Scholars Share Late Lawmaker’s Message on Environment, Health
By Jim Stafford, The Daily Oklahoman
Jul. 10–The legacy of the late Congressman Morris K. Udall rolled into Oklahoma City on Monday in the form of what may be the most environmentally friendly diesel-burning bus ever put on the highway.
The Udall Legacy Tour featured 13 Udall Scholars on a nationwide mission to raise environmental awareness and explore Native American health issues. The “green” bus pulled into the headquarters of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation for a morning-long health symposium.
The tour is sponsored by the Udall Foundation, which was established by Congress in 1992 to honor the 30 years of service in the House of Representatives by the late Utah native. Tour participants are all recent college graduates who were among the 80 college students annually who receive a $5,000 Udall scholarship.
The young scholars are about midway through the Legacy Tour’s 8,606-mile, 26-city journey across the nation, which includes stops in six national parks and six Native American communities. The tour began June 12 at the Capitol in Washington.
Along the way to Oklahoma City, Udall scholars have participated in environmental outreach programs and educational workshops similar to the one they attended at OMRF.
“We are learning something, and then write about it and share what we have learned on our blog, ( www.blogs.udall.gov)” said Eli Zigas, a 2004 Udall Scholar and communications manager for the tour. “Some of (the tour stops) are hands-on projects where we get down and dirty.
“Some of the folks did a light bulb exchange in New Orleans with the ‘green’ light program. They went to people’s houses and changed out their old light bulbs and put in energy efficient compact fluorescents.”
The Udall Scholars also have participated in public service projects and alternative energy forums, and conducted photography workshops for children, focusing on teaching natural history and ecology.
Each of the “riders,” as Zigas called them, have specific jobs on the tour, making the bus truly a rolling office. Built and donated to the tour by Motor Coach Industries, the bus is the nation’s first “green-certified” motor coach, he said.
“What makes it special is a couple different things,” said Zigas, a 2006 Grinnell College public policy graduate who plans to pursue a career in environmental advocacy.
“One, it has a new Caterpillar engine that is compliant with 2007 EPA standards for diesel engines. What that means is that it has some special hardware in the engine that burns off particulate matter, so that dirt that usually comes out of the tailpipe gets caught in the engine and then gets burned off.”
The other “green” feature is that the bus operates on 20 percent biodiesel, he said.
For the crew of Udall Scholars staffing the Legacy Tour, the bus offers some features that make life aboard more than tolerable. For instance, each seat features a small LCD screen behind the headrest, and there are larger screens strategically placed on the bus. The motor coach also features a kitchenette and bathroom and small worktables near the back.
The bus is equipped with a router that brings wireless Internet to their laptops, Zigas said. Well, sometimes.
“It works really well when you are in the city,” he said. “But when you get outside the cities. … We’ve got 13 people on their laptops and it’s very difficult when they all want to use them.”
The Legacy Tour scholars were welcomed to the symposium by Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett and OMRF President Stephen Prescott.
“There is a nexus between Native American issues, the environment and health,” Prescott said. “That’s what today is about.”
With that, the symposium conducted by OMRF scientists began featuring research into rheumatic disease, diabetes and other Native American health issues.
As Zigas closed the door to the big “green” bus and walked into the OMRF auditorium for the start of the symposium, he reflected on the first 14 stops of the tour.
“It’s been a fabulous experience, as well as inspiring, educational and fun,” he said.
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