More than 50 students supporting “Beyond Coal” rallied in front of the Couper Administration Building on Tuesday to push for the elimination of coal usage at Binghamton University.
Kasey Robb/Contributing Photographer
According to Christine Walsh, one of 11 event coordinators for the campaign, “Beyond Coal,” affiliated with the Sierra Club, is part of a national effort to stop the use of coal as a main energy source.
Students and a few faculty members stood by the flag pole holding long stretches of banner paper covered in paint handprints.
“[The] 2,500 handprints are meant to symbolize each of the petitions we have collected from the student population of the Binghamton University campus,” Walsh said.
Four speeches from students and faculty were delivered throughout the rally.
The four speakers included Alyssa Kassner, a senior environmental sciences major; Dr. Julian Shepherd, an associate professor of biology and environmental studies; Dr. Richard Andrus, a professor of biology and environmental studies and Sam Sussman, a freshman political science major.
All of the speakers requested that University President Lois DeFleur speak with them to help eradicate coal from BU.
During their speeches, the four brought up the dangers of coal pollution and its effects on the environment.
According to Shepherd, coal has negative effects on two fronts: the burning of coal is a very harmful air pollutant, and the mining of coal is also very destructive to the environment.
Andrus added that coal accounts for approximately 40 percent of the global warming emissions for the United States.
“As young people, we want to live in a forward-thinking America where our air is fresh, our planet healthy and our energy clean and sustainable,” the final speaker, Sussman, said. “To this end, my friends, I say: It is time to move ‘Beyond Coal,’ starting here on our campus.”
Walsh said she believed the rally and campaign received a good turnout.
“We were really looking for people to become more aware of the issues and of what we are trying to do,” she said.
Walsh explained that because DeFleur is currently out of the country, “Beyond Coal” has not heard back from her.
Ryan Yarosh, spokesman for BU, said, “[The] University administration [has] reached out to this group on a number of occasions.”
According to Yarosh, the University has made efforts in making the campus greener, including creating a windmill to recharge electric vehicles, installing solar heating panels in the Susquehanna Community, reducing its carbon footprint by 14 percent since 2000 and incorporating wood burning in the central heating plant in 2007.
BU has also been listed as No. 44 on Sierra Club’s Top Cool Schools list, Yarosh said.
According to Walsh, the group is not advocating a particular alternative to be put in place of coal.
“The goal is not to propose a specific alternative, the hope in the future is for a renewable alternative,” she said. “What really matters is eliminating the dependence of [coal].”
One supporter, Caitlin Worm, a senior biology and chemistry major, said she believed the rally went really well, appropriately bringing to light the major priorities.
Another supporter, Vikki Rai, a junior philosophy, politics and law major, agreed with Worm.
“I think this was a really important cause to bring up,” he said. “I’m glad the local media was here to help bring focus to this topic.”