This Tuesday, in a class named Energy and Environmental Issues, I had the privilege of listening to a guest lecture by Professor Eric Zencey on a new economic paradigm—ecological economics. The talk was certainly interesting and made me wonder about the limits of traditional economic theory.

It is good to see that the field of energy and the environment, and the research done by faculty, is creating a debate/discussion on campus amongst the students.  It helps all of us get better educated on the challenging issues we face.

In response to Greg Schweizers’s op-ed on October 6th, “A pragmatic environmentalist’s defense of “Clean Coal” research and the MAGEEP Symposium on Global Energy Future”, I would like to express why it is distressing that our University continues to present and promote false solutions for the future of energy in our world.

It is the day after an alternative energy symposium put on by the McDonnell Academy Global Energy and Environment Partnership which saw many experts converge on our campus to discuss our energy future – including the hotly debated and often contested role that coal will play and the corresponding research into “clean coal” at Washington University.

A goal of the Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization is “to distort public understanding of a clean energy future,” at least according to a parody Web site aimed at the consortium.

Student Life conducted an interview with Chancellor Mark Wrighton after the most recent quarterly meeting of the board of directors on Friday. The discussion involved a review of major events that occurred during the semester.

Student Union President Jeff Nelson talked to Student Life about a number of events within SU this week, including the passing of multiple “green” resolutions, the recent SU Executive resignations, and SU’s interaction with the University on its recent financial struggles, as well as new projects like an SU-funded system of grants for student initiatives. [...]

Student Union Senate unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday night denouncing the use of the term “clean coal” in the name of Washington University’s clean coal research group as inaccurate and calling for a new name without the term.

This Monday, members of our student body engaged in a flash mob protest to demonstrate opposition to the framing of Washington University’s “Energy Future” conference. The conference promoted a vision of future energy sources that left out renewable energy such as wind and solar and directed its emphasis to nuclear power, clean coal and genetically engineered biofuels.

Several Washington University environment and energy experts came together to critique clean coal and to discuss problems with the University’s funding of a Missouri clean coal initiative.