February 7, 2012

Journalist and environmental activist Bill McKibben came to Exeter in late January with this message: Global warming is "the great challenge of our time," one he compared to the Civil Rights Movement for an earlier generation. He added, "It's a challenge we are currently losing and losing pretty badly."

"The stakes for you are very, very high," McKibben told assembly, as he encouraged Exonians to get involved. It's time for action, and the current high school generation is looking at "a long 70 years," he added, if the world doesn't start taking effective steps. Exonians gave him a heartfelt standing ovation at assembly.

During his visit, he met with 3 classes - Macroeconomic Issues in the United States, Human Populations and Resource Consumption: Implications for Sustainability, and The Ethics of the Marketplace - and lunched with the student-run Environmental Action Committee.