By Olivia Krauth–
U of L student organization Group Recycling and Sustainable Solutions, better known GRASS, is pushing Ky. legislature to help support green efforts in the KSEC Statewide Day of Action.
The group will be taking part in the day of awareness by calling their House representatives, urging them to call a hearing on the Clean Energy and Opportunities Act. They talked to U of L students in the SAC today, urging them to take part in the day.
“We are informing and attempting to empower students to call their representative about House Bill 195, which is the Clean Energy and Opportunities Act,” said Andrew Hockenberry, president of GRASS and senior geography major.
The bill wants to help green efforts in Ky. by creating a green economy. Measures in the bill include paybacks for using green utilites in homes and businesses and requiring companies to use at least 12.5 percent renewable energy by 2024. At the time of press, Rep. Keith Hall had agreed to support a hearing of the bill.
“We hope the bill gets passed and that more people support renewable energy,” said Hockenberry. “Hopefully we can see more than 12.5 percent by 2024.”
Hockenberry supports green efforts because he believes the movement supports health.
“I believe that a healthy planet means healthy humans,” said Hockenberry, who wants to be an organic farmer. “What you put into the ground, affects what it produces and then when you put that into your body, it affects how you feel.”
Future GRASS events include I Love Mountains day, where the group travels to Frankfort to protest mountaintop removal. For more information on the group, email Andrew Hockenberry at [email protected].
Photo courtesy Kystudentenvironmentalcoalition.org
