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To: The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Board of Trustees, which oversees the Investment Committee, which "selects professional outside advisors and investment managers utilizing criteria set forth in the UUA investment policies."

Divest the Unitarian Universalist Association's Common Endowment Fund

We are a large and growing movement of Unitarian Universalists who are serious about climate justice. The UUA presented a five year plant to divest our congregations' Common Endowment Fund from the top 200 fossil fuel companies (as listed in the "Unburnable Carbon" Carbon Tracker Initiative report) by 2019 at our denomination's General Assembly. Along the way, we hope that our Socially Responsible Investing committee will follow our already active denomination in shareholder activism, discussion and other effective activities to help create the social will to make this country a leader in climate solutions.

Why is this important?

The Unitarian Universalist Association is a leader in climate justice. This year, the final divestment report will be given at the General Assembly online this June 24-28.
This was the resolution:
Delegates at the 2014 General Assembly (GA) of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) meeting in Providence, RI, today passed a resolution calling for divestment from fossil fuel companies in the UUA Common Endowment Fund (UUCEF).

The resolution requires the UUA to:
Cease purchasing securities of CT200 companies as UUCEF investments immediately.
Continue to divest its UUCEF holdings of directly held securities of CT200 companies, reaching full divestment of these companies within five years.
Work with its current and prospective pooled-asset managers for the purpose of creating more fossil fuel-free investment opportunities, with the objective of full divestment of UUCEF indirect holdings in CT200 companies within five years.
Invest an appropriate share of UUCEF holdings in securities that will support a swift transition to a clean energy economy, such as renewable energy and energy efficiency-related securities.
Report, via the UUA President and the Treasurer, to each General Assembly from 2015 through 2019 on our Association’s progress on the above resolutions.

Links

Updates

2014-10-12 18:09:45 -0400

Rev. Peggy Clarke, minister of First Unitarian Society of Westchester in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., did propose one amendment, but it was defeated. Clarke asked that the UUA not be allowed to keep any fossil fuel investments. She said she didn’t believe that shareholder activism would work with this issue. “We’re not talking about asking a company to make a minor modification. We’re talking about the core of the industry. No activism will work in this case.”
http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/296156.shtml

2013-06-18 05:39:16 -0400

500 signatures reached