Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Paul Maidowski, Fletcher School, 2012

From a German perspective, it's amazing how many opportunities and jobs the U.S. has already lost through inconsistent climate change policies. High time for Tufts to send a signal! Divestment would also be a strong selling point for the school's great engineering, environment and energy policy research.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Melissa Novakoff, Arts and Sciences, 1995

Please divest the Tufts endowment from the fossil fuel industry. Tufts University can become a leader in the community and help carve out a new vision for the future that is less damaging to the earth and more sustainable. As a Tufts alum, I want to be proud of my university, please make the right decision and be on the right side of history.

Laura Tashjian, Fletcher School, 2011

We have a responsibility to stand by the principles we preach and join a community of thought leaders that are supporting a greater vision of the planet and ourselves. The academic community has historically played an important role in social change. Tufts University has an important opportunity to weigh in on this critical issue-- and should seize it. 

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Eric Friedman, UEP, 1994

The time is now to be bold and do everything we can to reduce the impact of climate change for future generations. It is what Tufts has always done and what it must do now. 

Monday, November 26, 2012

Jessica Bauman, Arts and Sciences, 2003

I'm disappointed that Tufts would even consider investing in fossil fuel companies. With everything that Tufts stands for too...


Saturday, November 24, 2012

Emily Fano, UEP, 1997

I live in New York City, which is still recovering from Hurricane Sandy, a storm made more powerful and destructive as a result of runaway global warming, which we know is man-made.  All of us, especially institutions of learning, have a responsibility to move our society in a different direction, away from fossil fuels and towards a clean energy future.  There is no better way to show that commitment than divesting from the dirty fossil fuels that are destroying our planet. Unity College's President has already taken the bold step and divested; 72% of Harvard students support divestment. I hope that Tufts will provide real leadership here, so that alums and current students alike can feel proud of the institution they support.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Gina Coplon-Newfield, Arts and Sciences, 1996

I will be very proud of my alma mater if it divests from companies in the fossil fuel industry. Tufts can play a tremendous leadership role in educating students on how to best meet the massive challenges of climate change, and it can better walk the walk through its operations and investments. While a Tufts student in the 1990s, I helped lead a successful campaign for Tufts to divest from Hydro-Quebec, a company that had engaged in very environmentally and socially destructive practices. The Tufts Trustees made their wise decision to divest from Hydro-Quebec on the same day they decided to reinvest in South Africa. There is a thoughtful legacy at Tufts of investment and divestment. This new opportunity is of vital importance.


Anonymous, Arts and Sciences, 1977


After suffering the effects of Hurricane Isaac, Hurricane Irene, and most recently the catastrophe of Hurricane Sandy, where friends of ours lost their homes and sadly, a child's life, it is apparent that the use of fossil fuels must ultimately be discontinued. Divestiture will send that message. Sadly the generation of CO2, and the depletion of the ozone layer have resulted in the unimaginable melt down of the polar ice cap. Ocean levels are rising at a terrifying rate and the resulting violent weather patterns are going to be the norm rather than an exception. Please heed this urgent request.


H. Keith Lehman, Engineering, 1985

Recent progress in alternative energy has been substantial. While the risk is still high, there are many companies that are doing well in solar, wind, bio-fuels, and conservation. Divestment helped end apartheid in South Africa. Let's hope a similar market based approach will help minimize climate change!


Christine James, UEP, 1994

Depriving fossil fuel companies of their access to financing and thereby diminishing their ability to make a profit is the only thing that will change their behavior. I hope Tufts will be an early and enthusiastic participant in this divestment campaign.


Sunday, November 18, 2012

Alex, Arts and Sciences, 1994

I was very active in the campaign to get Tufts to divest from Hydro Quebec. University endowments need to express the values that the University purports to hold and that it wishes to instill in its students. Tufts is a leader in promoting the notion of global citizenship among its students. It is inconsistent with this goal to have the university's investments supporting the continued worsening of global climate change.


Saturday, November 17, 2012

Stephanie Brown, Arts and Sciences, 2009

The students and alumni that entrust the Board with the endowment should also have the ability to view the investments--or overall goals of the investments--since this is a decision that impacts not only the future of our school but reflects the very nature of what we as Tufts represent. Our University prides itself on being socially and environmentally responsible; climate change, clean fuels, and socially responsible investing (SRI) are not political or partisan issues. We all share the responsibility to preserve and maintain the integrity of our planet.


Signe Porteshawver, Arts and Sciences, 2011

Sustainable economy! Community economy!


Rose Chaffee-Cohen, Arts and Sciences, 2003

I hope to count on Tufts as a beacon for social and environmental justice.  Please be brave, be responsible, and be a leader.


Reid Oldenburg, Arts and Sciences, 2008

Divesting in fossil fuel companies and searching for sustainable energy options will yield long term benefits for both Tufts University and for humankind.


Open Letter to Tufts Alumni

Somerville, MA
November 13, 2012

Dear Tufts Alumni,
I am writing to you today to ask for your support in urging the Trustees of Tufts College to sell the endowment’s holdings in the largest 200 publicly-traded fossil fuel companies within 5 years.

Sign the petition here: Tufts Alumni Petition


The latest climate science shows that in order to limit global warming to 2°C, we must limit our CO2 emissions to 565 gigatons (Gt) between now and 2050.[1] If burned, the oil and gas reserves held by these 200 companies would emit more than 2795 Gt.[2]

A 2°C increase may not sound like much, but we are already seeing the effects of just a 0.8°C increase. This year, drought covered 80% of the continental United States; wildfires burned nearly 8 million acres; and, most recently, Hurricane Sandy struck New York and New Jersey, costing an estimated $50 billion in damage.[3,4] In just the last 30 years, catastrophic weather events like these in North America have increased by a factor of 5.[5] Without serious reductions in carbon emissions, the damage will grow.

Tufts’ investments in fossil fuel companies enable them to prospect for new reserves, including the Canadian Tar Sands and beneath the Arctic Ocean. Tufts’ investments support the oil and gas industries’ publication of junk science, climate change denial, and congressional lobbying against carbon regulation. 

I am proud of and thankful for the Trustees’ work to grow the endowment. As an alumnus, I care deeply about the University’s continued success, and know that the endowment is a big part of Tufts’ position as one of the best universities in the world. But Tufts’ action on climate change is equally important. Tufts should be a leader on this issue - a light on the hill to inspire other universities. Socially responsible investing (SRI) will both grow the endowment and work towards a more stable society.[6] SRI will send a strong message to other universities to act. Divesting the listed companies would be an affirmation of our institutional ideals of global
leadership and public duty.

Our responsibility to the Tufts community does not end with our departure from campus. The climate crisis requires urgent action and strong leadership. Please join me in asking the Trustees to divest the endowment’s holdings in the fossil fuel industry and instead invest in companies that work toward a better future for our world



Sincerely,
Andrew Hastings-Black ‘08 


Sign the petition here: Tufts Alumni Petition


[1] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v458/n7242/full/nature08017.html
[2] docs.google.com/file/d/1tsmQREK21woVhOQxS2bvmRgSydRbrSpI8BVkq_RmOkDvrM7s47A5RkjpphX9/edit
[3] http://www.eqecat.com/catwatch/post-landfall-loss-estimates-superstorm-sandy-released-2012-11-01/
[4] http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/fire/2012/9
[5] http://www.munichre.com/en/media_relations/press_releases/2012/2012_10_17_press_release.aspx
[6] https://www.phn.com/portals/0/pdfs/Articles/20071012DoesSRIHurtInvestmentReturns.pdf