We are Reinvest Dickinson, a student group dedicated to ending Dickinson’s financial investments in the fossil fuel industry by implementing practical and profitable alternatives that benefit the school and the world. What is Divestment? Simply put, divestment is the opposite of investment. Money from our endowment fund is invested in stocks and bonds which end up funding many aspects of the colle
ge. Divesting from fossil fuels would mean removing our endowment investments in the fossil fuel industry. Dickinson and Divestment
As a global leader in sustainability, Dickinson has a responsibility to shed its reliance on the fossil fuel industry. In 2007 President Durden signed the American College & University President’s Climate Commitment committing Dickinson to become carbon neutral by 2020 through reducing our emissions (by 25%) and buying offsets.[1] We have a long way to go in order to reach our 25% reduction bench mark. Along with this goal Dickinson needs to divest from fossil fuels if it wants to align its mission with actions. Why Should Dickinson Divest? When you add up all of the college and university endowments, we have control of more than $400 billion dollars; working together we can make a difference by divesting from these extractive industries.(2)
Still, we know that divesting won’t cripple fossil fuel companies dramatically, but doing so has a HUGE symbolic impact. Divesting our endowment from the fossil fuel industry would send a message to the world that we are serious about address climate change now. Moving Forward: The Sustainable Revolving Loan Fund
We want Dickinson to both thrive and invest responsibly. There are many projects waiting for funding on campus that can provide the college with a good investment that gives high returns. We are attempting to secure a chunk of money (from a source like the endowment) that we can invest in Dickinson locally, providing jobs to the community and improving campus while reducing our emissions.
