2010.11.17 Press Release
Students Rally for Clean and Healthy Energy Future at MSU
MSU Beyond Coal Campaign Sierra Student Coalition
For Immediate Release:
Wednesday Nov. 17th, 2010
Contact:
Eric Price, (585) 261-6317, priceer7@msu.edu
Michaela Howard, (415) 328-2155, michaela@greencorps.org
Students Rally for Clean and Healthy Energy Future at MSU
Students Call on President Simon to get MSU off of coal with display of hundreds of clean energy pinwheels
East Lansing, MI— Over 50 students, faculty, alumni and East Lansing community members joined the Michigan State University chapter of the Sierra Student Coalition’s Campuses Beyond Coal Campaign today to call on President Simon to move the university beyond coal power.
“MSU students know coal is bad for our health, bad for our wallets, and bad for our future and yet we have the largest on-campus coal plant in the country,” said Marley Ward, no preference freshman and media coordinator for the Beyond Coal Campaign. “So we are calling on President Simon to answer a simple question: does she see dirty coal energy in MSU’s future?”
Students planted over 600 colorful paper pinwheels during the event symbolizing the clean, healthy, and prosperous energy future that MSU students and community members envision. The event was part of a National Day of Action to demand clean energy leadership at all levels of community and government.
Coal pollution is dangerous to the health of students. A recent report by the Clean Air Task Force estimated that there are 31 deaths each year in the Lansing-East Lansing Metropolitan area caused by fine particle pollution from burning coal.
“Medical studies are overwhelmingly consistent in showing that coal poses a significant threat to human health. Particulate matter from burning coal has been proven to cause premature death, heart attacks, and asthma, among other dangerous health effects,” said Dr. Kenneth Rosenman, chair of the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and professor of Medicine. "MSU has a responsibility to err on the side of caution when it comes to protecting its students from avoidable sources of pollution,”
Recently, MSU's neighbor utility, Lansing Board of Water and Light, announced it would scrap its plan to build a hybrid coal plant and would instead invest in a natural gas plant and plans to shut down several smokestacks currently in operation at Eckert Power Plant. The utility has also invested in the state’s largest solar array.
“Not only is Lansing moving away from coal and investing in energy efficiency, solar power, and natural gas, Lansing Community College has a top-notch program to train students for jobs in the growing clean energy sector,” said Susan Harley, MSU Alum and Michigan Policy Director for Clean Water Action. “As a land grant university with such an innovative history, it’s a shame that Michigan State University isn’t a leader in clean, renewable energy research and demonstration.”
Michigan State University has set a goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions on campus by 15% by 2015. The University is also in the process of retro-commissioning 100 buildings on campus to improve energy efficiency of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units, which will equal a 5% savings.
“While we applaud MSU for making some effort to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency on campus, burning coal at the largest on-campus coal plant in the country is still holding MSU back from being a leader in building a healthy, prosperous future for campus, for the state, and nationwide,” Ward said. “That’s why MSU students have come together today to plant these clean energy pinwheels and show that we are ready to move our campus beyond coal to 100% clean energy.”
The event was coordinated with students at over 40 colleges and universities across the country to call for clean energy action by covering their campuses in clean energy pinwheels. Pinwheels from all over the country will then be shipped to Washington, DC as part of national demonstration for cleaner, healthier energy choices on November 30th.
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