The American Midwest ranks as the fourth largest polluter in the world according to a study by the Union of Concerned Scientists. Individually, Indiana ranked 49th in Forbes' list of America's Greenest States.
On Saturday, Divest DePauw held an interest meeting in Meharry Hall to get people talking about DePauw's role in carbon emissions, with 5 percent of all university endowments going toward fossil fuel.
The organization is a student-led movement that aims to rid the university's endowment investments of fossil fuels. The group spreads its message by promoting discourse among students, faculty and the community through various mediums, from Facebook to campus-held meetings and rallies.
The goal is to freeze investments in the fossil fuel industry by refraining from buying stocks or investments. Rather than asking DePauw to stop using fossil fuels altogether, Divest DePauw would like to see the university stop investing in fossil fuel companies. Ideally DePauw would be completely off fossil fuel investments by 2020, decreasing the investments by 25 percent every two years starting in 2014.
The group was asked by President Brian Casey to write a report and present it to the Board of Directors at the beginning of May. Voting will take place at the beginning of September.
Tricia Shapiro, author of "Mountain Justice" - an account of working with fellow activists to stop mountaintop removal in Appalachia - was one of several guests brought on to the rally.
"What we call sustainability is comprised of two things: healthy environment and economic justice," Shapiro said. "If we don't go for both at once, we won't get either."
Shapiro spoke of her work among the directly affected community that has a great need for instantaneous change. While college activists don't necessarily face the same challenges to the same degree, she said, they are still crucial to change.
"That kind of urgency is powerful, and it's different from the urgency of students and schools," Shapiro said. "There's a type of synergy, a win-win possibility if we connect with these people."
Shapiro has been with the campaign for around ten years although she didn't intend on staying for so long; what kept pulling her back was the people.
"With the kind of urgency fossil fuel has in their lives, it becomes infectious," Shapiro said. "When you spend time with them, their staying power rubs off on you."
Where Shapiro discussed the broader scope of pollution, Sierra Club organizers Megan Anderson and Andy Bean filled the gap with statistics.
Due to coal mining, 317,000 - 631,000 children are born in the U.S. each year with blood mercury levels high enough to reduce IQ scores. Necessary accommodation for these children causes a spike in national medical / education costs.
Duke Energy, Indiana's main power source, put in a new coal plant that cost $3.3 million, more than any similar project in U.S. history.
"We have to use our power as residents of this state and as youth to stand up and say we don't want this to be our future," Anderson said.
Bean grew up in Detroit with coal plants along the river and suffered from asthma as a child. He only recalls being allowed to go outside for recess once.
"There's no reason other kids should go through that," Bean said. "That's why I became involved."
Bean and Anderson work as organizers for Beyond Coal, a Sierra Club campaign geared at providing a cleaner environment for Indiana residence. Right now members are working to get a protection bill passed for gas consumers, who currently are facing a $1.1 billion increase in utility rates because of a prospective new coal gasification plant. The bill outlining this financial distribution plan was passed in 2009 by the Indiana legislature. Indiana Beyond Call set up a call-in day on Monday for disgruntled Indiana citizens to contact the House of Representatives or Senate to express their concerns.
The meeting ended with a Skype lecture from environmentalist and journalist Bill McKibben, who talked about important factors such as intellectual consistency and addressing the generational challenge when moving forward to solve environmental problems. McKibben was one of the founders for 350.org, an international group devoted to environmental activism and change.
Students can visit the Divest DePauw Facebook page for more information and subsequent meeting times.