Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet
October 6, 2009
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Virginia Cramer, 804-225-9113 x 102
Sierra Club Launches “Too Dirty” Ad Campaign
Part of Efforts to Kick Coal Off Campuses
Washington, DC: As part of its Campuses Beyond Coal Campaign, the Sierra Club today launched a new advertising effort to help kick coal off campuses. Centered on a series of three videos the campaign will use print and online advertising to highlight that some things are just too dirty, even for college.
The ads play off stereotypically “dirty” college behavior, becoming progressively more “dirty” throughout the series. Though college life allows for leniency in the socially acceptable, coal still crosses the line.
“I think many of us look back in disbelief at some of the things we did in college,” said Bruce Nilles, director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Campaign. “We’re seeing that same sense of disbelief from current college students when they learn that their campuses are still powered by coal.”
The ad campaign targets schools in 11 states which currently rely on coal power. Watch the first video here: http://www.2dirty4college.com/
“Coal has no place on our campus,” said Lauren Hammond a student at Binghamton University in New York, who is part of the coal-free campus campaign. “Binghamton should be a place of higher learning, growth and forward thinking, not a hideout for last century’s dirty technology.”
The Campuses Beyond Coal Campaign is working nationwide to wean all campuses off of coal-generated electricity and replace it with clean energy options. With organizers on the ground in several of the more than 60 campuses with on-site coal plants the Campaign is working to help universities achieve the zero carbon emissions targets set forth in the Presidents Climate Commitment. A report released last month, Breaking Coal’s Grip on Our Future: Moving Campuses Beyond Coal, highlights many of the problems facing coal dependent schools and the solutions available.
“What students want is a cleaner, healthier future, so they're organizing on campuses coast-to-coast to make that vision a reality,” said Kim Teplitzky, National Field Coordinator for the Sierra Student Coalition.
The ad campaign will run through the end of October, with the remaining two videos to be released in the next few weeks. Check back here to see the new releases.
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