Thorp should sit down with coal-free advocates

TO THE EDITOR:

As a UNC student, I’m proud to attend one of the finest schools in the country.

But I am not proud of the fact that UNC continues to burn coal despite irrefutable scientific research that coal mining and burning has detrimental health and environmental effects.

It is clear that coal is the dirtiest fuel available.

Carolina students, faculty, alumni and community members would like to see UNC maintain its status as a beacon of sustainability by making a commitment to eliminate coal use on campus by 2015 at the latest.

Chancellor Thorp has been active in working to reduce the impacts of burning coal at UNC, including the formation of the energy task force to address the University’s energy concerns.

But it’s unlikely that the energy task force will decide the fate of coal at UNC — rather, it will make recommendations to Thorp.

Last week, students from the Coal-Free Campaign presented Chancellor Thorp with a letter requesting to meet with him to address these concerns and show the overwhelming support we have gathered for moving Carolina beyond coal, a request that was previously denied to students. Chancellor Thorp has yet to respond to this appeal.

With clear communication, we can work together to create more aggressive goals to move our University beyond coal and toward clean energy solutions.

The creation of the energy task force was a step in the right direction.

But students still deserve a meeting with their Chancellor to express their concerns on these issues.



Taylor Timmerman
Sophomore
Political Science, Environmental Studies