Students across the country are asking their universities to invest in a greener future.
A fuse has been lit and the shareholder advocacy movement among students has started to spread.
Students across the country are demanding that their university’s endowment align its investments in energy with its commitments to sustainability.
In a recent Rolling Stone article titled “Global Warming’s Terrifying New Math,” environmental advocate Bill McKibben argues that if a student’s university “endowment portfolio has fossil-fuel stock, then their educations are being subsidized by investments that guarantee they won’t have much of a planet on which to make use of their degree.”
Students have heard this rallying call and are recognizing that they have the power to push their universities to invest in a clean energy future.
Over a year ago, As You Sow joined forces with other concerned organizations to empower students to green their endowments. Since that time, students across the country have joined the movement, which has blossomed from two to over 40 campuses nationwide and will continue to grow in 2013 and beyond.
As the case for investments in coal-dependent companies continues to decline, As You Sow is supporting students in building economic models showing that their universities’ investments in coal are not only contributing to climate change, devastating communities, and destroying our environment, but that holding these companies is financially risky.
By providing students with the resources to understand the financial risks of coal and the benefits of socially responsible investing, As You Sow is helping to arm a future generation of responsible investors who understand that environmental, social, and governance issues are important drivers in protecting people, planet, as well as profit.
Image: Energy Action Coalition
