This week, I thought I’d share with everyone one of my columns that will appear in Drake’s The Times-Delphic next week. I write an environmental column every few issues and this time, I decided to focus on rail since we are really trying to get the word out to students. Here’s the column, before it goes to press:
As I near the end of my third year at Drake, I’ve started to think about how my time here will be different from any other part of my life. College in general is a unique time for everyone who experiences it. The “real world” of careers and families and mortgages seems far away and we are submerged in a world of knowledge and ideas. Though most of us have extremely busy schedules, we are basically allowed to think for a living and to voice our opinions. Despite all this, there are times when I can’t help feeling that as a young person, my voice doesn’t always travel that far. I am encouraged and compelled to make change, but I feel, at times, that I have little influence.
Still, whenever I’m feeling this way, it’s only a matter of time before an opportunity comes along and I’m empowered again. This time the opportunity is a proposal for a new project that would allow passenger rail to connect Chicago to the Quad Cities and Iowa City, and eventually Des Moines. When I first heard about this, I almost didn’t believe it. I’m from Illinois and I know many other Drake students are as well. The thought of being able to hop on a train to go back and forth between school and home, to be able to do homework and sleep during my ride instead of wasting five hours driving, was exciting.
Rail service is convenient in that it is faster than driving and less of a hassle than flying. Still, my main reason for being drawn to it was, of course, its environmental benefits. I think rail, for a lot of people, seems old fashioned, but in reality, it is much more advanced than other forms of transportation. In fact, trains are three times more efficient than cars and six times more than airplanes. They allow a large group of people to travel in the same vehicle, rather than each person burning gas in his or her own car. For the same reason that public transportation has become an environmentally friendly alternative within cities, rail is beginning to fill that same role in connecting cities.
The thing is, rail is really transportation for the future that we’re able to have now, and for our generation, it is especially attractive. Most of us will be entering the workforce in just a few years. We’ll be choosing where we want to live and work. Rail expands our opportunities. It will make it easier for us to travel and to commute to our jobs. Illinois has already committed to a rail network, linking cities to each other and to Chicago. Des Moines has the opportunity to really be the center of Iowa, and those of us who stay here after graduation will reap the benefits.
As I’ve said before, environmentalism can be daunting, but small steps can make a big difference. Well, this is a large step, and one that is easy to take. We only need three million dollars from the Iowa Legislature to get the project going because the federal government with provide the rest, due to a federal matching program. And this is where our opportunity comes in. It may seem that our voices don’t always travel far, but with regard to the rail project, they surely will.
Politicians often seem to be an entire world away from us, but in reality, their decisions are greatly dependent upon the opinions of their constituents. We are their constituents, and as our generation is one step away from entering the workforce, we are an extremely important group. All that needs to happen is they need to hear from us. It isn’t enough to quietly support the rail project, or anything else that may be on the table. We need to say something about it.
It is important that Iowa schools like Drake sign on to rail. If each does, it will send a strong message to the legislature. If we could all make the push for Drake to sign on, we would be making a huge impact. We can also send letters to our senators and congressmen, urging them to support rail. One letter may seem insignificant, but letters from a large group of students can make a difference. We can also write letters to the editor for the Des Moines Register, letting the rest of the community know about the this opportunity. And since the legislature will not be in session for too much longer, it is important to take all of these steps soon. Drake has always provided us the means for taking things into our own hands. It has always been a campus for action and change. If we speak out on rail, we can keep it that way.
Stay posted next week for updates on a press event we will be attending Friday in Moline, Illinois at which Quad Cities Representatives Bruce Braley and Phil Hare will discuss passenger rail. I will also have updates on our first ever Earth Summit event this Saturday at Drake.
-Laura
