Sierra Magazine: Explore, enjoy and protect the planet.
COAL ON CAMPUS #FAIL
KICKING COAL OFF CAMPUS | I LIKE CLEAN AIR | DUNKING IN COAL'S FACE | SAVE THE ALES

SAVE THE ALES

Student activists at Michigan State University in East Lansing have tried everything to convince the school's board of trustees to shutter the campus coal burner. They even got author Bill McKibben to speak by video at a Clean Energy forum: "If we're going to break our addiction to fossil fuels," he said, "we need our great educational institutions in the forefront." They criticized the university's "energy transition plan," which lacked a retirement date for the campus coal plant: "How can they say [the plan] is 100 percent clean energy and ignore the fact that they own a coal plant?" asked senior Paul Mooney.

Students also erected a two-story-high inflatable inhaler to emphasize the link between burning coal and respiratory diseases like asthma.

But when the campaigners really wanted to get attention, they ran the above ad in local newspapers. Climate change brought on by the coal industry may disrupt future harvests of hops and barley—two essential ingredients of beer.

 

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:


India's Barefoot College
Rural mothers become solar engineers.

Eco-Candy
Our picks for guilt-free sweet treats.

Trendsetter: Jessica Alba
Loves kids, hates chemicals.

 


 

Share this page on FacebookShare this page on TwitterShare this page with email

Cool Schools Home

Slideshow: The Top 10 Coolest Schools

America's Greenest Colleges: The Complete List

Pimp Your Dorm Room

Does College Matter? Dropping Out vs. Staying In

Video: The Best Internship on Earth

 


Sierra Club® and "Explore, enjoy and protect the planet"® are registered trademarks of the Sierra Club. © 2024 Sierra Club.
The Sierra Club Seal is a registered copyright, service mark, and trademark of the Sierra Club.