue.

What do you hope the Green Torch Relay will accomplish?

I really hope that there will be a greater awareness of Focus the Nation on this campus, but also in the communities we are going through. I really am excited for people to know they are invited, and that their voice is vital for the conversation. I also hope that a new generation of Lewis & Clark students and students from other schools will learn that they can be part of the type of change that our world needs, and that they don’t have to dedicate their entire lives to it, but can make reasonable commitments and see results.

Instead of watching The Colbert Report and The Daily Show, we’ve been sitting on our computers, poring over Google Earth and Mapyourrun.com, getting the route planned, or calling schools, asking if we can speak. When I was handing out assignments, I kept being asked, “Is this it?” or “Can I do more?” which I love to hear. But that’s the point: It’s small steps, done right, that cause change. When this event is over, I want the people I have worked with to realize what they can do with a small group of people. No one should be afraid to commit to being involved. Hopefully, we can instill a culture of sustainable involvement, leadership and civic involvement.

Eban Goodstein has addressed the students running the Focus the Nation project as “the greatest generation.” How do you feel about the weight of the responsibility placed on you and your peers to face the problem of climate change now and throughout your lives?

I think Eban’s choice of words for my generation was intentional and highly appropriate. Whereas the ideals of the Four Freedoms motivated the actions of my grandparents in World War II, the ideals of social and economic justice, sustainable and nurturing communities and an appreciation of the natural world and our place in it motivate ours. Global climate change challenges all of these desires, but the answer is the fulfillment of these ideals. It is that realization—that these ideals have real actions, and that they are necessary, but also reasonable and possible, if we just are willing to be the better people we want to be—that makes us great.

Lewis & Clark: Home of Focus the Nation

Read about the event at the Statesman Journal