Fairfield University students take to school roof to promote awareness of vital need for global climate change policy | Press Releases

Fairfield University students made a large art installation on the rooftop of the Dolan School of Business to raise awareness for the need for global climate change policy, in advance of the international day of action for climate change policy on October 24. - Photo contributed by the Town of Fairfield Fire Department

Fairfield University students made a large art installation on the rooftop of the Dolan School of Business on Wednesday to raise awareness for the vital need for global climate change policy.

Members of the University's student environmental groups - the Student Environmental Association (SEA) and the Green Campus Initiative (GCI) - as well as Program on the Environment students used donated materials, mostly sheets and blankets, to make the number '350.' Leading scientists believe that the atmosphere should contain no more than 350 parts per million of carbon in order for the planet and humans to coexist safely. Currently, the amount of carbon in the air is 387 parts per million and it is rising, producing harmful effects on climates.

Pictured (L-R) are Fairfield alumnus Laura Marciano with Fairfield University Student Environmental Association members Zachary Gross '12 and Dana August '11. - Taken by Jean Santopatre

According to Fairfield University SEA President Dana August '11, students took part in the '350' awareness campaign in the hope of educating people about greenhouse gases and global warming - an issue on the agenda of the United Nations. This December, the UN is meeting in Copenhagen with the intention of producing an international agreement to combat climate change.

The project at Fairfield was in support of '350,' an international grass roots organization that is encouraging communities to promote the need for the reduction of carbon emissions. This Saturday, October 24, marks the international day of action for climate change policy when universities nationwide are crafting their own '350' art projects and taking photographs of them to send to media. The idea is to pique the public's interest about what the crucial number 350 means in regards to global warming.

With help from Joseph Bouchard, the University's campus fire marshall and director of Fire Safety Services, the students were able to get on the Dolan School roof to construct their project. It was photographed by the Town of Fairfield Fire Department, which used a ladder truck to get a bird's eye view shot from high above the roof.