Collegians – Page 2 – CFACT

Brick by Brick: Alabama Collegian Deconstructs the Climate Narrative

At Troy University, CFACT Collegian Caitlyn Harris brought a creative edge to energy education with her “Guess What’s in Your Solar Panel?” Jenga event—proving that sometimes the best way to spark conversation is with a simple game. Hosted on March 11th, the setup quickly became a focal point on campus. Curious students stopped to see what was going on, and before long, many decided to stick around and play a round of Jenga. What started as a casual game quickly turned into something more, as participants realized each block held a lesson about the materials behind modern energy technologies. Each block [...]

By Emma Arns |2026-06-10T16:05:17-04:00March 30th, 2026|Comments Off

Beanbags & Biodiversity: CFACT Collegians Take Aim at Invasive Species

When it comes to conservation, CFACT Collegians aren’t content to sit in a classroom and theorize—they bring the message straight to their peers in ways that are engaging, memorable, and rooted in real-world impact. That spirit was on full display as students at two major universities put their own creative spin on the “Invasive Species Round-Up” event, turning a serious ecological issue into hands-on, interactive learning. At the University of Tennessee Knoxville, collegian Jude Abernathy introduced what he dubbed the “Invasive Species Cornhole Quiz.” Interacting with over 25 students throughout the day while donning an orange hunting safety vest, Jude transformed a [...]

By Emma Arns |2026-06-15T15:31:05-04:00March 26th, 2026|Comments Off

Heartland Institute’s Sterling Burnett Talks Energy with Texas Students

On St. Patrick’s Day at Sam Houston State University, CFACT Collegians Nicolas Walker and Nyle Torpy hosted a campus event that combined a lighthearted atmosphere with a serious conversation about energy and conservation. The turnout didn’t happen by accident. Nicolas and Nyle spent weeks promoting the event—handing out flyers, talking with students across campus, and building interest through word of mouth. By the time the day arrived, they had a solid group ready to show up, grab some food, and hear something different. And there was plenty of food to go around. Raising Cane’s chicken, pizza, and a spread of drinks [...]

By Emma Arns |2026-06-10T15:49:25-04:00March 23rd, 2026|Comments Off

The Snack that Gives Back: UTK Collegian Challenges CO₂ Myths

Sometimes the most effective way to challenge a misconception isn’t with a sophisticated marketing or detailed presentations—it’s with a snack. That was exactly the strategy employed by CFACT Collegian Emma Arns at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who recently hosted “plant-based snack giveaway” tabling event designed to tackle one of the most persistent myths on campus: that CO₂ is a pollutant rather than an essential building block of life. College students rarely get to hear perspectives other than climate alarmism, making tabling events like Emma’s invaluable opportunities to challenge narratives and dispel misconceptions. Emma transformed a simple table into a platform [...]

By Emma Arns |2026-06-10T15:36:38-04:00March 20th, 2026|Comments Off

Marc Morano Brings Climate Reality to Maine Students

Under a crisp Maine evening sky, students gathered at the New Beginnings Church of God in Waterville for a powerful and timely discussion on the future of climate policy—one that challenged the narratives they hear every day in the classroom. Hosted by the Leadership Institute at Kennebec Community College and featuring CFACT’s own Marc Morano, the event drew a motivated audience eager to hear a different perspective on one of today’s most debated issues. University of Maine Orono student Payton Warren coordinated and transported a group of 7 students from his campus an hour south to attend the March 10th event—an [...]

By Emma Arns |2026-06-10T15:30:50-04:00March 19th, 2026|Comments Off

Conservation, Not Panic: Texas CFACT Students Debunk Land-Usage Anxiety

CFACT Campus Representatives are continuing to prove that when it comes to environmental stewardship, facts—not fear—drive meaningful change. Three students in Texas recently brought that principle to life through the “Conservation, Not Panic!” campaign, each taking a unique approach to the same powerful message. To educate their fellow peers, Nicolas, Noah, and Sofia utilized colorful maps displaying the locations of land dedicated to conservation, owned by either land trusts, non-profit organizations, or individual landowners. At Sam Houston State University (SHSU), Nicolas Walker demonstrated the versatility and depth of the campaign by executing his event in two distinct settings. First, he hosted a classroom-style [...]

By Emma Arns |2026-06-10T13:01:03-04:00March 17th, 2026|Comments Off

TX & NY Students Submit Comments on Energy, Minerals, & Land Transparency

Students with CFACT Collegians continue to make their voices heard in the federal rulemaking process by submitting formal public comments on policy proposals affecting energy reliability, mineral supply chains, and agricultural land ownership. Public comments give citizens an opportunity to weigh in on regulatory decisions before agencies finalize new rules, ensuring policymakers hear directly from those who will live with the consequences. Recently, three students — Nicolas Walker of Sam Houston State University, Skyler Perez of the City University of New York (CUNY John Jay College), and Silas Pearson of Liberty University — each submitted comments addressing separate federal proposals. One [...]

By Emma Arns |2026-06-10T12:45:03-04:00March 10th, 2026|Comments Off

Gabby Hoffmann at AU: Conservation IS Conservative

In early March, students at University of Arizona had the opportunity to hear from one of the leading voices in free-market environmentalism when policy expert Gabriella Hoffman visited campus to speak about the conservative roots of conservation and the future of sensible energy policy. Hoffmann’s visit began the day before her presentation with a small group of students eager to spend time with the visiting speaker outside the classroom. On Thursday afternoon, Hoffmann joined a group of students, including CFACT campus representatives Elliot Taylor and Ashlee Mendola for a hike through the breathtaking desert landscape of Saguaro National Park, giving students [...]

By Emma Arns |2026-06-10T12:33:00-04:00March 10th, 2026|Comments Off

KS & SC Students “Bake” the Case for Nuclear Energy

Throughout the country, CFACT student “Campus Representatives” are finding creative ways to start conversations about one of the most misunderstood energy sources of our time: nuclear power. Recently, two students—one in Kansas and another in South Carolina—hosted “Nuclear Cookie Giveaway” events that proved a simple sweet treat can spark meaningful dialogue about reliable and clean energy. At Washburn University, CFACT Collegian McKrae Masters set up shop inside the campus Memorial Union to highlight the many advantages of nuclear energy. What started as a simple tabling event quickly turned into a lively hub of conversation as students and faculty stopped by to [...]

By Emma Arns |2026-06-10T12:27:49-04:00March 6th, 2026|Comments Off

Collegians Speak Up for State Authority on Clean Water

Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed revisions to Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, a provision that governs how states and authorized tribes review federal permits for projects that may impact local water quality. The proposal seeks to restore a broader interpretation of state authority, allowing certifying agencies to evaluate the full scope of federally permitted activities—not just narrow point-source discharges such as pipes or ditches—and giving states greater procedural flexibility to approve, deny, or condition permits in ways that align with their own water quality standards. The proposed changes would reinforce the Clean Water Act’s original [...]

By Emma Arns |2026-06-10T12:23:36-04:00March 5th, 2026|Comments Off

Chalk, Not Chaos, at UT Chattanooga

If you happened to be walking across campus at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga last week, you may have noticed something unusual under your feet. Not profanity. Not doom-and-gloom warnings. Not apocalyptic predictions in red paint. Instead, bright chalk lettering declared: “I Love Nuclear.” “Green Energy, Red Results.” “Science, Not Scare Tactics.” That splash of color was the handiwork of CFACT campus representatives Sophie Fuller and Markus Fee, who launched the semester with a simple but highly visible sidewalk chalk campaign that tied in topics and issues from each of CFACT’s four core policy focuses. With more than ten students [...]

By Emma Arns |2026-06-10T12:16:45-04:00February 20th, 2026|Comments Off

From Houston to Knoxville: Nuggets vs. Narratives

Across two campuses nearly 800 miles apart, CFACT Collegians recently challenged one of the loudest cultural claims of the climate movement: that Americans must give up real meat for plant-based substitutes. As part of CFACT’s Climate Realism Campaign, campus representatives at the University of Houston and the University of Tennessee Knoxville hosted Blind Meat Taste Tests, inviting students to sample chicken nuggets alongside plant-based “nuggets” and guess which was which. Instead of lecturing their peers about methane, lab-grown protein, or the questionable nutrition of ultra-processed meat substitutes, our students did something far more effective. They let the taste buds decide. University of [...]

By Emma Arns |2026-06-10T12:10:15-04:00February 19th, 2026|Comments Off

Arizona Collegian Champions Private Conservation

At a recent club meeting at the University of Arizona, CFACT campus representative Elliot Taylor delivered a presentation on the essential role private property plays in conservation—particularly when it comes to water use in the American Southwest. Speaking to roughly 30 students and faculty sponsors of her TPUSA chapter, Taylor challenged the common narrative that farmers and landowners are obstacles to environmental protection. Arizonian students showed up in force to hear what Elliot had to say about private property’s role in conservation Elliot opened her presentation by challenging common assumptions about environmental stewardship, noting that an estimated 70 to 75 percent [...]

By Emma Arns |2026-06-10T12:06:57-04:00February 3rd, 2026|Comments Off

Texas Collegian Tells FWS: Support Balanced Conservation!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed issuing an Incidental Take Permit (ITP) to the California Department of Parks and Recreation for ongoing activities at Pismo State Beach and the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. The permit would be implemented through a Habitat Conservation Plan designed to protect several listed species while allowing continued public access, recreation, and active land management in the area. In response to the proposal, University of Houston undergraduate Noah Dutel submitted a public comment expressing his support for the permit and a balanced, cooperative conservation framework. His full comment is included below: I am [...]

By Emma Arns |2026-06-10T12:03:08-04:00February 3rd, 2026|Comments Off

UT Austin Student Exposes Net Zero’s Human Cost

On a busy stretch of campus at the University of Texas at Austin, students traversing between classes were met with a message rarely discussed in environmental conversations: the global push for “Net Zero” energy relies on human exploitation. That message came from Thien Nguyen, a CFACT student intern who hosted a “Cobalt Kills Heart Wall”—an interactive awareness display designed to expose the human and environmental costs hidden behind so-called “green energy.” The event centered on a large backdrop posing a moral challenge about Net Zero policies, paired with heart-shaped cutouts inviting students to respond in their own words. Apart of CFACT’s [...]

By Emma Arns |2026-06-10T12:00:03-04:00January 21st, 2026|Comments Off