From staff reports

CHAPEL HILL -- Nearly 40 students rallied in front of UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor Holden Thorp's office Wednesday, calling coal-fired energy "dangerous and dirty" and urging the university to adopt clean energy solutions.

Thorp has said the university plans to eventually wean itself from coal, but that its coal-burning technology has been recognized for its emission-reduction qualities.

"We are proud to be Tar Heels, and proud that UNC has historically taken the lead when it comes to some of the most critical issues we face," said Sara Mishamandani, one of the rally speakers, said in a Sierra Club news release. "We want to continue that legacy by addressing our dependence on coal. We can't fully realize a clean energy future without moving beyond coal. Duke University already has plans to reduce coal consumption 70 percent by the end of the year. We beat Duke at the homecoming game, but they are beating us in getting off of coal."

Coal causes "significant health problems," and destroys mountain communities and is "the leading contributor to global warming, a flagship environmental issue for college students in the U.S., including those at UNC-Chapel Hill," the news release stated.

Chapel Hill Mayor-elect Mark Kleinschmidt, a UNC alumnus, has endorsed the Sierra Club's campaign. Kleinschmidt has said he would like to see the Town Council work with the university to stop burning coal.

"As an alumnus of Carolina, it is important to me to see my alma mater step up to the plate," said Nation Hahn, a 2008 graduate of UNC and state development coordinator for the N.C. Sierra Club, said at the rally. "Under the current plans of the university, Carolina will still be burning coal when my children or grandchildren attend here; and that is simply unacceptable to me."