Know someone with asthma? Most people do. Over the last twenty years, asthma rates have skyrocketed at the same time that electricity consumption has grown astronomically. It’s not a coincidence. The majority of our electricity comes from coal plants, whose pollution causes 5,820 asthma attacks, 182 emergency room visits and 249 premature deaths each year in Minnesota. In St. Paul, the High Bridge coal plant just off of West 7th Street bombards the neighborhood with pollution that causes developmental problems in children, respiratory illnesses and contributes to global warming and acid rain. Our reliance on coal and nuclear power, which creates radioactive waste that remains toxic for tens of thousands of years, is absurd and ecologically destructive. We have the ability to move away from these fuels and switch to solar and wind power, which produce electricity for less money than nuclear and only slightly more than coal sources.
Around the country, other schools have started to make the move towards safe and renewable electricity. Over the past year, the University of Colorado, Carnegie Mellon, and Connecticut College have all made the choice to purchase electricity from wind and solar power sources. Even the State of Minnesota recognizes that the switch to renewables is inevitable. In the recently released State Energy Plan, they state that, “wind is the only presently commercially viable Minnesota energy resource … that emits no pollutants.” Sadly, they have been reluctant to act. Because federal and state governments meet strong opposition from the corporate world when attempting to pass environmental legislation, they must often resort to asking for voluntary cooperation with suggested policies. As concerned and educated citizens, not to mention a large institution that consumes vast quantities of electricity, we have an obligation to show the political and corporate worlds that renewable energy is worthy of more than just lip service and must be considered an ecological responsibility.
The move is on in Minnesota. Students from MPIRG chapters at Macalester, the University of Minnesota and Hamline have come together to push for renewable energy on our campuses. Due to pressure from the state government, both our local utility, Xcel energy, and other energy companies throughout Minnesota have begun to offer their customers the option of buying renewable energy. It is up to individuals and organizations, such as colleges and universities, to show the sustainable path and become responsible environmental stewards. We ask the Macalester community to join and support MPIRG as we push for the use of renewable energy on our campus.
