Divest World Learning from Fossil Fuels

March 19, 2014
Donald Steinberg
c/o World Learning Board of Trustees
1 Kipling Road
Brattleboro, VT 05302

Dear President Steinberg and World Learning Board of Trustees,
As public pressure to confront climate change builds, we call on World Learning to immediately freeze any new investment in fossil-fuel companies, and to divest within five years from direct ownership and from any commingled funds that include fossil-fuel public equities and corporate bonds.
Two hundred publicly traded companies that hold the vast majority of the world’s fossil fuel reserves have five times as much coal, oil, and gas than climate scientists believe is safe to burn. In order to keep the Earth in livable shape, we must keep eighty percent of these fossil fuels underground. In light of these numbers, we believe it is in the best interest of World Learning to divest from companies that place profit over people and spend millions of dollars lobbying against a sustainable future. Divesting from fossil fuels opens the door for more sustainable financial investments in the future.
We believe such action on behalf of World Learning will not only be a sound decision for our institution’s financial portfolio, but also for the well-being of its current and future graduating classes, many of whom chose SIT Graduate Institute for its commitment to equity and sustainability. Divestment from fossil fuels provides an opportunity for this institution to live up to that reputation and pave the way for a future free of the negative repercussions of investment in fossil fuels.
World Learning “envision[s] a just world, driven by engaged citizens and thriving communities. Our mission is to empower people and strengthen institutions through education, development, and exchange programs.” In light of this mission, it simply does not make sense to invest in fossil fuels. As an organization that seeks to create leaders in the fields of sustainable development, international education, conflict transformation and intercultural leadership, we must stay true to this mission and promote a truly sustainable future that is not held hostage by the fossil fuel industry.
We call upon you to join a growing movement of institutions around the country that are committed to preventing a more extreme climate by moving World Learning’s endowment beyond fossil fuels.
Signed,
Concerned Members of the SIT Graduate Institute and World Learning Communities.