Deliberative Dialogue Dives into Change
Madison Weikle, assistant editor
On Oct. 10, PVCC held the Climate Change Deliberative Dialogue. The conversation took place in the North Mall Meeting Room at 12 p.m.. Before the presentation began, every seat had been filled with students and faculty varying in age. Some volunteers had to bring in more chairs to accommodate the crowd.
Professor of English and Writing Center Coordinator Jennifer Koster started off the event by setting a few ground rules and misconceptions about climate change. “We search for strengths in another position, our goal here is to talk with other people who might have different positions,” said Koster, “Not one way is right.”
After introductions, Koster showed a brief video about the unpredictability of climate change. The video brought up that carbon dioxide is the reason for climate change and climate change is a national security concern. It also posed the questions what are we willing to do about climate change and what are we willing to risk?
The crowd split up into four tables, each led by a group leader who encouraged and directed the conversation. Each group leader handed out a small packet with charts and ideas for dealing with climate change. It was the job of the group to weigh each option carefully and identify which option, or combination of options, they believed was best. While the packet provided a guide for discussion, many conversations ended up focusing less on the paperwork and more on collaborative thinking.
“This is more than just an environmental thing; it’s a social issue,” said Ellen Burnett, student at PVCC, “So many of these solutions start out seeming like good ideas, but then you look at how they affect lower income people or workers of large companies that contribute to carbon emissions, and it just doesn’t seem plausible.”
Students were careful not to talk over each other and gave everyone a chance to speak. In the end, many groups developed their own ideas for dealing with climate change.
PVCC student Torri McDaniel said, “I like the idea of being innovative and creating our own solutions.”
