Correction appended

The arrival of a Green Corps organizer has put coal on the MU campus agenda.

Green Corps organizer Ryan Doyle is living in Columbia this semester to set up the MU chapter of Beyond Coal, a break-off group from the Sierra Club. The group met for the first time on Monday, with more than fifty students in attendance.

Doyle, a graduate of St. Olaf College in Minnesota, arrived in Columbia four weeks ago for his first assignment with Green Corps. According to Doyle, Green Corps is targeting 11 colleges and universities with on site coal-fired power plants in an effort to convince these institutions to change their ways and act as role models for the rest of the country.

“Right now, Mizzou has the chance to be on the cutting edge of this campaign to get us away from coal as an energy source,” said Doyle, standing outside the power plant on the environmental movement’s National Day of Action.

Scientists say the burning of coal for electricity is a leading contributor of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. This is why environmental groups are fighting to eliminate its public use.

Doyle and others in the group were holding a day of photo petitions. The Day of Action followed a similar event on September 16, when Beyond Coal volunteers staged a protest in Speaker’s Circle. Protesters held signs and poured out a bag of charcoal on the ground to symbolize their struggle. Many students said they were fired up by the events.

“I feel like Mizzou could be a catalyst for a larger movement,” freshman Jonas Weir said. “This is my chance to help the world.”

While such statements may seem overly dramatic, Jan Weaver, Head of the Department of Environmental Studies, said the science is there. Weaver gave a brief and urgent overview of the global warming crisis at the first meeting.

“Global warming is real,” Weaver said. “Temperatures have been increasing with CO2 levels, and coal is one of the largest producers of CO2.”

In fact, global warming is happening faster than scientist had predicted, Weaver said.

Doyle is working to get more faculty members and scientists on board with the campaign. In the coming weeks, Beyond Coal will be writing letters to the editor of several mainstream newspapers and continuing to seek media coverage in an effort to capture the attention of the administration.

“When you can get the chancellor of a college to see his college on the front of The New York Times and students calling out for Beyond Coal, then you know they’ve heard your voice,” Doyle said.

Doyle sees MU as the perfect launching point for Beyond Coal, partly because MU currently receives 80 percent of its power from burning coal. The MU power plant sent over 183,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in 2007 alone, Weaver said.

Statistics such as these have inspired many volunteers in Beyond Coal. MU sophomore Mallory Schillinger spent the summer in Michigan fighting against the opening of coal-powered plants. For her, the issue is personal.

“When people turn on their faucets in the Appalachians, the water is brown because the chemicals that fall out of the sky after a mountain top is blown off in search of coal contaminates the water,” Schillinger said.

While mountaintop mining, or MTM, is not a common practice in Missouri, coal use does pose a serious threat to the environment.

Shifting climates, destruction of habitats and a changing economic layout are just a few of the apocalyptic events scientist like Weaver have put forward as consequences of taking no action on climate change.

The MU power plant has been taking steps to reduce its emissions since the first Earth Day in 1990, according to a statement on its website.

Since then, the power plant has implemented a process known as Combined Heat and Power, which allows them to produce energy twice as efficiently. The power plant has also been experimenting with energy saving processes such as burning wood chips with the coal, using switch grass and even tires.

While members of Beyond Coal would like for coal use to stop tomorrow, Weaver and other admit that real change will be slow.

“I think we’re going to have to look at some transition energies like natural gas and increasing the proportion of that. It’s a less intensive green house gas emitter (than coal),” Weaver said.

Where the true solution lies is uncertain. Some, like Schillinger, would believe the answer will be bio-fuels. Weaver sees the answer in wind and solar, but admits that the path there will be long and hard. “Coal is cheap,” Weaver reminded the audience on Monday.

Doyle said the heaviest opposition would come from those students who wouldn’t want to see their tuition cost rise as the price of going green.

Some MU students see the cost as worth it.

Brian Roach, President of the College Democrats, said he wouldn’t be bothered by higher tuition cost.

“I see the cause as that noble,” Roach said. “Mizzou is a tight spot right now…but with organizations like this, I believe we can start to see real change on this campus.”

Kyle Matthias, an environmental engineer major listened to the first meeting. “Basically, I’ve decided my job is going to be to study the environment, so I’m looking to help in any way I can."

Editor's note: The original story misquoted Ryan Doyle as calling for "clean coal." The organization does not believe clean coal exists. After consulting with our audio recording, we have remedied the quote to say "Beyond Coal." We regret the error.