Coal Free Mizzou sponsors letter writing campaign

The letters ask for reduced coal usage in favor of alternative energy.

By Megan Donohue

Published Oct. 27, 2009

Coal Free Mizzou is doing a letter writing campaign to reduce the presence of coal usage at MU.

Coal Free Mizzou gathered Wednesday at Lowry Mall to ask students to write letters to Chancellor Brady Deaton asking him to reduce coal usage at MU as part of the National Sierra Club's campaign, "Campuses Beyond Coal," which aims to minimize the presence of coal on college campuses across the U.S.

"We can do so much better, and by eliminating coal we can help lead the country towards a healthier environment and a cleaner future," spokeswoman Melissa Vatterott said.

MU gains most of its energy from its on-campus power plant, which burns coal. It gains more energy than that from coal, Sierra Club Organizer Ryan Doyle said.

"It gets over 80 percent of its energy from the on-campus power plant from coal, and when you factor in the energy bias from off campus as well, it's 94 percent total energy on a BTU (British Thermal Energy Unit) basis coming from coal fired power," Doyle said. "So obviously there's a need to move beyond that."

Faculty Coalitions Leader Tyler Hutcherson said the letters will be a big help.

"We've seen what they've done at other campuses, like some campuses have already heard back from their chancellors in hand written letters," Hutcherson said. "So I think that they've got a big chance of doing something really big for us."

Doyle said the sentiment and personal connection in letter writing is a big factor of what makes these letters effective.

Vatterott said they have more than 60 letters written.

"I think it's always incredibly effective when students take time to write personal letters to decision makers," Doyle said. "It shows a lot more than a petition or a form e-mail when they actually take time to write out a personal letter to a decision maker."

Vatterott said the wide response Wednesday should influence Deaton's actions.

"We felt that the chancellor would understand better the importance of moving away from coal if he saw that not only a small group of students in Coal Free Mizzou felt it was important, but that students all over campus," Vatterott said. "We also had non-students write letters."

Although the campus has been rather quick to agree with Coal Free Mizzou's campaign, which is sponsored by the national Sierra Club, it hasn't responded with direct action this semester, Doyle said.

"The university has done several great things in the last few years, especially with sustainability," he said. "Specifically a lot of energy efficiency work and also a lot of plans to put in a new biomass boiler for campus, which is supposed to be completed by 2012. But as far as a direct response to our campaign so far, we've heard a lot of agreement that it needs to be done, but they haven't taken any concrete steps."

Hutcherson said the club would prefer any alternative energy source that is more sustainable, eco-friendly, conservation-oriented and efficient, and the biomass boiler, which is supposed to arrive next semester is a great first step.

"We've seen Mizzou taking steps to move towards more sustainable practices, especially in the last few years," Doyle said. "We think that they have a really good opportunity to actually become a leader in moving beyond coal and switching to clean energy. But, they need to make this a priority and commit to a plan and concrete actions if we're going to see the necessary results."