Diamonds And Coal

The Ragister informed readers today, that a group of warm-err students (ActiveUs and ISU Beyond Coal), were to present a petition with 2,500 signatures to Iowa State University's President.

Although, elsewhere it was publicized as 2,500 petitions.

These Iowa State students want the closure of a coal plant on campus, and to replace it with a carbon-free energy source such as wind.

It appears this group has collecting signatures since at least November 4.

If they only have 2,500 signatures, from a campus with an enrollment of 29,887, that's pathetic and the scientific community is united in that fact.

The Liter noted last November that University of Iowa students presented a petition, to move beyond coal, with 3,300 signatures out of a total enrollment of 30,893.

Jeff Witt, director of the ISU power plant says --

"The fact of the matter is we burn the coal here [at the power plant], but we have no control over how much we burn. It is the people using the energy, turning on the lights and cranking up the thermostat that control how much coal Iowa State burns."

Hear that kids, power down your personal electronic devices and save the planet.

Interestingly, in the same issue of the Ragister, there's an article noting that MidAmerican Energy may build a natural gas-fired plant to replace older coal-fired plants that won’t meet new environmental standards.

The article states that MidAmerican’s 2,200 megawatts of wind generation don’t count as baseload because of the uncertainties of wind currents.

It should also be noted that last fall, per their November 15 Facebook posting, ActivUs was collaborating with the Vagina Warriors on a eco-feminism themed magazine.

ISU Beyond Coal has a Facebook page too, with 1 member.