Lansing resident Lee Sprague speaks about better energy legislation to a crowd of MSU students and Lansing residents Thursday afternoon on the west-side lawn of the Capitol. Supporters wore green hats to represent green energy.
Green hard hats and posters represented Michigan’s energy future Thursday at the Capitol, where students from several state universities rallied for stronger energy legislation.
“We want to show that current energy legislation proposed isn’t strong enough in supporting energy efficiency,” said Brandon Knight, founder of the Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition, an environmental group composed of several colleges and universities statewide.
“The highest youth voter turnout is expected in 2008, so we’re going to communicate that this is important,” Knight said.
Group members and a representative from the Sierra Club addressed about 40 students on the ineffectiveness of coal as a viable energy source and the importance of taking action against global climate change.
The group’s five demands from the Michigan Legislature include a renewable energy standard of at least 25 percent by 2025, an energy efficiency standard requiring 2 percent annual energy efficiency increases between now and 2015, a requirement for state regulators to consider energy efficiency programs, a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants in Michigan and low carbon fuel standards.
While chanting “Green jobs now,” students were joined by a class of fourth graders from Manistee Elementary touring the Capitol, which seemed to offer a representation of Michigan’s future.
“The main message is Michigan’s economy is poor, and we have a pretty significant amount of information that the stronger we make efficiency, the better the local economy will be,” said Michael Collins, event organizer for the group.
Several students met with senators to discuss energy sources and relay the group’s ideas.
“We have no greater responsibility than to take care of Mother Earth,” said Sen. John J. Gleason, D-Flushing. “Every person has the responsibility to play a role in politics, and there’s no stronger voices than young voices.”
Part of the event’s intention was to show students the benefit of taking action on important issues, Knight said.
“We want to show that students aren’t just interested in Cedar Fest, and that we can go out and be active,” Knight said.
Mitch Lettow, an environmental biology and zoology junior, said he developed an interest in climate change after reading about it in the newspaper and has recently begun to take action after meeting people at MSU with similar interests.
“I hope to put my values into action, and instead of feeling a certain way, I’m trying to turn that into legislative action,” said Lettow, a member of the group and campus environmental group Eco.
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