2009.09.16 Press Release
University of Missouri Coal-Free Campus Kickoff
The Sierra Club and the Sierra Student Coalition today launched a new campaign to move the University of Missouri (Mizzou) beyond coal, part of a nationwide effort on more than 60 campuses.
September 16, 2009
Contact: Ryan Doyle, (218) 390-9561
Back to School? Not for Coal
University of Missouri Part of New Campaign to
Kick Coal Off Campuses
Columbia, MO: The Sierra Club and the Sierra Student Coalition today launched a new campaign to move the University of Missouri (Mizzou) beyond coal, part of a nationwide effort on more than 60 campuses. The groups aim to phase out dirty coal in power plants, like that used on Mizzou’s campus, and replace them with cleaner energy options and energy efficiency.
“We’re focusing on campuses because universities should be leaders in technological innovation and sustainability, creating models for green society,” said Bruce Nilles, Director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign. “Campuses should be places of learning, development and growth where young adults can thrive, not homes to dangerous and polluting 19th century technology.”
Already the Sierra Student Coalition, working with students across the country, has succeeded in getting commitments from over 600 universities to reduce their carbon emissions to zero through the Presidents Climate Commitment. Yet most of these schools, including the University of Missouri, continue to rely on coal to meet their energy needs. In fact over 50 campuses own coal plants on campus, making it impossible to meet the zero emissions goal.
While the University of Missouri has taken notable steps toward clean energy, including aggressive energy efficiency programs and plans underway to install a new biomass boiler, the campus still relies on dirty coal for about 80% of its energy generation. In fact, the school used more than 48,900 tons of coal for electricity generation in 2007.
“We have an opportunity to create clean energy jobs, clean up our air and solve the climate challenge by moving away from coal. Mizzou should be investing in the future, not tied to the past. A clean energy campus—now that’s an alma mater I could be proud of,” said Mallory Schillinger.
The campaign kicks off with the release of a report which describes the problem of using coal to power our colleges and universities, highlights several campuses that still rely on this dirty power source, and shows examples of schools that are now transitioning away from coal and toward clean energy. Students at the University of Missouri will be hand-delivering this report to the Chancellor’s office after a Coal-Free Campus gathering in Mizzou’s infamous Speaker’s Circle.
*The report is also available online at http://www.sierraclub.org/coal/campus/