Los Angeles Loyolan

Issue date: 11/1/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Courtesy of MCT Campus Environmentally Conscious and Organized Students will be protesting to demand political change to reduce carbon emissions and slow global warming.

The long list of opportunities for LMU students to make a difference in the world gets even longer today with the Step it Up rally in Alumni Mall during Convo Hour. The rally is part of a nation-wide campaign demanding politicians and government officials take action to stop global warming, specifically calling for no new coal plants, five million new green jobs and an 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions by the year 2050.

The Step it Up campaign began last April, and the first rally was the largest global warming event in history, prompting 14,000 incidents of support in 50 states. Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, Bill Richardson and Barack Obama have all promised to attend the rally supporting the campaign this Saturday in cities across the U.S.

Here at LMU the event is sponsored by Environmentally Conscious and Organized Students, or ECO Students. Caitlin Rogers, the president and co-founder, said of the movement, "So far it's been enough for politicians to say: I care. Now, one year out from a pivotal global warming election, it's time to see who's going to lead. We are demanding real solutions with millions of other Americans across the nation that will reduce carbon emissions and slow global warming before it's too late."

Jackie Pola, another member of ECO Students, said, "This is an important rally in promoting people with power to stand up and speak out on climate change and other environmental issues. It is also important that students understand they have a say, and that collectively our power can push politicians to create the changes we wish to see."

Eliza Spata-Burk is the vice president of the group. "Environmentalism is a movement of many top 10 to-do lists which are important in reshaping our daily routines, but to really be involved and proactive I believe education is the most powerful tool. We must see it as a requirement to be educated on this matter so that we may be in a position of action," she said.

Today, she suggested, "Students can stop by our table outside the Lair and buy baked goods, read up on the harms of plastic bottles, sign letters asking state representatives to push for sustainable initiatives, and sign a pledge to "Think Outside The Bottle" and opt to use public tap over bottled water".

Students can get further involved by looking at the campaign Web site, www.stepitup2007.org. While LMU's version of the rally is today, there are several other rallies in Los Angeles on Nov. 3 that anyone can attend. The locations are listed on the Web site, along with ways that everyday people can make a difference.

Spata-Burk strongly encourages students to get involved and educate themselves about the problem. "Use the Internet, argue with friends, come to our meetings or events and find the venues that can teach you how to become a sustainable being. Once you know where your Styrofoam goes or understand how ridiculous it is to buy water from Fiji, you will easily master the top ten tips and be able to move onto the more substantial actions that truly can stop global warming," said Spata-Burk.

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