When it comes to the environment, everyone's got an opinion these days. Wind farms! Nuclear! Clean coal! There's a lively discussion, and why shouldn't there be? It was only a little more than a month ago 29 coal miners died because a mine owner in West Virginia didn't want to discuss safety protocol. As I write this letter, crude oil spews into the Gulf of Mexico because BP didn't want to discuss drilling precautions.
As you read this, the Lausche coal plant puts toxic pollutants into the air Athenians breathe, and OU's Board of Trustees doesn't want to discuss it.
For two months, the student group Beyond Coal has been trying to meet with the board to talk about what our school can do to move off dirty coal energy and look into alternatives. Our request has been denied.
Beyond Coal doesn't push a particular kind of alternative energy. We don't know what will work, we only know that Lausche in its current condition does not work. It vents carcinogenic gases into the air which cause smog, acid rain and greenhouse warming. Did I mention they cause cancer?
President Roderick McDavis signed the President's Climate Change Commitment in 2007, which reads We believe colleges and universities must exercise leadership ... by modeling ways to minimize global warming emissions. Three years later, and where is the leadership?
Having an opinion on climate change is a good thing, but it's not enough. Opinions must lead to action. Action won't happen at OU unless we're willing to talk about it.
The students are ready to talk about it. More than 3,000 of them signed a petition to McDavis saying they want OU to move off coal. If the Board of Trustees is truly concerned with the welfare of students, why do they turn a deaf ear?
Let them know that you also support the discussion. Sign the petition at: http://tinyurl.com/2ec3y35
Tim Sallinger is a senior studying journalism and member of Beyond Coal.
4 Opinion
