More than 10,000 students plan to gather in Pittsburgh Friday for Power Shift, a student conference geared to educate and discuss the merits of clean energy and dangers of fossil fuel dependence. Members of Fossil Free NCSU, a group whose aims align with Power Shift, will be in attendance.
Fossil Free NCSU is a branch of a UNC-System-wide effort to chip away at fossil fuel dependence in the U.S. The club works with other branches of Fossil Free to work on these goals.
The club’s mission is to push the UNC-System to use 25 percent clean energy by 2025 and eventually be carbon neutral. The club also wants to spread awareness about renewable energy sources and to work with N.C. State and the UNC-System to get Duke Energy to use more renewable energy sources.
Fossil Free NCSU directs attention to the UNC-System but also hopes to make changes to N.C. State, according to Eric Polli, a “core member” of Fossil Fuel and sophomore in environmental engineering.
“Right now we’re focused on Power Shift and trying to empower students to focus on their own leadership and go toward good power sources,” Polli said.
So far, Fossil Free has recruited 26 people to attend the conference from various clubs and organizations at N.C. State such as Campus Farmer’s Market and Student’s for Solar and Sustainability Stewards. The group is still looking for funding from various companies and groups for the conference.
“We’re asking over 150 groups for help funding including Greenpeace and the Sierra Club,” Polli said.
The club’s discussions are currently about Power Shift, but members met with UNC-System President Thomas Ross in January to help write a letter to Duke Energy. The letter urged Duke Energy to set a clean energy goal that would in turn work toward the UNC-System sustainability goal.
Jaclyn Mills, a junior in soil science and member of Fossil Free NCSU, was part of the group that worked with Ross.
“Our big goal is getting more renewable energy for the UNC-System and we did a lot of work with that last semester talking to Thomas Ross,” Mills said. “We are going to continue working with the UNC System.”
Leaders of the UNC-System have set a climate neutrality goal by the year 2050, and the members of the club believe cooperating with Duke Energy is required in order to meet it. However Mills admits it’s hard work to get those goals realized.
“It’s hard, we’re trying to change something that is influenced by a lot more things than people realize at first glance,” Mills said.
Polli said he encourages anyone interested in Fossil Free to come to weekly meetings on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. in Daniels 232.
“We want to educate students and get people interested in a cause we support,” Polli said. “Hopefully spreading awareness of the goal and the club will do that.”
