Earth Protect Blog

For Immediate Release: March 11, 2010
Contacts: USC Institute for Genetic Medicine Art Gallery
Keck School of Medicine at USC
2250 Alacazar St, CSC 240
Los Angeles, CA 90033
Maryam Gueramian, Young Professionals Committee Chair - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Great Thinkers Forum: A Global Collective for a Sustainable Planet at USC IGM Art Gallery Feb. 15

Los Angeles - Three Americans for Informed Democracy and Focus the Nation Chapters Chairs and their committees, in collaboration with Sustainable Business Partners, LLC and the USC IGM Art Gallery, planned, attended and served as volunteers for forum tasks. The day-long series of panel discussions on Environment and Development issues began with a keynote address by 15 year old Alec Loorz, Founder of Kids vs Global Warming. They are further serving in post event Public Relations, follow up meetings with speakers, serving as editors for the documentary film and are evaluating and generating strategy for action steps.

The day-long forum was organized by Diana Dehm of Sustainable Business Partnerships, LLC, and Lynn Crandall, Director of the USC Institute for Genetic Medicine Art Gallery to bring together a diverse set of Great Thinkers in open minded discussion on complex environment issues. Brittany Mercedes Brown and one of her Cal State L.A. committee members and several adults served as parking and entry greeters, registrars, and docents. They helped set up the breakfast table and participated in the presentation by Alec Loorz and his Kids for Climate Change organization. They interacted with keynote speaker, State Senator Curren Price, a member of the State of California Education Committee.

Joanna Lee, USC Chapter Chair attended with one committee member. They assisted in the lunch set up, greeting guests, and researched the personnel and challenges of completing the photo and video documentation editing and web posting. Subsequent to the forum, Joanna recruited three film editors to work with Marisusz Olbrychowski, award winning Polish film maker who taped the entire proceedings and will oversee the editing at the USC film school with the students Joanna is recruiting.

Brittany Brown attended a lunch with IGM Art Gallery Adviser, Dr. Marcia Coppertino, Pand Director Lynn Crandall to talk with Dr. Sheila Kar about the Sheila Kar Foundhomeless shelter project and health program.

Director, Lynn Crandall to meet with Forum panelist, Colonel Alvah E. Ingersoll of the USC Navy and Marine Corps ROTC to discuss action steps involving the ROTC and the U.S. Navy’s Task Force on Climate Change initiative. An outcome of that meeting is that Joanna will be speaking to the ROTC about the Americans for Informed Democracy and the IGM Art Gallery’s programs on Global Development, Environment, Health and Peace and Security.

Maryam Gueramian, Chair of the IGM Art Gallery Young Professionals Committee and Chair of the Cal State Northridge FtN and AID chapters participated with her mother, an international business consultant, in afternoon sessions. During the discussion, she queried, "Much emphasis is placed on teaching students how to live a more sustainable life. Isn’t it important to educate parents and families (the older generation) who didn’t grow up facing these environmental concerns? And what about those of different cultural backgrounds, where environmental issues are not of great concern?" She helped set up the reception table before the forum adjourned.

To see video clips from the forum visit www.youtube.com/user/hollyoodz#p/a/u/0/U5Zycy8OIdE .

Supporting Partners: Emergency USA, Art Angels, Americans for Informed Democracy, Focus the Nation, and Southern California Sister Cities