NPR’s All Things Considered: Indiana Universities and Coal

Check out the first story in a multiple part series discussing universities in Indiana and coal. IU and the Coal Free IU Campaign will be covered soon!

Ball State is a great example for the state, the nati0n and the world of what is possible: a clean energy future!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121021935

Letter to the editor boom!

Coal-Free IU has had incredible success with our coverage in local newspapers like The Indiana Daily Student and The Herald Times! Check out the Campaign Coverage page for our latest news hits. Oh, and make sure to pick up a copy of the IDS tomorrow, Wednesday Nov. 4 for our presence on the Opinion page!

Here is an example of a letter published in The Herald Times by our very own Novella Shuck! If the link to the letter doesn’t work, I have copied it below.

IU should phase out coal

To the editor:

I am writing to express my concern with the on-campus Indiana University coal plant. The detrimental effects to both the environment and public health that coal causes have been widely cataloged but include the release of CO2 (a leading cause of global warming), wildlife destruction, asthma and lung cancer.

A place like IU that encourages enlightenment and education shouldn’t be so stupid as to have such an archaic industrial-era relic fueling this institution. If IU wants to be at the forefront of the future, then it should take action and do so.

Most people I speak to concede that a switch to renewable power would be an improvement, but no one believes it’s a practical option right now. However, this transition is not impossible, or even prohibitively unfeasible.

Ball State University has just recently begun a switch from coal to geothermal power, and their motivation is economical as well as environmental, saving them a considerable amount of money over the long run. We have the desire, the technology, the economic imperative and the environmental responsibility to switch from coal to renewable energy; all we lack is administrative action.

Please, support action towards renewable energy projects at Indiana University.

Novella Shuck, Bloomington

The Bloomington Alternative and ways to join our campaign

Check out a new article by the Bloomington Alternative talking about our campaign!

There are still a ton of ways to get involved!

Join one of our committees:

• Grassroots Campaign (collect signatures on our petitions and organize call in days)
• Media Coverage (help run press conference, pitch reporters and get our campaign more coverage–like in the article above)
• Media Publications (be a voice behind the campaign and write your own stories)
• Coalitions with Student and Community Groups (build alliances with other organizations and community members)
• Coalitions with Faculty and Administration (build alliances within the institution)
• Events Coordinating (help plan events in any of our subgroups: visual arts, theater, music, and educational events)
• Visibility (design fliers, online communications, and more!)

Email us at coalfreeiu@gmail.com for more information on how to get involved!

Sept 16 Press Conference: Official Report Release

On September 16th, a group of students representing Coal Free IU gathered outside the Central Heating Plant to announce the official launch of the Coal Free Campus Campaign. We talked about the importance of moving IU beyond coal because of its environmental impacts and contributions to global warming CO2 emissions, as well as public health concerns.

The launch included the presentation of a new report by the Sierra Club: Moving Campuses Beyond Coal.

Check out some of our coverage: IDS, Herald Times, WFIU, and WFHB!

This nationally coordinated launch happened at the 11 universities highlighted in the Sierra Club’s report including: Oregon State University, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri, University of North Carolina, University of North Dakota, State University of New York-Binghamton, Ohio University, Pennsylvania State University, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Here is some of their coverage: New York Times, The Salt Lake Tribune in Boulder, and The Collegian at Penn State.