By K.C. Alvey, TCCPI Assistant Coordinator and 350.0rg Field Organizer

As part of a national 20-city tour called "Do the Math," Bill McKibben, Naomi Klein, and other well-known speakers have hit the road this fall to call attention to what McKibben calls "Global Warming's Terrifying New Math." As McKibben wrote in his now famous Rolling Stone article this past July, the fossil fuel industry currently has 2,795 gigatons of carbon in proven coal, oil, and gas reserves, five times more than the maximum 565 gigatons the world can emit and keep warming below 2°C, a target scientists widely agree is necessary to prevent runaway climate change.

In the lead-up to "Do the Math," students across the country launched fossil fuel divestment campaigns at over 30 college campuses, taking campus sustainability to the next level. Here 

Cornell students call on the university to divest from fossil fuels. Photo Credit: K.C. Alvey

in Tompkins County, Cornell University and Ithaca College students are joining the movement to leverage nearly $400 billion in university endowments across the country to take on the climate crisis. As part of a national movement, students are calling for trustees and administrators to commit to 100 percent divestment from the fossil fuel industry and to reinvest these funds in sustainable, socially responsible investments. 

At At both Cornell and Ithaca College, student groups have been working hard this fall to build student support and raise awareness about this important campaign. Through teach-ins, petitioning, social media, letters to the editor, and actions at their respective board of trustees meetings, students are making the moral urgency of this campaign clear.   

Cornell's student group KyotoNOW is calling for 100 percent fossil fuel divestment for the university's $5 billion endowment by 2020. According to Madeline Tingle, Cornell '16, "It is critical that the trustees begin this transition to more responsible investments now to maintain the endowment's long-term financial sustainability and to reflect Cornell's commitments to carbon neutrality." She observed that the endowment is intended to provide support for the university's educational mission, which includes public service and responsible stewardship. 

With an endowment of over $200 million, Ithaca College's Environmental Leadership & Actions Network has set a goal of complete divestment from the fossil fuel industry by 2015, full transparency regarding IC's endowment and investments, and the creation of a task force to monitor socially responsible investment. Jessie Braverman, Ithaca College '16 said that she felt "confident that we can change the world, starting with this crucial step of influencing Ithaca College and other schools across the country to divest from fossil fuels." 

Students are clear that they want their institutions to reinvest in socially responsible ways and are looking into sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels. In October, Mark Orlowski, executive director of the Sustainable Endowments Institute, spoke at Cornell about one promising alternative, green revolving loan funds. Orlowski is leading the Billion Dollar Green Challenge for universities across the country to invest in energy efficiency upgrades on campus using revolving loan funds. These upgrades often have a short payback period and are considered low-risk investments. 

Orlowski said that the average return on investment for existing green revolving loan funds to date are an impressive 28 percent. He also highlighted the potential for Ithaca and Tompkins County to be a model in terms of campus-community collaboration around socially responsible investment. He discussed how the same green revolving loan fund structure could be applied to the community to invest in energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy locally. Through community investing, universities can jump start the clean energy economy regionally, help reduce our carbon footprint, and create much-needed jobs.

"Even before the 'Do The Math' tour, students across the country have begun demanding that their colleges divest from the fossil fuel industry and reinvest in sustainability," said Dan Apfel, executive director of the Responsible Endowments Coalition. "Over 30 campus groups are already running campaigns -- twenty new ones in just the past six weeks. This is the start of something big."