The economy needs to consider the planet

At Old Brick Church in Iowa City on April 18, the Beehive Design Collective opened my eyes to the true cost of coal. Never before did I pay any mind to the correlations between our everyday lives and the externalized costs of coal. What an awful legacy of Americans' deprivation behind the evolution of our nation.

It's as if businessmen are developing our country and “economy” without regard to the commons of our planet or public health. The connections between the government and industry are aplenty, but we the people share this world, too.

Compared to proven innovations in sustainable development, coal is needlessly on life support and we are paying the bill. It's time to reinvest in our people and let our people invest in the future. The most convenient place to start is in our towns, our state and our institutions of higher education. The University of Iowa, and other public universities alike, should s stop prolonging the coal industry's wreckage of our communities.

To Iowa's regents university presidents Sally Mason, Steven Leath and Ben Allen: Please stand with our people's dream now and make proactive commitments to move our campuses beyond coal in this decade.

And to Iowa's Board of Regents and Gov. Terry Branstad: Please support and encourage our universities' progress toward a safer, healthier, more sustainable and just future without the countless disparities associated with coal.

Zach Carter

Hills

Sierra Student Coalition,

University of Iowa