Usage of the worst carbon dioxide emitter and overall polluter - coal - is still prevalent in our society in surprising forms. The University's very own coal plant, located on the Corner, spews harmful amounts of carbon dioxide and poisons, such as mercury and lead, into the atmosphere just across from the University's state-of-the-art health system. To protect the health of our patients, the University institutes a "clean air zone" preventing smoking in the area. Yet within this same clean air zone, the University knowingly burns coal.
The toxins that are willingly pumped into the atmosphere affect every person in the city of Charlottesville. This coal plant is not just an affront to the effort toward a sustainable future, but also is a clear, pressing issue of public health.
Drawing upon our power of speech, we must call on President Teresa A. Sullivan and the University's administrators to implement a clear timetable to shut down this blight on the environment and embrace in its stead a clean energy plan for the 21st century. By renouncing antiquated, septic coal and retrofitting our buildings with increasingly efficient alternative energy sources, Mr. Jefferson's University can assert itself as the world class institution that it is and present itself as a shining example to other institutions of higher learning throughout the world.
The tipping point is near - we must wholeheartedly embrace the prospect of alternative energy or otherwise face a global crisis of frightening proportions. The future is ours to decide.
Allen Chen\nCLAS I
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