LYNN – Delegates from Boston and throughout the North Shore took center stage at North Shore Community College Friday morning to participate in an open dialogue about global warming and what is being done to help save the environment.Day two of the college’s Focus the Nation global warming teach-in centered around the importance of becoming politically involved, both at the local and national level, as politicians engaged students in conversation and answered questions pertaining to everything from local green jobs to improving foreign policy in order to salvage the planet.Sen. John Kerry, speaking via DVD from Washington, spoke with urgency as he described how seven years of ignorance and denial by the Bush administration has left America trailing the rest of the world in research and advancement.Kerry described foreign countries, such as Bali, where lights turn off as people walk down hallways and escalators only operate when someone is riding it. As a comparison, he said America is shooting to require 35 miles per gallon emissions by 2020, while China is in the process of regulation 36 miles per gallon emissions by 2009.”We have never been confronted with a problem quite like this,” he said. “We have seen resistance here in Washington, it is a test of America’s leadership. As Lincoln said, Americans want this country to be the last, best place on Earth, but we need to change things at the local level in schools and in communities, and I believe with a new President will come a fresh chance to get this right at the national level.”Congressman John Tierney added to Kerry’s thoughts by suggesting the country needs to start working with foreign nations, such as Venezuela, Mexico and Brazil, to create a community of global outreach where resources are combined to find a better solution.”We are not taking the opportunity to engage the countries in this hemisphere,” Tierney said. “We need to engage these countries to see what kind of research we can do, and who we can partner with.”Sen. Thomas McGee, D-Lynn, and Salem Rep. John Keenan focused their interest on issues close to home, outlining a plan to recreate North Shore Technical High School in Middleton and Essex Agricultural High School in an effort to preserve farmland north of the city.The goal is to increase awareness about nutrition, and provide a way for schools to purchase fresh produce from local farms that is both healthier and more environmentally friendly.Keenan referenced the great research institutions in the state as a way to create jobs close to home if large industry recognizes the resources Massachusetts possesses in the effort to be more environmentally sound.”There is a great opportunity to gain jobs in Massachusetts, we want to bring this new green industry here,” he said. The most important thing to think about is how it is a great opportunity for Massachusetts, with all of our research institutes, to stand up and become a front runner in this new industry.”The discussion also focused on bringing better public transportation, including smaller train cars and the Blue Line into Lynn, along with the possibility of tax breaks for using alternative energy, such as solar panels, as part of the Green Communities Act which has passed through Congress and is waiting for state Senate approval.While much of the conversation centered on political changes, there are things residents can do on their own to help prevent global warming. Changing light bulbs, eating organic food and conserving electricity and water are just a few examples, along with weekly recycling.”We are not going to get solar panels on every home in Lynn tomorrow,” said McGee. “But we can start to build on that idea today.”