November 16, 2007
 

By Luke Londo
Staff Writer

On Nov. 4, Sen. Mark Schauer, 1984 graduate, attended the Step-It-Up program held in the Dow to offer remarks on the importance of climate change and current relevant state legislation. Schauer took questions from audience members during the program and allowed The Pleiad to talk with him afterward.

Pleiad: What is the importance of the Step-It-Up program both in Michigan and nationally?

Mark Schauer: It raises awareness about the importance of climate change. It shows the role everyone plays in protecting the environment. There’s so much we can do individually that will contribute to a solution that people don’t know. I think it’s critical to set goals that we can attain together. We need to advise policy-makers, show them what they need to work towards, and the petitions submitted today with over 500 names shows it’s important to Albion College and the greater Albion area from a standpoint of Albion’s view on cultural change. I look at the generations that make up colleges; this generation has to drive this change. It’s tougher to get people comprising businesses and government to change behavior; it’s easier for those to learn new tricks that have been living the change, who can drive the process. I’m not saying we can wait, I think it’s the college generation that needs to do this, and I see that the way they’re living impacting climate change. To change, we need passion and energy; this is about today, shaping a vision. It’s about developing that vision, and commiting toward that vision.

P: What is your stance on the Michigan Renewable Energy Sources Act?

MS: I’m very supportive of it. Michigan needs to do its part, including finding renewable energy sources and meeting Michigan’s growing energy needs. Our renewable energy portfolio is something the state needs to be aggressive in, leading energy conservation. The state also understands the economic development opportunities in developing a renewable alternative energy source. We need to green our economy, green our jobs, green our technology, to make for a great Michigan economy.

P: How do you think environmental issues will affect the elections next year, locally as well as in the presidential elections?

MS: I hope they are a major issue in elections. I hope the presidential election candidates are committed to the U.S. being a global leader in reverse climate change. Leaders at all levels need to encourage recycling, energy conservation, and commiting to renewable energy to power buildings and fuel vehicles. We need leaders at all levels in the 2008 election that will begin to create a turning point for climate change. In my running my campaign for Congress, I want to not only reverse climate change but also target job opportunities for the state of Michigan. It’s my vision to have Michigan be a global leader in developing environmental technologies.

P: What is it like coming back to Albion and seeing a new generation of potential politicians, interest group leaders, and activists?

MS: I love it! It’s very exciting, energizing, and motivating. I don’t feel like I’ve aged a bit, even though now I’m the age of the parents here, not the students! I’ve always felt energized by students, and students have always been great in volunteering and organizing my campaign. Everything’s really come full circle. I arrived here in the fall of 1980 and it was a presidential election year. I did my first door-to-door campaign for then-Congressman Howard Wolpe and still remember the neighborhood where I went door-to-door that first time. Friends and students are doing the same for me. I have a deep passion for Albion College, the students, and the Albion community. It’s been a great opportunity, exciting, and a great honor to serve the community in the state legislature, and I hope to do the same in the US Congress.

This is a key election issue; I’ll be talking about it a lot and outlining specific proposals, specifically the alternative technology issue as part as the state’s development economically, relating to the state’s job fund. Renewable energy needs to be a significant portion of the state’s energy standard, and this, as well as a variety of potential environmental policies and legislation, are key issues for me.