A crisp, wind-chilled 40 degrees greeted the four Eco Miners staking the 200 pinwheels across the Havener Center lawn to mark the beginning of the ‘Day of Action’ on November 18. The fliers had been posted, the cookies had been baked, the National Action for a Clean Energy Future banner had been posted, the "Moving S&T Beyond Coal" newspaper article had been published in The Missouri Miner, and the more than 70 student petitions had been collected when part two of the Eco Miners Beyond Coal events began to take shape.
Each day of November until the event, we promoted the Beyond Coal campaign and our upcoming events by tabling at the Havener Center. There we were able to construct the pinwheels for our day of action and effectively start the conversation of moving S&T beyond coal. Throughout this process, our bright yellow Beyond Coal shirts were catching the attention of many and sparked great conversations with students, faculty and community members alike. We were taken by the number of people interested in the campaign, and excited by the great conversations that we held with many fellow students on campus. More than once, we had friendly folk stop by to ask, "How much are the shirts?" And more than once, curiosity would peak the interest of those passing by and we would have to answer the most common question, “So what’s this Beyond Coal campaign all about?” These questions, and more, were answered at the action on November 18 with free Beyond Coal t-shirts and a series of speakers.
In anticipation of the events planned for the action outside of the Havener Center, free hot chocolate and abundant baked treats gathered a great group of students around the Eco Miners sharing information about the Beyond Coal campaign and the national day of action. Speaking about the S&T administrative decision to research alternative sources of energy, Eco Miners Communications Manager and Greek Representative, Jordan Hindman stated, “Eco Miners recognizes the current need for coal; however, confronts the numerous unsustainable aspects of it.” Many of the conversations contributed to the petitions supporting a coal-free S&T that were collected during the event. Others continued conversations from the coal documentary film, “Dirty Business” shown on campus by Eco Miners the night before.
