Two unlikely groups will unite in the middle of Fairfield Way for a car show today between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Environmental
enthusiasts and car aficionados will converge for the "Clean Air Car
Show," which is just a part of ConnPIRG's larger movement, "Campus
Climate Challenge." Two hybrid, high-efficiency cars will be displayed
and salespeople will attend to inform students about them.
"There
will definitely be one hybrid Honda and one Toyota, and hopefully a few
more," said Jeffrey Czerwiec, the campus organizer for ConnPIRG.
The
event figures to be more than a typical information session by
supplying information about the environmental causes these cars
represent.
"There will also be posters set up with
environmental facts," according to Ellis Sant'Andrea, a 3rd-semester
art and journalism double major and media and public relations intern
for ConnPIRG. "For example, one poster titled 'Drive Smart' describes
ways to drive more efficiently, like not accelerating quickly and
cleaning out your car's air filter."
The program intends to
extend its reach beyond passers-by on Fairfield Way. For campus
activists, it will feature a table where students can write postcards
to President Hogan to encourage him to sign the Climate Commitment
Contract, a "statement pledging the university to eventually become
carbon-neutral," according to Czerwiec.
But the efforts don't stop at the university level.
"Students
can also write letters to Senator Lieberman to pass a bill in Congress
which would set a goal of reducing America's carbon emissions by 80
percent by 2050," Sant'Andrea said.
"The goals of Campus Climate
Challenge are to educate students, get the campus to be a role model of
efficiency and get politicians to do their part as well," Czerwiec
said.
ConnPIRG is also working to send 50 campus
representatives to the Power Shift Conference - a large global warming
student summit held at the University of Maryland - from Nov. 2 through
Nov. 5, according to Czerwiec.
For those more interested in
making a difference without leaving their homes, PIRG is working on a
"Power Down" campaign, encouraging all students on campus to "unplug"
for a few hours each day.
"Global warming is such a big problem
and students often think, 'What can I do?'" Czerwiec said. "We pretty
much have what we need already. We have cars that can get 100 miles to
the gallon. We have sufficient solar and wind power. We're working on
energy-efficient buildings. We have the resources; we just need to
utilize them."
