Activists Celebrate Fossil Fools Day by Attending Boxing Match:

Wind Turbine vs. Coal Plant

On Tuesday, April 1, 2008, from 1-2pm, Clark Sustainability Initiative (CSI) created a makeshift boxing arena for the fight of the 21st century. The fight took place between the dirty looking Coal Plant versus the gleaming Wind Turbine. The boxing match occurred at the Worcester Common across the street from the Bank of America on Front Street. Worcester and Boston media, as well as a Clark University film crew, were there to record this historic match of our lifetime.

The match was part of an international day of action to expose the fossil fools who are greedily perpetuating our addiction to climate-killing fossil fuels. The rally highlighted what we could accomplish if we use our money and existing resources to establish sustainable sources of renewable energy instead of focusing on short-term profits.

The process of generating electricity is the single largest source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the United States. Coal-fired power plants produce 80% of the electricity sector’s CO2 emissions, which makes coal a leading cause of global climate change. Bank of America is one of the largest investors in the coal industry. Bank of America has facilitated nearly $1 billion in loans to Massey Energy and Arch Coal, two of the largest companies involved in the environmentally devastating process of mountaintop removal coal mining. Mountaintop removal has resulted in the permanent loss of millions of acres of Appalachian forests and the destruction of at least 474 entire mountains. The communities of southern Appalachia are left with heavy metal-laden water and ponds of toxic sludge, as the profits of the destruction line the pockets of Wall Street investors.

Bank of America, has pledged to invest in cleaner businesses and practices. In reality, the pledge only commits less than 0.2 percent of the company’s $1.5 trillion in assets to fighting global climate change. Furthermore, this money will be spread out over the next ten years. Meanwhile, Bank of America has lent billions of dollars to companies planning to build dozens of new coal-fired power plants. If these plants are built, Bank of America will be helping finance hundreds of millions of tons of new CO2 emissions. The bank’s clients include some of the largest utility and power companies: American Electric Power, Dynegy, Florida Power & Light and many more.

One of the organizers of the event, Jeremy Weyl, stated, “Many people know how dirty coal energy is; however, most do not realize that Bank of America is one of the largest investors that supports the coal industry, one of the leading causes of global climate change. They could be using their money to promote clean energy instead of investing so much in climate change.”

Clark Sustainability Initiative, a student organization from Clark University, is a driving force towards furthering environmental sustainability at Clark University and defeating global climate change in the broader society.

Contact:
Ashley Trull
508-625-0479
AsTrull@clarku.edu