Iowa students seek 2,500 signatures for renewable energy petition

University of Iowa students Zach Carter and Meredith Place introduced their goal to organize a local chapter for the Sierra Club's "Beyond Coal" campaign during a Board of Regents meeting in June.

Now, only four months later, that goal has become a reality as they made their group's presence known on the UI campus Tuesday afternoon.

Their hope is to obtain 2,500 signatures for a petition to pressure UI officials to invest in more renewable energy sources.

"We've had a growing membership since August, when we became an official organization at the University," Carter said. "It's been great because it shows that people are connecting with our cause, and we want to educate people about coal and renewable energy."

Carter says that while the group seeks to educate about renewable resources in general, their current local project is to push for the University of Iowa to remove burning coal from its list of main energy sources.

"While we're happy with the UI's biomass project [burning oat hulls for power] and vision for  2020, we'd really like to see more of a commitment to move away from burning coal for power," Carter said.

UI power plant records indicate that the school obtains energy by burning coal and through electric,  natural gas and biomass sources. The UI's ultimate goal is to provide 40 percent of the school's total energy needs through renewable resources by 2020.

"They're [the school] is on the right track, but we think they could do so much more," said group member Sarah Hughes, 21.

The University of Iowa's biomass initiative, which creates energy by burning oat hulls purchased from Quaker Oats in Cedar Rapids, has proven to be a success over the past few years.

In 2010, the institution was able to displace over 15 tons of coal and saved $800,000 by burning oat hulls. Approximately 12 percent of the university's total power usage is currently created by biomass, records indicate.

"We're out here to continue to spread awareness [about renewable energy sources]," said UI junior Carl Saxon, 21. "A lot of people don't know anything about the UI power plant or where the energy comes from."

Carter believes that by having a petition, the group will be able to show UI officials that students care about where the institution's energy comes from, and ultimately push for change.

"I've learned a lot about coal over the past few months and want to help people see that there is a huge difference between the [monetary]  price of coal and the [environmental] costs of using it," he said.

The Sierra Club group hopes to collect a majority of the signatures for their "Beyond Coal" petition Tuesday and Thursday  from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at  information booths set up near the UI Main Library and along the T. Anne Cleary walkway.

For more information about the "Beyond Coal" initiatives, "Week of Action" activities or to sign the

online petition, individuals are encouraged to visit the Sierra Student Coalition's

main website.