Students Rally for Fossil Fuel Divestment at Ohio State University

Students for Environmental Action, an Ohio State University (OSU) student organization, rallied last week to encourage the university to divest from harmful fossil fuels. The campaign is part of a nationwide divestment movement that has spread to more than 300 colleges and universities across the country.
The event started at the Gateway Plaza with students delivering their message to the university’s investment office. Then the rally proceeded across campus to the board of trustees’ office in Bricker Hall. Both locations featured speakers calling for fossil fuel divestment.
“The purpose of this action is to show the university that as students, we are committed to a future no longer linked to destruction of our planet and communities,” said Rachael Collyer, a third year English and Spanish honors major at OSU.
“As one of the top universities in the country, OSU is in a unique position to be a beacon of change within the higher education community, and a national leader in the movement towards a sustainable future.”
The OSU’s endowment fund currently holds more than $3 billion, contributed primarily by students and alumni. Despite continued efforts to obtain the information regarding the university’s specific investments in the fossil fuel industry, Students for Environmental Action has been denied access to the relevant documents, having been told by the administration that the information is a “trade secret.” If five percent of the portfolio was invested in fossil fuel companies, that would amount to around $150 million.
Students delivered a formal request to the university to divulge their holding and withdraw any investments from the fossil fuel industry.
“I love Ohio State and I want it to be the best university it can be,” said Milana Novgorodsky, a third year business student at OSU.
“To me, it seems contradictory that a university that has a reputation for being green has not yet divested from fossil fuels. I’m fighting for divestment at OSU not only because I care for our planet and its future, but because I care for this university and I believe we can do better.”
This request is part of a larger movement of students across the country that seek to hold their institutions accountable for their financial investments in an industry that profits from continued dependence on dirty fuels that are directly responsible for climate change. OSU has a responsibility to its students to invest in their futures, which means divesting from the fossil fuel industry.
--------
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
93 Members of Harvard Faculty Call on University to Divest From Fossil Fuels
Two Reports, One Conclusion: Fossil Fuel Divestment Crucial to Combating Climate Change
The Netherlands Joins Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement, Ends Public Financing for Coal
--------
New EarthX Special 'Protecting the Amazon' Suggests Ways to Save the World’s Greatest Rainforest
To save the planet, we must save the Amazon rainforest. To save the rainforest, we must save its indigenous peoples. And to do that, we must demarcate their land.
A new EarthxTV film special calls for the protection of the Amazon rainforest and the indigenous people that call it home. EarthxTV.org
- Meet the 'Women Warriors' Protecting the Amazon Forest - EcoWatch ›
- Indigenous Tribes Are Using Drones to Protect the Amazon ... ›
- Amazon Rainforest Will Collapse by 2064, New Study Predicts ... ›
- Deforestation in Amazon Skyrockets to 12-Year High Under Bolsonaro ›
- Amazon Rainforest on the Brink of Turning Into a Net Carbon Emitter ... ›
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
By Anke Rasper
"Today's interim report from the UNFCCC is a red alert for our planet," said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
The report, released Friday, looks at the national climate efforts of 75 states that have already submitted their updated "nationally determined contributions," or NDCs. The countries included in the report are responsible for about 30% of the world's global greenhouse gas emissions.
- World Leaders Fall Short of Meeting Paris Agreement Goal - EcoWatch ›
- UN Climate Change Conference COP26 Delayed to November ... ›
- 5 Years After Paris: How Countries' Climate Policies Match up to ... ›
- Biden Win Puts World 'Within Striking Distance' of 1.5 C Paris Goal ... ›
- Biden Reaffirms Commitment to Rejoining Paris Agreement ... ›
Trending
Plastic Burning Makes It Harder for New Delhi Residents to See, Study Suggests
India's New Delhi has been called the "world air pollution capital" for its high concentrations of particulate matter that make it harder for its residents to breathe and see. But one thing has puzzled scientists, according to The Guardian. Why does New Delhi see more blinding smogs than other polluted Asian cities, such as Beijing?
- This Indian Startup Turns Polluted Air Into Climate-Friendly Tiles ... ›
- How to Win the Fight Against Plastic - EcoWatch ›
In a historic move, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) voted Thursday to ban hydraulic fracking in the region. The ban was supported by all four basin states — New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York — putting a permanent end to hydraulic fracking for natural gas along the 13,539-square-mile basin, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
- Appalachian Fracking Boom Was a Jobs Bust, Finds New Report ... ›
- Long-Awaited EPA Study Says Fracking Pollutes Drinking Water ... ›
- Pennsylvania Fracking Water Contamination Much Higher Than ... ›
Colombia is one of the world's largest producers of coffee, and yet also one of the most economically disadvantaged. According to research by the national statistic center DANE, 35% of the population in Columbia lives in monetary poverty, compared to an estimated 11% in the U.S., according to census data. This has led to a housing insecurity issue throughout the country, one which construction company Woodpecker is working hard to solve.
- Kenyan Engineer Recycles Plastic Into Bricks Stronger Than ... ›
- Could IKEA's New Tiny House Help Fight the Climate Crisis ... ›