It’s Getting Hot In Here

Just yesterday, the SGA passed a student fee increase at the University of Maryland. The new legislation creates an additional student fee increase of 4 dollars in 2010, and later more or less depending on the market in the future. This “could potentially purchase 100 percent of student consumption in clean, renewable energy,” according to the act itself. The money will go to developing clean energy technologies on campus, integrating sustainability education in the classroom, and making the campus run more efficiently.

What is remarkable to me at least about this referendum is that it was completely created by students for the university. Two years ago, myself, Joanna Calabrese, and Davey Rogner started Clean Energy for UMD in order to put this referendum on the ballot. It was in favor by 91% of the voting students, more then any other bill in previous history at the University of Maryland. However, this is a nonbinding agreement and there was no gaurantee that it would materialize into anything real until it had reached SGA, which finally happened yesterday.

Continue reading ‘UMD Passes landmark student fee increase for Clean Energy’

I live in a little town just outside of Baltimore. Almost every year, Christmas time is at least cold. It wouldn’t be out of the question to hope for snow. But this year, it is the warmest Chistmas in my, or my mother’s, recollection. She, at least, has been living in this same area for 30 years. It is about 65 degrees outside right now. Sure, spring weather is great. But when you hear christmas songs on the radio about a “winter wonderland” and you’re driving around sweating when you don’t live close to the equator, something is horribly wrong.

Something else that got me thinking are the unlikely gas stations that have sprouted up in my neighborhood. Sam’s Club has a gas station. Safeway has a gas station. SAFEWAY. Last time I checked they sold food, not oil. Everyone seems to want to get a piece of the action on the oil industry. Even grocery stores are recognizing our demand for oil.

America has an addiction, and the Earth is very sick. We’re all making great strides in this battle, but we have a long way to go. Things should not be like this, and I’m glad we are all here to fight it.

With election day not too far off, on campus more and more students are signing up to vote. With new voting campaigns, it has become easier then ever to vote on a college campus. But now we must take this a step further. We, as responsible citizens, have the responsibility to take action to help combat climate change on a political level. This is where the Climate Voters Cup comes in.

Continue reading ‘Vote for Earth’