Clean energy advocate calls on Maryville College students to be part of the solution

A clean energy advocate on Friday, March 11, called on Maryville College students to challenge assumptions about energy and take a role in reducing carbon emissions.

Stephen Smith, executive director of the nonprofit Southern Alliance for Clean Energy since 1993, is one of the weekly guest speakers in the Introduction to Environmental Science course for the college's new environmental science major. Representatives for the Tennessee Valley Authority and Knoxville Utilities Board will speak to students after spring break as they continue their study of fossil fuels and energy alternatives.

Smith told the students that while he was studying to be a veterinarian at the University of Tennessee, "It just became crystal clear to me that if you wanted to get into dealing with environmental issues all you had to do is focus on how we produce and consume energy."

After a few years of veterinary practice he opted for a career change. "Instead of killing fleas and squeezing anal glands, which is what I was doing primarily as a vet, I wanted to focus on a larger patient, which is the whole planet Earth," Smith said.

Looking at the role of humans, he said, "Are we going to be part of a healthy ecosystem or are we going to be a parasite that kills its host?"

The ultimate question he posed to the students: "Are you going to be part of the solution, or are you going to be part of the problem?"

The Southeast has some of the largest energy companies in the country, Smith said. While TVA has made progress, such as retiring about half of its coal-fired plants, he thinks the producer for most of the state's energy can do much more.

"The greenest electron is the one you never use," he said. "Energy efficiency is what we really need to be focused on."

While TVA has some of the lowest electric rates in the Southeast, he said, because of the amount of energy used many customers spend a high percentage of their income on those bills.

Smith also decried the decrease in what utilities pay for solar energy provided from units such as the one on his home.

"Every rooftop that faces south, in my opinion, should have solar panels on it," Smith said. "We should have parking lots with solar panels."

Coal, oil and gas are "fossilized sunshine," he told the students, and he compared pulling those out of the ground to being a parasite and noted the impact on carbon dioxide levels since the Industrial Revolution.

The sun, he said, "gives all the energy we need." After showing the students the level of solar-powered electricity available in this state compared with others in the region, Smith said, "What's up, the sun doesn't shine in Tennessee?"