Article Type: Press Release

UC Berkeley becomes biggest American university to fully commit to clean energy

The Student PIRGs and Environment America, along with students across the country, will launch 50 campaigns in 15 states this year, imploring colleges and universities to generate 100 percent of their energy from renewable sources.

CHICAGO: Today, McDonald’s released a new policy to restrict medically important antibiotic use in its beef supply chain.  The company says it will immediately start measuring and assessing antibiotic use in its top ten beef sourcing markets. Then, by the end of 2020. McDonald’s plans to set targets for lower use of medically-important antibiotics. 

Last week, the Student PIRGs released a new Environment America Research & Policy Center report report detailing 11 strategies and tools that universities can use to move towards meeting 100 percent of their energy needs with renewable sources.

TAMPA, FL- All preliminary results point to a record breaking surge in youth voter turnout in the 2018 midterm elections. Students working with the Public Interest Research Groups’ New Voters Project made over 375,000 Get Out the Vote contacts in 11 states.

Today, Congress set aside $5 million to renew the Open Textbook Pilot program for FY19, which gives grants to colleges and universities to promote adoption of free and open textbooks by professors. The program could save students up to $50 million!

California’s flagship public university system, with 270,000 students across 10 campuses, will use electricity from clean and renewable energy exclusively by 2025, the University of California Office of the President announced today.

Today, Congress introduced its budget omnibus bill for the 2018 fiscal year, in which appropriators set aside $5 million for a program to lower textbook costs for students.

Student government leaders of the undersigned colleges and universities write to Congress on the urgent need to address the skyrocketing price of textbooks, and a request to create a national open textbook pilot grants program in the FY18 appropriations bill.

Student PIRGs applauds Dunkin’ Donuts’ decision last week to phase out expanded polystyrene foam (commonly known as “styrofoam”) cups from its stores by 2020.The change will remove around a billion polystyrene cups, which pollute the ocean and can take centuries to biodegrade, from the waste stream.