With the Board of Trustees' proposal to spend $30 million on expanding the power plant, campus group Eco needs to get a grip.

Eco is upset because the university has decided to convert from coal usage to natural gas, instead of converting to a renewable energy. The group is disappointed because this isn't a giant step in the right direction, but just a medium-sized step.

Eco needs to realize that Rome wasn't built in a day and neither was the MSU Power Plant. While the group's cause is commendable, especially at an agricultural school like MSU, members don't seem to be doing anything about their qualms at this time. They're just sitting around complaining and refusing to see the up-side of the situation.

So there are no windmills on campus yet. So we haven't hopped on the solar-powered bandwagon.

So what.

That doesn't mean that MSU isn't trying to be more progressive, more clean and more efficient. It just means that it's going about it at a realistic rate. When it comes down to it, natural gas is cleaner than coal. Eco should see the merit in the switch because it will affect the environment in a more positive manner than coal has in the past.

Also, the natural gas move is the most economically feasible plan for the university.

Besides, our Eco friends might be pointing their fingers at the wrong people. To make a change, it needs student support, and quite frankly, students weren't there for Eco last spring when the group was seeking approval of a $5 student tax for renewable energy. Though most students who voted were in favor of the tax, less than 50 percent of the student body voted. This resulted in the bill not passing.

Eco has good intentions, but right now, harping on the Board of Trustees is a waste of breath.

Don't cry, Eco. Things are getting better, not worse, and in a way, you're getting what you want. The air's a little cleaner, so breathe easy.