Members of the Sierra Student Coalition's Beyond Coal campaign at the University rallied on the steps of the Rotunda yesterday while the Board of Visitors were meeting inside.
The event was intended to "raise awareness about U.Va.'s coal and the dangers we face, and the chances we have to move away from coal," said Chris Linsmayer, an organizer for the coalition.
The University's main heating plant, located on Jefferson Park Avenue between Lee Street and University Avenue, uses coal as one of its fuel sources, as well as natural gas and low sulfur distillate oil.
"We don't want to affiliate with the dirtiest energy source in the country," second-year College student Isabella Artiles said, noting that the plant is across from the University Medical Center in a "clear air zone."
She said the coalition gathered to convince the Board that the campaign is an issue students care about. "What we want is for the Board of Visitors and for President [Teresa A.] Sullivan to be a leader on this issue and set a date to move U.Va. beyond coal," Artiles said.
The coaltion's leadership met Oct. 31 with Michael Strine, executive vice president and chief operating officer, to discuss their concerns.
Strine said last week that the University agrees with the sentiment of the campaign but lacks the resources to implement its goal.
"It's great in concept, but we don't have a path to get there," he said. "We don't have the technology [or the] natural gas supply to get there. We take it very seriously, but we're not going to make promises that we don't have the ability to keep."
Second-year College student Rebecca Dudley said reducing energy use is the easiest way to reduce coal use. She said there have been "successful University initiatives," but they are insufficient.
"The way we're going to solve dependency on coal is through energy efficiency, and replacing coal with clean energy sources," Dudley said.
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