Jeff Sandstoe / Roundup
The Environmental Committee of the Associated Students Organization hosted its first event of the year Monday, in which members from the Sierra Club discussed “green awareness.”
The goal of the event was to teach Pierce students how to be more “green” and live more energy-efficient lives.
“We need to make a conscious effort to help change the world,” said Nick Naczinski, chair of the Environmental Committee and planner of the event.
Posters on the wall listed steps for how to live more eco-friendly, including wearing sweaters instead of using heaters, using energy-efficient light bulbs and unplugging electrical devices when they are not being used.
Chrissy Scarborough, Sierra Club regional conservation organizer, discussed the club’s “Beyond Coal Campaign,” a movement which they hope will help decrease the use of coal as an energy source throughout the country.
A film entitled “Coal Country” was screened, which told of the environmental pollution that emerges from coal mining and processing. The film also depicted the effects on nearby “coal town” communities which have experienced diminished house prices and whose occupants have died from cancer believed to be caused by coal.
The poorest county in the United States is a coal mining town, according to the film.
Bill Corcoran, the Sierra Club’s senior regional representative, discussed the alternatives to fossil fuels for energy.
“Approximately 40 percent of L.A.’s power currently comes from coal,” said Corcoran, listing wind, solar and geothermal energy as great alternatives for coal. Though the upfront cost to building the devices to harvest this energy may be high in the span of a few years, he said they would be cheaper for consumers in the long run.
Corcoran said there are great areas in California, Nevada and Utah for geothermal facilities.
“You can always count on (geothermal),” Corcoran said. “It runs 24/7.”
He urged students to hold Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to his campaign goal of getting Los Angeles off of coal power by 2020 by writing letters and making appointments with city council members.
“Onward and upward, together we can clean up L.A.,” Corcoran said as the event came to an end.
Although the event drew a small student turnout, Naczinski said he was happy with the event.
Future plans for the Environmental Committee include getting a scholarship in place for next semester, to be awarded to whichever student contributes the most to helping out the environment and community, according to Naczinski.
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