{"id":6507,"date":"2013-11-03T13:22:53","date_gmt":"2013-11-03T18:22:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=6507"},"modified":"2013-11-03T13:28:37","modified_gmt":"2013-11-03T18:28:37","slug":"display-the-kind-of-responsibility-that-will-benefit-our-university-community-region-and-world-s-a-v-e-to-vsu-foundation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/11\/display-the-kind-of-responsibility-that-will-benefit-our-university-community-region-and-world-s-a-v-e-to-vsu-foundation.html","title":{"rendered":"Display the kind of responsibility that will benefit our university, community, region, and world –S.A.V.E. to VSU Foundation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\r\n<\/a>\r\nA copy of what the VSU Foundation called the “\r\n“well-intentioned request”<\/a> by\r\n\r\nStudents Against Violating the Environment (S.A.V.E.)<\/a>.\r\nI added the links and images.\r\n-jsq<\/p>\r\n

\r\n

\r\n\r\nOctober 17, 2013\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nDear VSU Foundation and Board of Trustees,\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nRecent years have brought climate change to the forefront of public\r\ndiscussion.\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\n\r\nA newly released report from the United Nations<\/a>\r\nindicates with 95% certainty that humans are the primary cause of\r\nthe issue. It is our concern that the continuation of our current\r\npractices and our dependence on fossil fuels will only result in\r\ncontinued environmental degradation and human struggle. Knowing the\r\nimpact that anthropogenic climate change has upon our environment,\r\nour health, and our economy, we are asking Valdosta State University\r\nto take a stand and join in the effort to address this issue, as\r\nsocial responsibility is part and parcel to the role of public\r\ninstitutions.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\nAs a public institution, Valdosta State University has a\r\nresponsibility to shape the debate about climate change through its\r\nvoice, and fossil fuel divestment is another medium for that voice.\r\nWe are asking that VSU immediately freeze any new investments in the\r\nfossil fuel industry and commit to a plan to divest all of its\r\nholdings in fossil fuels within five years.\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nWe have included\r\na list\r\nof the 200 largest fossil fuel extraction companies<\/a> from which we\r\nare asking to divest. Subsequently, we request that the VSU\r\nFoundation consider reinvesting those funds in renewable energy\r\noptions (e.g. venture capital) or other more socially responsible\r\ncompanies.\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nOur campaign is part of an ongoing, international effort comprised\r\nof over 300 colleges as well as cities, states, and religious\r\ninstitutions. The belief of this movement is simple: fossil fuel\r\nextraction industries are harming the global ecology and this\r\nincludes human suffering; to profit off of that suffering is wrong.\r\nBy removing investments, the goal of the movement is to challenge\r\nthe companies profiting at the expense of the environment to invest\r\nin the transition to a renewable energy economy.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nHistorically, divestment has been used as a strategy<\/a> to aid various\r\nhumanitarian causes. In the 1970’s, as a response to the horrific\r\nand repressive apartheid system in South Africa, 155 American\r\nuniversities successfully divested from companies conducting\r\nbusiness there. That effort has been recognized as a significant\r\ncontributing factor in the removal of the apartheid system. We are\r\nnow asking that VSU join in a similar effort to combat global\r\nwarming.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\n

\r\nFurthermore, we believe that this initiative will assist in making\r\nVSU a leader in sustainability in the region. With the recent\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\ndecline in enrollment, we believe that our campus could benefit from\r\nthe positive publicity it would gain by enacting a carbon-sensitive\r\ninvestment portfolio. By committing to this plan, Valdosta State\r\nwould become the first university in Georgia to do so. This mark of\r\ndistinction is something VSU may pride itself in for years to come.\r\nWe believe that the shift to more socially responsible investments\r\nwould be a selling point to potential students, faculty, and staff.\r\nThis, alongside the recent addition of a new solar canopy, the Tree\r\nCampus USA certification granted by the Arbor Day Foundation, and\r\nthe continued effort to comply with the\r\n\r\nAmerican College and University President’s Climate Commitment<\/a>,\r\nVSU could serve as a model for other schools in the region.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nWe hope that you will commit to this effort and display the kind of\r\nresponsibility that will benefit our university, community, region,\r\nand world, as we work, collectively, to combat anthropogenic climate\r\nchange.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nSincerely,\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nStudents Against Violating the Environment\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

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