Reading Day Rally for Divestment

Today, UIUC Beyond Coal held a protest outside of Swanlund Administration Building. The rally was directed towards the University administration in order to create action about addressing divestment. There were moving chants, songs and speeches all to gain attention for our cause and its immediacy. Among the speakers were Tyler Rotche (one of the founding members of UIUC Divestment Campaign), former Champaign mayor Don Gerard, and UIUC Beyond Coal President Erika Weir. Below is Erika's speech which discusses the motivations and demands of our campaign.

I am not an anomaly. I am a student who learned about the issues of climate change, cared, and participated in our university’s process of civic engagement. I do this because I do not want a future where billions suffer for the apathy, affluence, and consumption of one nation. I do this because I do not want to see a future where our state is decimated by the extraction of an ancient fuel source.  

As an organization, Beyond Coal has had modest demands in comparison to the risks we face from climate and environmental inaction. We simply ask that Coal Divestment, refusing to place our university’s money in the worst polluting and carbon intensive industry, be considered seriously and publicly addressed.

The UIUC Beyond Coal campaign was one of the first fossil fuel divestment campaigns founded in 2011. We are now 4 years from that date and have complied with every process, loop hole, and demonstration of support the university has asked for. In Fall 2013, students voted 6:1 in favor of coal divestment, a resounding majority. To this date, Over 50 professors in 20 departments  have signed a letter in support of divestment. And even this spring the Licensing Committee within the administration itself recommended further exploration of the topic of divestment and the creation of a Socially Responsible Investment Committee.

Still, we are met with unwarranted opposition. The University and the Chancellor have refused to this date to make any serious progress on addressing the issue or even comment publicly. I am personally ashamed to attend a university that states its mission “to enhance the lives of citizens in Illinois, across the nation and around the world through our leadership in learning, discovery, engagement and economic development.” And yet picks and chooses what student voices it listens to.

No social justice issue has ever been convenient. Divesting from South Africa because Apartheid violated human rights was not convenient. In 1977 students at the University of Illinois launched a divestment campaign against the apartheid regime Year after year, for 10 years, the administration opposed every discussion, every motion on divestment.  40 years later, this university has yet to learn its lesson and continues to fight against student activism.

The fossil fuel divestment movement is the fastest growing divestment movement in history. Across, the nation and world,  institutions, cities, and universities are increasingly committing to divestment (The City of Oslo, the Rockefeller Fund, and Stanford University just to name a few). By refusing to explore divestment, this university will once again lag in terms of social issues and forward thinking.  When climate change experts and highly regarded activists like Bill McKibben, Naomi Klein, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, and Desmond Tutu have publicly supported divestment, this university would be ignorant to disregard student consensus.  

The Divestment movement will not slow down for the antiquated ideas of the university. They believe that minimal returns on investment are more important than addressing an industry that pollutes, threatens public health, and most heinously contributes to the irreversible effects of climate change. The goal of divestment is to discredit and stigmatize the fossil fuel industry so that all of us can affect change not just those with the financial means. We attend this university and we should have a say in its finances.

Climate change and environmental disaster will not slow down for the university to maintain its public image. Building a solar farm that supplies only 2% of the university’s energy means little when our university simultaneously has planned to burn natural gas for the next 35 years and funds the coal industry.

This current moment in history is fundamental to the well-being of many generations to come or as Rachel Carson said in her ground-breaking text the Silent Spring,

“We stand now where two roads diverge. But unlike the roads in Robert Frost's familiar poem, they are not equally fair. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the road — the one less traveled by — offers our last, our only chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of the earth.”

Carson was proposing this dilemma over 50 years ago. I for one no longer will comply as an innocent bystander and allow this university to pretend that is addressing climate change.

We need to demand that the University reaches its goals of carbon neutrality. We need to demand that Chancellor Wise creates a Socially Responsible Investment committee and speaks publicly about the issue divestment. We need to demand that this university will not support an immoral, destructive industry and we demand that we divest!

Beyond Coal Speaks at UI Board of Trustees Meeting

On November 12th, representatives from Beyond Coal addressed the University of Illinois Board of Trustees with the most recent of many pleas for university investments to be diverted from coal to renewable energy. Laden with wit and relevant historical references, the organization's riveting speech was best when delivered by Beyond Coal's Director of Communications, Cary Shepherdd, but is sure to compel online readers, such as yourself, as well.

Watch the video here at 1:05 

Address to The University of Illinois Board of Trustees

Written and delivered by Cary Shepherd

            Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen of the board, I’d like to thank you for allowing me to be the 217^th mustachioed liberal college student to steal another five minutes of your lives at one of these meetings. My name is Cary Shepherd, and I am the Director of Communications for the Urbana campus registered student organization Beyond Coal. The purpose of our organization is to inform the public about the coal industry and work with our University to adopt policies that minimize our endorsement and use of coal as an energy source.

            Today I would like to talk to you about divesting our endowment funds from companies heavily involved in the coal industry. This is not the first time that our organization has spoken at one of your meetings, so I want to thank you for your patience with us and willingness to discuss this important issue. Today however, I will be addressing a new aspect of this issue. You have already heard about coal’s carcinogenic properties and its propensity to accelerate global warming in past presentations, so while we remain steadfast in our assertion that this is the most important reason we must lead the charge towards cleaner sources of energy, the focus of this brief is why coal is a financially poor investment for our endowment. However, while finance will be the focus of this presentation, it is important to note that coal is the most carbon intensive energy source, because that will play an important role in the financial analysis I am about to present.

            As you are well aware, the purpose of our university endowment is not to flip stocks inside of a quarter. Our endowment is meant to financially safeguard our University for generations to come. Nobody in our organization is saying that coal is not profitable today or that we could stop using coal immediately as an energy source. We are saying that we must look to the future and invest responsibly.

            The debate on energy is changing, and in a democracy, the debate matters. One month ago, the Pentagon, yes the Pentagon, held a press conference in which Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel released a report indicating that climate change poses an immediate threat to national security, with increased threats from terrorism, infectious disease, global poverty, and food shortages. If there was ever an indication that the current administration may be politically positioning itself to take aggressive action against climate change through regulation of carbon emissions, this is it. This is that indication.

            Now, I had to make a few brief changes to this presentation because while I was putting on the finishing touches, the New York Times broke a story that the United States and China have been in secret negotiations to sign a treaty that aggressively overhauls international standards on carbon emissions. This happened three days ago. Once again, coal is the most carbon-intensive energy source on the market today. China is currently the world’s largest user of coal, and the United States is not far behind. The coal market will not just shrink in the United States, it will shrink internationally. We are at an important moment in history. Today is the day that just because coal has been a reliable source of energy for over 100 years, we have no certainty that this will remain the case. And personally, I’d like to see our endowment outlast the coal industry.  

            Again, we acknowledge that the energy we use must be produced somehow, so logically just because regulations of coal are increasing does not mean that it will become financially unprofitable. However, this in combination with other rising energy sources does indicate that. Coal’s claim to the throne of affordable energy king is no longer certain into the future. While our organization does not endorse the increased mining of natural gas through hydraulic fracturing, it is clear to see that this industry is growing exponentially across North America. All current financial indications point towards an energy industry squeeze of coal by natural gas in the 21^st century. Furthermore, the technology to increase efficiency from nuclear and solar energy is advancing rapidly, again eating away at the segment of the energy market that coal once occupied comfortably.

            I am a history major, and one of the most important concepts I have learned at the University of Illinois is how to use comparative history to understand the causes of similar events over time. When our university was founded in 1867, one of the largest energy sources in the country was oil. This had been the case for over 100 years. But it was not oil from the ground, it was oil from whales. Over the course of the following 50 years, increased competition from new energy sources such as petroleum and the increased regulation of the whaling industry drove that industry into the ground. Today, coal is being crowded out of the market by new and more efficient energy sources, and the regulations surrounding the extraction and burning of coal can be seen tightening on a regular basis. So let me ask you, would you have advised the University to invest in whaling companies in 1867? Would you advise investment in coal today?  

The Big Picture: What Our University Stands For

Earlier this summer, our Chancellor, Phyllis Wise, made the executive decision to revoke a job offer extended to Steven Salaita by the University of Illinois, and it was only by public pressure that his appointment was advanced to the Board of Trustees for approval. Last week, the Board voted 8-1 against Salaita’s appointment. You all know the story. But the question remains, why should we care?

            The Chancellor has stated that her decision “was not influenced in any way by [Salaita’s] positions on the conflict in the Middle East nor his criticism of Israel,” and unfortunately, we find this to be true. Her decision was made based upon money. After a request under the Freedom of Information Act was filed for the Chancellor’s emails regarding the appointment of Salaita, it became public knowledge that students, and more importantly donors, were heavily petitioning the Chancellor to deny Salaita’s appointment a hearing. This is exactly what she did.

Some have made the argument that donors can say what they want, but ultimately this was done for the good of the students. This argument entirely ignores not just the Chancellor’s actions, but also the historical actions of the greater University of Illinois administration.  Last year, in an overwhelming 6-1 count, the student body voted to defund the University’s investments in coal based energy companies.  The official response? That is an unreasonable request. But when a few six-figure donors ask the Chancellor to break protocol and fire a professor over his radical political views protected under the First Amendment? No problem.

This is not the first time that the University has chosen money over ethics. The once infamous case of the quad shantytown is another prime example. In 1986, the University of Illinois had over $15 million invested in companies who profited in South Africa under the government that imposed apartheid on the native South Africans. As is happening today, the administration made numerous public comments about their commitment to ethical principles and their deep concern for the issue at hand, while doing little to back up their words. It was not until the University’s hypocrisy was publicly revealed through a brilliant student campaign that the University partially divested its holdings in those companies.

If that seems a bit too distant, let us not forget that as recently as 2009 we had a president, chancellor, and seven members of the Board of Trustees resign after it came to light that the University was admitting students with political and economic support at a distinguishably higher rate than everybody else. While the current scandal may change from year to year, the catalyst does not. Money matters here.

It is time for the University of Illinois to take responsibility for its actions. This does not rest solely on the shoulders of Chancellor Wise, but she does have blame to bear. This is on all of us. We need to be demanding more accountability, professionalism, and ethical conduct from the institution from which we are either employed or will be issued a diploma. This addiction to money needs to end. We do not need to build the largest net-zero energy building in Illinois if it means that we invest in coal companies to make it happen. We do not need to be preaching freedom of speech if we cannot practice it. We do not need to attend a public university if it practices the ethics of the most corrupt private institutions. We deserve better.

Cary Shepard

Dirty Money, Dirty Planet: A Conversation on Coal Divestment

Want to learn more about coal issues and divestment? Join UIUC Beyond Coal and UIUC Students for Environmental Concerns this Tuesday for “Dirty Money, Dirty Planet: A Conversation on Coal Divestment.”

The event will feature speakers from local environmental groups who are also striving to move communities beyond coal. One of the presenters is Sue Smith from Stand Up to Coal, a grassroots association fighting Sunrise Coal’s proposed Bulldog underground coal mine in Champaign and Vermilion counties. Sue will shine a light on the human face of coal extraction and production, showing the devastating effects resource exploitation can have on frontline communities. Traci Barkley, a water resources scientist at Prairie Rivers Network, will be a member of the panel as well. PRN is Champaign-Urbana-based non-profit organization which advocates for policies and cultural values that best protect aquatic ecosystems and waterways throughout the state of Illinois. Traci heads the organization’s coal pollution campaign, where she works to hold coal polluters accountable by strengthening pollution standards and safeguards on the environment and the public.

Following presentations from the panel, UIUC Beyond Coal will share some history of the campaign and detail what we hope to accomplish in light of the recent divestment vote. This is an exciting time for our campaign, as we have momentum and documented support of the student body. In addition to this, presenters from the campaign will cover the history of divestment and its examples of success from the past. Divestment can be a confusing topic to the untrained eye; we will be breaking down the process and its relation to the University of Illinois.

Members of the campaign and panel will field questions from the audience following the presentations.

Our University is inching away from the harmful practices of the coal industry, but to further facilitate this process we need feedback from fellow students. With the divestment movement growing each day, now is an imperative time for students to realize that they hold the power to make a difference. Join us on Tuesday, February 11^th to voice your opinion, inquire, or just listen. We would love to hear from you. The meeting will be held at 6:30 PM in Room 213 of Gregory Hall. We hope to see you there!

What's Next?

A Semester Closer to Divestment

While University of Illinois students reacclimate to frigid campus conditions and the daily grind of homework and classes, UIUC Beyond Coal has hit the ground running as a new semester dawns. Building on momentum from the previous semester’s successes, we hope to bring our University closer than ever before to divesting from the harmful practices of the coal industry.

UIUC Beyond Coal made significant strides over the course of last semester thanks to the outstanding efforts of its students activists. Campaign Co-President Peter Whitney kicked off the semester by addressing the University of Illinois Board of Trustees on the issue of coal divestment. With growing student support and clear evidence of coal’s environmental effects, the BoT’s inaction has become questionable. Campaign actions have garnered the attention of the local and even national media outlets. Our efforts have been featured in the Daily Illini multiple times, an Associate Press article, and the Huffington Post. In October, 39 students trekked to Pittsburgh, PA to further their environmental activism skills and knowledge for Powershift 2013. While we may not have won over the support of the University yet, we have certainly shown that our efforts will only continue to grow.

 The support of the student body for our campaign was showcased when students voted in favor of divesting from the coal industry during the Fall. Despite the unhurried bureaucratic nature of the petitioning process, we were able to amass over 4,200 signatures in slightly over two weeks time. As a result, students were able to vote on a coal divestment referendum on the UIUC student ballot. After weeks of preparation, canvassing, and outreach, the hard work of our campaigners had finally paid off. In a sweeping 6-1 vote, the student body declared that it was time for the university to divest from an energy source of the past.

Yet the battle to divest from coal is still far from over. UIUC Beyond Coal will strive to make this semester even more successful than the last. Already this semester, Co-President Drew O’Bryan has spoken to the Board of Trustees in Chicago during their first bimonthly meeting of the semester. Drew highlighted the BoT’s power to divest from coal as well as their continuous failure to discuss the issue. He also reiterated the resolution which we are fighting for the University to pass:

1. Forego any future direct investments in the “Filthy 15” coal companies effective immediately.
2. Establish a committee on socially responsible investment (SRI) within the Board of Trustees to monitor progress and address any future SRI issues, as is proposed in the Illinois Climate Action Plan.
3. Divest all direct and indirect holdings from the “Filthy 15” coal mining and utilities companies by the year 2017
4. Construct a plan for reinvestment of a percentage of divested funds into renewable energy utilities and/or research.

Though campaign members have spoken to the BoT multiple times already, we plan speak at every BoT meeting for the remainder of the semester. This semester will see continued pressure on the BoT through establishing relationships and coalitions with administrative committees and other stakeholders throughout University of Illinois campuses, with hopes of pushing the aforementioned resolution through the tri-campus Senate.

UIUC Beyond Coal’s next major event of the semester, “Starting the Conversation on Divestment,” will take place on Tuesday, February 11^th at 6:30 PM in Greg Hall Room 213. We will be hosting four speakers to provide their respective expert knowledge on the history and economics of divestment, science of coal, and frontline efforts to stop coal extraction. In addition to these endeavors, the campaign will be hosting many events throughout the semester, culminating in a rally at the end of the school year.

Keep an eye out for UIUC Beyond Coal in the coming months, it won’t be hard to find us. 

WE WON!!! 86% VOTED YES!

UI Student Referendum: Vote Yes to divest | Create infographics

UIUC Coal Divestment Referendum Petition Drive #ActOnClimate

Over the past two and a half weeks, students of the University of Illinois' UIUC Beyond Coal campaign have acted on climate by collecting over 4,200 petition signatures in hopes of placing a coal divestment referendum on the bi-annual UIUC student ballot. The result of a semester's worth of bureaucratic dealings, it was while still at Power Shift that our campaign received the final go ahead email to begin petitioning for our approved referendum. We needed to receive petition signatures from 7% of the U of I's 43,400 students (3,038 for those without a calculator handy) by November 8th in order to have full divestment from the "Filthy 15" coal companies voted on by the student body.

Upon returning to Champaign-Urbana, Il from Pittsburgh, UIUC Beyond Coal's motley crew of student activists hit the ground running, securing 1300 petitions within the first week. Efforts included canvassers on the U of I main quad, making announcements at events, speaking in front of classes, visiting sororities and fraternities, and doing just about anything to collect over 3,000 petition signatures within the given timeline.

After two and a half weeks, the total seemed questionable. During the group's final meeting before the petitions had to be turned in, members were instructed to bring all petitions for a final tally. With one person counting the over 200 sheets of paper through the duration of the meeting, a collective sigh and subsequent cheer were released when it was announced that the final petition total was 4,238.

Our work, however, has not ended yet. With the petition drive behind us, we now await the vote taking place the 13th and 14th of November. We will use the next few days to mount a get out the vote campaign to encourage our student body to vote "yes" to divest. Until the results are announced this Friday as to whether we've attained majority support, we'll be flyering, chalking, and talking til our time runs out!

UI Student Referendum: Vote Yes to divest

| Infographics

Powershift, Petitioning, and Beyond

As those of us who attended Powershift get back into our regular routines, catching up on ignored homework and recovering from a lack of sleep, the thoughts of the weekend in Pittsburgh are ever-present in our minds. Those who were lucky enough to attend were exposed to the seemingly endless knowledge of a vast array of environmental and social activists. From indigenous peoples impeding the Keystone XL to those fighting fracking in Pennsylvania, Powershift attendees were able to hear of stories from the frontlines of environmental and social movements across the country. Leaders of the movement, including Bill McKibben and Michael Brune, empowered the youth through their passionate addresses at the end of each night. Our ears were even graced with the rustic sounds of Josh Fox’s well-known banjo! Here are some of UIUC’s attendee favorite parts about the weekend:

“I really enjoyed hearing from frontline communities like Appalachians fighting against coal companies. Trying to understand their struggles is something that I am excited to work more on and incorporate into our movement.”- Erika Weir

“The march on Monday was one of many favorite parts of Power Shift. Being in the presence of thousands of young environmental and social justice activists is a very powerful experience.”- Kelly Johnson

“One of my favorite parts of Powershift was engaging in debates with people that hold different ideas than me. Just being around thousands of young, passionate people all trying to make a difference was a very memorable experience in itself.”-Kelley Schulkins

However, the greatest aspect of Powershift is not easily boiled down to a single event or 
speaker. No mix of words can effectively convey the experience of being surrounded by thousands of like-minded activists fighting the same fight as you. Feelings of solidarity and optimism for the movement’s future were prevalent. After seeing the assortment of faces and hearing of successes (and failures) from across the nation, we are ecstatic and immensely confident for what the future of the movement holds. These feelings were strongest in the culminating event of the weekend: the March for a Green Economy.

Thousands flooded the streets of Pittsburgh following a rally on the shores of the Allegheny River. Enthusiastic activists, protesting a range of climate-change issues, crossed the Roberto Clemente Bridge into Downtown Pittsburgh. Along the way, waves of activists stopped at branches of PNC Bank throughout the city to protest the institution’s funding of mountaintop removal mining. Seven protesters from the Earth Quaker Action Team were arrested and charged with trespassing after refusing to leave the UPMC’s PNC Bank lobby. The protesters were staging a peaceful, albeit vocal, sit-in.

Midway through the march half of the activists split from the preapproved route, instead heading towards the Allegheny County Courthouse.  Throughout the next three blocks, traffic was stopped as protesters stormed through the busy downtown streets. Onlookers from sidewalks and in cars cheered on the chanting crowd. Once the first waves arrived at the courthouse, there was a rally in the courtyard. During this time, the group was energized by an 11 year-old protester wielding a megaphone as well as other voiced opponents of the fossil fuel industry. Protesters were there to demand a meeting with Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, who had been holding close door meetings with shale drilling companies regarding proposed drilling in county parks. The vast majority of the crowd slowly filed into the courthouse, where they held a sit-in near Mr. Fitzgerald’s office. He told them to schedule an appointment.

The conference has ended, but the most important aspect of Powershift is what follows. Freshly energized from Powershift, UIUC Beyond Coal will be petitioning the student body until Friday, November 1^st. If we attain over 3,000 signatures, we will gain status on an upcoming ballot referendum which will ask students whether or not they support divesting university funds from the coal industry. Currently, through the endowment fund, our university invests up to $34 million in the 15 most destructive coal mining and utility companies. As a result, we are perpetuating an industry which literally blows up mountains, destroys communities, and pollutes our air and waterways. We are determined to end unnecessary aid to a dying industry. 

Large divestment banners were hung on the north end of the Quad as fervent petitioners scoured campus during our kickoff event last Thursday. Beyond Coal-ers have also adorned their Facebook profile pictures with the Orange Square, the national symbol of solidarity for the divestment movement, to garner attention to our petition drive. If you happen to spot one of our awesome campaigners on your way to class, please take a minute to sign our petition and remember to vote yes for divestment on November 6^th-8^th!

The True Cost of Coal: A Narrative on Mountaintop Removal and the Fight for Our Future

The Beehive Design Collective is a group of volunteering artists and activists who are dedicated to "cross-pollinating the grassroots" of the world (like bees, get it?) by combining storytelling with art and science. Covering topics ranging from globalization and trade to energy and climate change, they travel the world to learn other people's experiences and combine that with research into a collaborative, hand-drawn poster. By sharing their art and story, the Beehive Collective uses their art to educate, organize, and inspire people all over the country. On Tuesday, SECS invited them to Champaign to present their story on "the True Cost of Coal".

Graphic poster "the True Cost of Coal"- find an online narrative book telling the story in detail here.

The art graphic (or poster, or masterpiece, whatever you wanna call it) shown above is organized into five sections as a historical timeline, from left to right: Ancestors, Colonization & Industrialization, Mountaintop Removal & Climate Crisis, Resistance, and Regeneration. There are also smaller individual stories and cycles hidden deeper in each illustration-- all the rich details from discovered during the bees' travels. This project focuses on mountaintop removal and people from the Appalachian region of the United States. 

ANCESTORS

The beginning of the story opens with the origin and source of coal-- from a time far back in geologic history during the Carboniferous Period when plants were compressed in anoxic swamps and pushed into sedimentary rock in the form of coal. Over all this time, the coal retains energy stored from the sun and plants' photosynthesis over millions and millions of years, which is the reason why coal is highly dense in energy. 

The story then goes on to the ecology of the Appalachian mountains, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. Due to its fertile conditions and glacial history, it is the source of water and life for thousands of species and people. Freshwater from as far as Washington originates from mountain springs in Appalachia, and the region's "mixed mesophytic forests" are among the most biodiverse in the world.

COLONIZATION & INDUSTRIALIZATION

After the development of the area's natural systems, the next addition to the story is humans and our influence. This section opens with the displacement of the indigenous people of Appalachia, including the Train of Tears and the spread of new diseases from European colonizers. Once that was done, there was a feverish race to grab land and property to lay down railroad, start resource extraction, and to build urban cities all in the name of "progress". The art featured in this section includes the Battle of Blair Mountain, one of history's largest labor struggles between miners and a coal company that ended with US Marshals dropping bombs on the striking miners.

MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL & CLIMATE CRISIS
The middle of the poster is our current predicament today. It shows the transition in the earth's natural ecology as well as the economic transition from having 150,000 coal miners in Appalachia to fewer than 15,000 today. With new modern technology, humans are able to harvest coal faster and easier than ever before. The consequence? Mountains being levelled with tons and tons of overburden filling the valleys, releasing heavy metals and polluting water supplies (not to mention thousands of people losing their jobs).

Our reality is a "death cycle of coal", consisting of combustion, consumption, and clmate chaos. The art graphic shows stories of greenwashing, a practice of advocating simple sustainable practices without actually changing to seem more environmentally friendly. The most popular solution seems to be to shop, and buy our way out of our problems but the beehive collective argues that "we need organized, collective action to transform a sick society and economy". There needs to be a change in the system, not just our lightbulbs!

There are tons of smaller stories and great metaphors embedded throughout the poster, including "the Dance of Hard Choices", featuring frogs and the tough decisions they must go through in life which affects the environment, their health, and their family's future. The graphic also goes through the multiple uses and benefits of coal, including electricity, steel manufacturing, and jobs.

RESISTANCE
After three pretty depressing parts of the story, the poster then moves on to our response to all of this-- resistance. Through grassroots campaigns, social movements, and solidarity people are starting to work in their communities like never before to try and react to a global climate crisis. The Beehive Collective says that community power and not coal power (or as we at UIUC Beyond Coal like to say, "soul power, not coal power") is what we need to combat big companies and the government for a more sustainable future.

This part of the story also acknolwedges the reality that there is no renewable energy source that could be an identical substitute for coal, simply because of the time and energy density stored over hundreds of thousands of years. But even if there isn't an identical substitute, our current age of technology and innovation can definitely find a solution and make money while doing it.

REGENERATION
The art graphic ends with a look to our future and what lies ahead for Appalachia and for the world. Once we can successfully change our practices and move beyond coal, we must continue to protect and maintain our earth. The poster shows scenes of bioremediation by lady salamanders cleaning contaminated water and restoring plant life. Reclamation and restoration of soil and previously damaged landscapes is another step shown by animals working together to harvest rainwater and cultivate community supported agriculture.

Energy generation, not extraction is the key for future sources. By combining social movements and media along with solidarity economies, our future can be healthy, sustainable, and profitable. The end of the story is also a beginning-- birds represent young folks returning home, welcomed back to their communities.

The presentation of "the True Cost of Coal" by the Beehive Collective at the YMCA.

To find out more about the Beehive Design Collective, visit their website here.

Beyond Coal + Rainforest Action Network vs. Bank of America

As a supportive campus of the national Rainforest Actions Newtork's goals for Bank of America and Citi Bank to divest from mountaintop removal coal mining, UIUC Beyond Coal joined other campuses across the country to disrupt the banks' recruiting events on Tuesday, 9/24/13. 

More information on the Rainforest Action Network's efforts can be found at http://www.dirtymoney.org/. Want to support their campaign? 1.Sign the petition at the above link. 2. Join Beyond Coal in our work towards divestment at the University of Illinois, and join us in future actions against Bank of America and Citi!

 

"We wont work for climate chaos, We don't care how much you pay us"!!

Beyond Coal is proud to support Rainforest Action Network, the national divestment movement, and help to move these major corporations beyond coal!