This summer a group of concerned students and citizens will be knocking on doors in Ames and across Iowa to address environmental issues.

It’s called the Campaign to Save the Environment, and it’s part of a nation-wide effort sponsored by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, PIRG, and other environmental organizations to raise public awareness on environmental issues and lobby against anti-environmental action in Congress.

PIRG is a non-profit, non-partisan environmental and consumer watchdog group headquartered in Washington, D.C. and active in 30 states.

Danielle Lucas, the plains states’ field organizer, said PIRG offers ISU and the Ames community opportunities in internships, volunteerism, education and activism.

The Ames field office will take part in the national Campaign to Save the Environment this summer and focus on strengthening the Clean Air Act, reducing toxins in the environment, getting big money out of politics and lobbying against anti-environmental legislation, Lucas said.

Lucas encourages interested students and citizens to apply for both summer and fall internships and volunteer opportunities by visiting the office located at 113 Colorado Avenue Suite 123 or calling 292-4519.

“Some of the current campaigns the field office is working on include expanding the Right to Know laws about toxins, defending the Clean Air Act and building coalitions with other Iowa groups,” Lucas said.

PIRG is not new to Iowa. In the 1970s, there was an ISU Chapter that was funded through $1.00 student fees. The Iowa State PIRG campaigned in the name of public interest on such projects as the bottle redemption law, until the Government of the Student Body opted to drop its funding check-off in 1994.

The U.S. PIRG was a creation of consumer activist and 1996 Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader in the early ’70s.