WE WON!!! 86% VOTED YES!

UI Student Referendum: Vote Yes to divest | Create infographics

UIUC Coal Divestment Referendum Petition Drive #ActOnClimate

Over the past two and a half weeks, students of the University of Illinois' UIUC Beyond Coal campaign have acted on climate by collecting over 4,200 petition signatures in hopes of placing a coal divestment referendum on the bi-annual UIUC student ballot. The result of a semester's worth of bureaucratic dealings, it was while still at Power Shift that our campaign received the final go ahead email to begin petitioning for our approved referendum. We needed to receive petition signatures from 7% of the U of I's 43,400 students (3,038 for those without a calculator handy) by November 8th in order to have full divestment from the "Filthy 15" coal companies voted on by the student body.

Upon returning to Champaign-Urbana, Il from Pittsburgh, UIUC Beyond Coal's motley crew of student activists hit the ground running, securing 1300 petitions within the first week. Efforts included canvassers on the U of I main quad, making announcements at events, speaking in front of classes, visiting sororities and fraternities, and doing just about anything to collect over 3,000 petition signatures within the given timeline.

After two and a half weeks, the total seemed questionable. During the group's final meeting before the petitions had to be turned in, members were instructed to bring all petitions for a final tally. With one person counting the over 200 sheets of paper through the duration of the meeting, a collective sigh and subsequent cheer were released when it was announced that the final petition total was 4,238.

Our work, however, has not ended yet. With the petition drive behind us, we now await the vote taking place the 13th and 14th of November. We will use the next few days to mount a get out the vote campaign to encourage our student body to vote "yes" to divest. Until the results are announced this Friday as to whether we've attained majority support, we'll be flyering, chalking, and talking til our time runs out!

UI Student Referendum: Vote Yes to divest

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Powershift, Petitioning, and Beyond

As those of us who attended Powershift get back into our regular routines, catching up on ignored homework and recovering from a lack of sleep, the thoughts of the weekend in Pittsburgh are ever-present in our minds. Those who were lucky enough to attend were exposed to the seemingly endless knowledge of a vast array of environmental and social activists. From indigenous peoples impeding the Keystone XL to those fighting fracking in Pennsylvania, Powershift attendees were able to hear of stories from the frontlines of environmental and social movements across the country. Leaders of the movement, including Bill McKibben and Michael Brune, empowered the youth through their passionate addresses at the end of each night. Our ears were even graced with the rustic sounds of Josh Fox’s well-known banjo! Here are some of UIUC’s attendee favorite parts about the weekend:

“I really enjoyed hearing from frontline communities like Appalachians fighting against coal companies. Trying to understand their struggles is something that I am excited to work more on and incorporate into our movement.”- Erika Weir

“The march on Monday was one of many favorite parts of Power Shift. Being in the presence of thousands of young environmental and social justice activists is a very powerful experience.”- Kelly Johnson

“One of my favorite parts of Powershift was engaging in debates with people that hold different ideas than me. Just being around thousands of young, passionate people all trying to make a difference was a very memorable experience in itself.”-Kelley Schulkins

However, the greatest aspect of Powershift is not easily boiled down to a single event or 
speaker. No mix of words can effectively convey the experience of being surrounded by thousands of like-minded activists fighting the same fight as you. Feelings of solidarity and optimism for the movement’s future were prevalent. After seeing the assortment of faces and hearing of successes (and failures) from across the nation, we are ecstatic and immensely confident for what the future of the movement holds. These feelings were strongest in the culminating event of the weekend: the March for a Green Economy.

Thousands flooded the streets of Pittsburgh following a rally on the shores of the Allegheny River. Enthusiastic activists, protesting a range of climate-change issues, crossed the Roberto Clemente Bridge into Downtown Pittsburgh. Along the way, waves of activists stopped at branches of PNC Bank throughout the city to protest the institution’s funding of mountaintop removal mining. Seven protesters from the Earth Quaker Action Team were arrested and charged with trespassing after refusing to leave the UPMC’s PNC Bank lobby. The protesters were staging a peaceful, albeit vocal, sit-in.

Midway through the march half of the activists split from the preapproved route, instead heading towards the Allegheny County Courthouse.  Throughout the next three blocks, traffic was stopped as protesters stormed through the busy downtown streets. Onlookers from sidewalks and in cars cheered on the chanting crowd. Once the first waves arrived at the courthouse, there was a rally in the courtyard. During this time, the group was energized by an 11 year-old protester wielding a megaphone as well as other voiced opponents of the fossil fuel industry. Protesters were there to demand a meeting with Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, who had been holding close door meetings with shale drilling companies regarding proposed drilling in county parks. The vast majority of the crowd slowly filed into the courthouse, where they held a sit-in near Mr. Fitzgerald’s office. He told them to schedule an appointment.

The conference has ended, but the most important aspect of Powershift is what follows. Freshly energized from Powershift, UIUC Beyond Coal will be petitioning the student body until Friday, November 1^st. If we attain over 3,000 signatures, we will gain status on an upcoming ballot referendum which will ask students whether or not they support divesting university funds from the coal industry. Currently, through the endowment fund, our university invests up to $34 million in the 15 most destructive coal mining and utility companies. As a result, we are perpetuating an industry which literally blows up mountains, destroys communities, and pollutes our air and waterways. We are determined to end unnecessary aid to a dying industry. 

Large divestment banners were hung on the north end of the Quad as fervent petitioners scoured campus during our kickoff event last Thursday. Beyond Coal-ers have also adorned their Facebook profile pictures with the Orange Square, the national symbol of solidarity for the divestment movement, to garner attention to our petition drive. If you happen to spot one of our awesome campaigners on your way to class, please take a minute to sign our petition and remember to vote yes for divestment on November 6^th-8^th!

The True Cost of Coal: A Narrative on Mountaintop Removal and the Fight for Our Future

The Beehive Design Collective is a group of volunteering artists and activists who are dedicated to "cross-pollinating the grassroots" of the world (like bees, get it?) by combining storytelling with art and science. Covering topics ranging from globalization and trade to energy and climate change, they travel the world to learn other people's experiences and combine that with research into a collaborative, hand-drawn poster. By sharing their art and story, the Beehive Collective uses their art to educate, organize, and inspire people all over the country. On Tuesday, SECS invited them to Champaign to present their story on "the True Cost of Coal".

Graphic poster "the True Cost of Coal"- find an online narrative book telling the story in detail here.

The art graphic (or poster, or masterpiece, whatever you wanna call it) shown above is organized into five sections as a historical timeline, from left to right: Ancestors, Colonization & Industrialization, Mountaintop Removal & Climate Crisis, Resistance, and Regeneration. There are also smaller individual stories and cycles hidden deeper in each illustration-- all the rich details from discovered during the bees' travels. This project focuses on mountaintop removal and people from the Appalachian region of the United States. 

ANCESTORS

The beginning of the story opens with the origin and source of coal-- from a time far back in geologic history during the Carboniferous Period when plants were compressed in anoxic swamps and pushed into sedimentary rock in the form of coal. Over all this time, the coal retains energy stored from the sun and plants' photosynthesis over millions and millions of years, which is the reason why coal is highly dense in energy. 

The story then goes on to the ecology of the Appalachian mountains, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. Due to its fertile conditions and glacial history, it is the source of water and life for thousands of species and people. Freshwater from as far as Washington originates from mountain springs in Appalachia, and the region's "mixed mesophytic forests" are among the most biodiverse in the world.

COLONIZATION & INDUSTRIALIZATION

After the development of the area's natural systems, the next addition to the story is humans and our influence. This section opens with the displacement of the indigenous people of Appalachia, including the Train of Tears and the spread of new diseases from European colonizers. Once that was done, there was a feverish race to grab land and property to lay down railroad, start resource extraction, and to build urban cities all in the name of "progress". The art featured in this section includes the Battle of Blair Mountain, one of history's largest labor struggles between miners and a coal company that ended with US Marshals dropping bombs on the striking miners.

MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL & CLIMATE CRISIS
The middle of the poster is our current predicament today. It shows the transition in the earth's natural ecology as well as the economic transition from having 150,000 coal miners in Appalachia to fewer than 15,000 today. With new modern technology, humans are able to harvest coal faster and easier than ever before. The consequence? Mountains being levelled with tons and tons of overburden filling the valleys, releasing heavy metals and polluting water supplies (not to mention thousands of people losing their jobs).

Our reality is a "death cycle of coal", consisting of combustion, consumption, and clmate chaos. The art graphic shows stories of greenwashing, a practice of advocating simple sustainable practices without actually changing to seem more environmentally friendly. The most popular solution seems to be to shop, and buy our way out of our problems but the beehive collective argues that "we need organized, collective action to transform a sick society and economy". There needs to be a change in the system, not just our lightbulbs!

There are tons of smaller stories and great metaphors embedded throughout the poster, including "the Dance of Hard Choices", featuring frogs and the tough decisions they must go through in life which affects the environment, their health, and their family's future. The graphic also goes through the multiple uses and benefits of coal, including electricity, steel manufacturing, and jobs.

RESISTANCE
After three pretty depressing parts of the story, the poster then moves on to our response to all of this-- resistance. Through grassroots campaigns, social movements, and solidarity people are starting to work in their communities like never before to try and react to a global climate crisis. The Beehive Collective says that community power and not coal power (or as we at UIUC Beyond Coal like to say, "soul power, not coal power") is what we need to combat big companies and the government for a more sustainable future.

This part of the story also acknolwedges the reality that there is no renewable energy source that could be an identical substitute for coal, simply because of the time and energy density stored over hundreds of thousands of years. But even if there isn't an identical substitute, our current age of technology and innovation can definitely find a solution and make money while doing it.

REGENERATION
The art graphic ends with a look to our future and what lies ahead for Appalachia and for the world. Once we can successfully change our practices and move beyond coal, we must continue to protect and maintain our earth. The poster shows scenes of bioremediation by lady salamanders cleaning contaminated water and restoring plant life. Reclamation and restoration of soil and previously damaged landscapes is another step shown by animals working together to harvest rainwater and cultivate community supported agriculture.

Energy generation, not extraction is the key for future sources. By combining social movements and media along with solidarity economies, our future can be healthy, sustainable, and profitable. The end of the story is also a beginning-- birds represent young folks returning home, welcomed back to their communities.

The presentation of "the True Cost of Coal" by the Beehive Collective at the YMCA.

To find out more about the Beehive Design Collective, visit their website here.

Beyond Coal + Rainforest Action Network vs. Bank of America

As a supportive campus of the national Rainforest Actions Newtork's goals for Bank of America and Citi Bank to divest from mountaintop removal coal mining, UIUC Beyond Coal joined other campuses across the country to disrupt the banks' recruiting events on Tuesday, 9/24/13. 

More information on the Rainforest Action Network's efforts can be found at http://www.dirtymoney.org/. Want to support their campaign? 1.Sign the petition at the above link. 2. Join Beyond Coal in our work towards divestment at the University of Illinois, and join us in future actions against Bank of America and Citi!

 

"We wont work for climate chaos, We don't care how much you pay us"!!

Beyond Coal is proud to support Rainforest Action Network, the national divestment movement, and help to move these major corporations beyond coal!

Beyond Coal Orange Square Day

If you happened to be on the Quad this Thursday, you may have noticed some odd symbols marking the concrete walkways. No, these orange squares weren't alien in origin, nor were they the result another Banksy wannabe, they were symbols of the national fossil fuel divestment movement. UIUC Beyond Coal chalked the squares in honor of the day's meeting of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.

As well as chalking the orange squares about the Quad's paths, Beyond Coal members stationed themselves at Anniversary Plaza (directly south of the Union) to hand out free orange felt squares for passersby to pin on their backpacks and jackets. The pins display support for the national movement, which has spread to 308 college campuses after beginning with three, including UIUC, in the year 2010. Throughout the day, Beyond Coalers new and seasoned offered up orange squares and campaign info for any accepting quad-goer

To conclude the day, group members walked north into the Illini Union for the Board of Trustees meeting, where Beyond Coal Co-President Peter Whitney would speak during the public comment section. While Beyond Coal has spoken at trustee's meetings three times in the past, this opportunity would be a pivotal point in the campaign. Peter, after speaking on how Beyond Coal has garnered the support of the student body, would question why the trustees have not acted on divestment and ask them to wait upon the conclusion of the meeting for campaign members to approach them to set up individual meetings with the Beyond Coal campaign. After a short wait, Peter took the podium and spoke before the trustees. (Video to be included in this post upon its upload to the Board of Trustees website. Until then, a transcript of Peter's speech follows.)

"Good afternoon, and thank you for allowing me to speak today in an attempt to fully voice the views of UIUC Beyond Coal and the students of Urbana-Champaign. My name is Peter Whitney, I am a Junior here on campus studying Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, and co-president of the University of Illinois Beyond Coal campaign. I love being a student the University of Illinois, I love working towards University coal divestment, and I want nothing more than to see our school continue to lead the world in education, outreach, and the betterment of the minds and spirits of its students.

My goal today is not only to communicate our perspective on coal divestment, but to also open a conversation with each member of the Board of Trustees to better understand your perspective on the issue. We at Beyond Coal are making a very real effort to accomplish our goal, and we want to know exactly where the board stands on the issue. According to University officials, we currently invest up to $34 million dollars in the “Filthy 15” coal mining and utilities companies through our endowment fund. You, as trustees, hold the power and obligation to create a more socially responsible university system.

In the hopes of this power eventually being exercised, I will plainly lay out exactly how we are asking for coal divestment and why we believe it is a strategy that is in the best interest of the University.

We, Beyond Coal, are asking for the University of Illinois Board of Trustees to pass the following 4 part resolution:

1. Forego any future direct investments in the “Filthy 15” coal companies effective immediately.

2. Establish a committee on socially responsible investment (SRI) within the board of trustees to monitor progress and address any future SRI issues, as is proposed in the Illinois Climate Action Plan.

3. Divest all direct and indirect holdings from the “Filthy 15” coal mining and utilities companies by the year 2017. 

4. Construct a plan for reinvestment of a percentage of divested funds into renewable energy utilities and/or research.

As an industry, coal it is no longer a fiscally responsible investment. I am not here to provide a financial report, and I fully recognize that there are obstacles in the way of divestment- otherwise the foundation would have already removed stock from these volatile investments. No, the act of divestment is and always has been much more than a simple financial decision.

Divesting from coal represents a conscious decision to move past an industry that simply can not operate without devastating the health and livelihoods of those without proper means to protect themselves. Coal extraction and use must, by definition, exploit those without a voice. This means marginalized and impoverished peoples, endangered wildlife, delicate natural systems, and the very future of life on earth as we have come to know it. Fortunately, the opportunities that can come from renewable energy investment will be able to support our future; providing long-term careers, local empowerment, and a more just and humane future for all people.
Divesting from coal represents a conscious decision to move past an industry that simply can not operate without devastating the health and livelihoods of those without proper means to protect themselves. Coal extraction and use must, by definition, exploit those without a voice. This means marginalized and impoverished peoples, endangered wildlife, delicate natural systems, and the very future of life on earth as we have come to know it. Fortunately, the opportunities that can come from renewable energy investment will be able to support our future; providing long-term careers, local empowerment, and a more just and humane future for all people.

UIUC Beyond Coal has presented the case for coal divestment to the Board of Trustees before, the dangers and injustices associated with coal investments are no mystery. We have presented to the Board of trustees three times over the past two years, and have been working to show you that we are serious about reaching our goal. The UIUC student senate, the voice of our student body, has already passed a divestment resolution. We have collected over three thousand petition signatures, held rallies, garnered media attention, passed out hundreds of orange solidarity squares, and much more. We have done our best to bring attention to the issue, and have seen the student body and media respond by raising its awareness and support. We still, however, await a response from the Board.

So now the question is, why have the trustees not responded? Why have we not divested? What remains to be done? I believe UIUC Beyond Coal does not know the answer to these question, and therein lies the fundamental frustration of our campaign. And so, who better to ask, than the Board of Trustees. The board represents a diverse group of backgrounds that are united by a tremendous sense of altruism towards the University of Illinois. You have the unique perspective of the University of Illinois system, and we want to know what you need to become convinced supporters of coal divestment. We have the perspective of the students here at Illinois, and from the positive support we receive from students across the campus we know that the students back divestment. Illinois has the a unique opportunity to take the lead in the nation-wide effort, to become the first public university to divest, to send a global message that it truly values its students’ voices and pursues a holistic sense of sustainability.

UIUC Beyond Coal has presented the case for coal divestment to the Board of Trustees before, the dangers and injustices associated with coal investments are no mystery. We have presented to the Board of trustees three times over the past two years, and have been working to show you that we are serious about reaching our goal. The UIUC student senate, the voice of our student body, has already passed a divestment resolution. We have collected over three thousand petition signatures, held rallies, garnered media attention, passed out hundreds of orange solidarity squares, and much more. We have done our best to bring attention to the issue, and have seen the student body and media respond by raising its awareness and support. We still, however, await a response from the Board.

So now the question is, why have the trustees not responded? Why have we not divested? What remains to be done? I believe UIUC Beyond Coal does not know the answer to these question, and therein lies the fundamental frustration of our campaign. And so, who better to ask, than the Board of Trustees. The board represents a diverse group of backgrounds that are united by a tremendous sense of altruism towards the University of Illinois. You have the unique perspective of the University of Illinois system, and we want to know what you need to become convinced supporters of coal divestment. We have the perspective of the students here at Illinois, and from the positive support we receive from students across the campus we know that the students back divestment. Illinois has the a unique opportunity to take the lead in the nation-wide effort, to become the first public university to divest, to send a global message that it truly values its students’ voices and pursues a holistic sense of sustainability.

UIUC Beyond Coal has presented the case for coal divestment to the Board of Trustees before, the dangers and injustices associated with coal investments are no mystery. We have presented to the Board of trustees three times over the past two years, and have been working to show you that we are serious about reaching our goal. The UIUC student senate, the voice of our student body, has already passed a divestment resolution. We have collected over three thousand petition signatures, held rallies, garnered media attention, passed out hundreds of orange solidarity squares, and much more. We have done our best to bring attention to the issue, and have seen the student body and media respond by raising its awareness and support. We still, however, await a response from the Board.

So now the question is, why have the trustees not responded? Why have we not divested? What remains to be done? I believe UIUC Beyond Coal does not know the answer to these question, and therein lies the fundamental frustration of our campaign. And so, who better to ask, than the Board of Trustees. The board represents a diverse group of backgrounds that are united by a tremendous sense of altruism towards the University of Illinois. You have the unique perspective of the University of Illinois system, and we want to know what you need to become convinced supporters of coal divestment. We have the perspective of the students here at Illinois, and from the positive support we receive from students across the campus we know that the students back divestment. Illinois has the a unique opportunity to take the lead in the nation-wide effort, to become the first public university to divest, to send a global message that it truly values its students’ voices and pursues a holistic sense of sustainability.

So now the question is, why have the trustees not responded? Why have we not divested? What remains to be done? I believe UIUC Beyond Coal does not know the answer to these question, and therein lies the fundamental frustration of our campaign. And so, who better to ask, than the Board of Trustees. The board represents a diverse group of backgrounds that are united by a tremendous sense of altruism towards the University of Illinois. You have the unique perspective of the University of Illinois system, and we want to know what you need to become convinced supporters of coal divestment. We have the perspective of the students here at Illinois, and from the positive support we receive from students across the campus we know that the students back divestment. Illinois has the a unique opportunity to take the lead in the nation-wide effort, to become the first public university to divest, to send a global message that it truly values its students’ voices and pursues a holistic sense of sustainability.

And so, in the hopes of creating a more direct dialogue between our Beyond Coal organization and the University of Illinois Board of Trustee’s, I want to ask all of you to remain at the Board table immediately following the end of this public comment speech. Officers of our Beyond Coal campaign will approach the board and collect your preferred means of contact, possible dates for a meeting with our core group, and any additional notes or comments you may have for our campaign. Thank you for the opportunity to present today, and I look forward to working together to achieve coal divestment at the University of Illinois. "

Immediately, the tension at the board table was palpable. Heads shook and whispers spread amongst the twelve trustees. Would students be allowed to approach their governing body?

Upon the completion of the final public comment speaker, Board Chairman Chris Kennedy spoke once more before calling the meeting to a close. He stated that due to threat of physical intimidation and to set precedent against lobbying, student campaigners would have to refrain from approaching the trustees. He instructed the campaigners to contact the board secretary to set up meetings. Though that course of action has been taken before to no avail, it is the hope of the Beyond Coal campaign that the Board of Trustees will finally agree to set meetings with our group as we pursue the proper channels. We hope to resolve any issues, gain allies within the board, and once and for all move the University of Illinois beyond coal.

"Our Voice" Rally

When: Friday April 26, 12pm
Where: University of Illinois Quad

This Earth Week, we need to remind our university of their commitments to the climate and demand they do more, faster.

UIUC Beyond Coal is asking the university to divest (sell its shares) from the Filthy 15 dirtiest utilities, coal operators and mining companies in the U.S.

Why Coal?
Every year in the United States, there are 21,000 deaths, 24,000 hospitalizations, and 280,000 severe asthma attacks attributable to the impacts of mining and burning coal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjNKz8qXRmk

The investment in and perpetuation of coal is as much a human rights issue as it is an environmental issue.

Join us the Friday of Earth Week to hear speakers on 

• the coal divestment movement,
• the devastating effects of the energy source, and
• the disproportionate impact of environmental harms on low-income communities and communities of color

Take back Earth Day for what it is -- our stage to push for environmental, social, and economic justice.

(look for the orange square on campus, the national symbol of the fossil fuel divestment movement -- 250 schools...and counting http://gofossilfree.org/campaigns/)

Contact Tyler.Rotche@gmail.com
Visit www.uiucbeyondcoal.com

Convergence Keynotes

Check out the Keynote Speakers from the Students Divest Convergence we attended in February

Beyond Coal "Our University" Demonstration

Along with the silhouettes, members of Beyond Coal also spoke to passing students about coal divestment and passed out orange solidarity squares, the symbol of the national divestment movement. Supporters of the national movement (now more than 250 schools strong) wear the squares on their jackets and book bags to display their support for the divestment campaign. Our very own Tyler Rotche (Beyond Coal president) and Felicia Speranske (SECS co-president) found themselves featured in a Daily Illini featured photo on Friday as Tyler pinned a square on Felicia's jacket (right).

If you happened to pass through the quad this past Thursday, you may have noticed some disturbing signs posted around its north end. You may also have noticed the ten foot tall tombstone resting in front of the Illini Union or the motley crew serving up knowledge and orange pins to passers by.

The sights were all part of SECS's working group Beyond Coal's "Our University" demonstration scheduled in congruence with the University of Illinois Board of Trustees meeting on the same day. Beyond Coal members erected the visuals pictured below to educate the campus community on the negative effects of coal.To wrap up the day, Beyond Coal members walked north into the Union where the Board of Trustees meeting had been going on throughout the day in anticipation for President Tyler Rotche's public comment speech before the board. After an hour wait, Tyler took the podium.

"I spoke at this meeting almost a year ago today to talk about the same topic, which is coal divestment," Tyler began. The rest of his speech is as follows:

"Since then a few things have changed, last winter UIUC Beyond Coal was one of three operating divestment campaigns in the United States. Today, over 250 campaigns are pressuring their Universities to divest from fossil fuels. Since last year, we have gathered a few thousand more petitions, met with more members of the administration, and have pushed a resolution through the student senate demanding divestment from coal. Since last year, the University has released promotional videos saying that right here right now we have the chance to define a new global university by taking risks necessary to innovate by imagining the world 20 or 50 years from now and by finding ways to solve the world's greatest problems."

"This list would seem like the perfect recipe for progress, but unfortunately since last year nothing has changed. Our climate has continued to warm at an alarming rate, polluters have continued to destroy our mountains, dismantle our farmland, and besiege our communities with toxic air and water, and our university continues to invest in this process."

"It's not difficult to see that there is injustice present, and when injustice is present inaction is conscious, myopic, and immoral choice. Our proposition for action, then, is divestment from the so-called Filthy 15 coal mining and utilities companies. These are companies that jeopardize public health, damage the environment, and place an unfair burden on low-income and minority communities. Companies like Edison International whose Fisk and Crawford plants in Chicago's Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods caused 42 premature deaths, 66 heart attacks, and 720 asthma attacks every year."

"The ask that we stop investing in these companies is not ignorant of the fact that taking a few thousand dollars out of coal will not bring down the fossil fuel industry. The ask is founded on the fundamental notion that the purpose of a university is to prepare an existing generation to confront the world's problems. It's founded on the principal that we should not be actively contributing to the greatest of those problems not only in the future but in the present. It baffles me that we can fund one of the most destructive industries this planet has ever seen and call it an investment. Coal investment might pay short-term profit for us, but it is at the cost of 21,000 deaths, 24,000 hospitalizations, and 280,000 severe asthma attacks every year. Given that the center for disease control and prevention estimates the homicides in the US to be about 16,000 per year it's not a stretch to say that coal is assaulting our communities. The question before us is which side of history will we choose to be on? Will we use our privilege to fund the future or short term profit?"

"I understand that when these questions are proposed by a college sophomore they can easily be seen as accompanied by a youthful inexperience and idealism, but I also recognize the pressure to maintain a healthy endowment. A recent study by the Aperio Group found that a portfolio free of the Filthy 15 increases absolute portfolio risk by only 0.0006% or about half of one one-thousandth of a percent, so in other words the portfolio does become riskier, but by such a trivial amount that that impact is statistically irrelevant. In terms of forgone return it is placed at 0.0002% or two one-hundredths of a basis point"

"Coal divestment is feasible and it is our moral and ethical duty to our University and our future that we stop investing in coal. When we walk out of this building today, we will see that the Alma Mater is gone, but when she stands upon the base this spring and in those springs to come, the question is what future will she welcome and will we be able to say confidently that is a future we contributed to?"

Like a Movement with 250 more schools than last year...It's Growin'!

Tyler and Drew are directly to the left of that funky-shaped
lamp -- or possibly just a statue -- by the window

Last weekend UIUC Beyond Coal traveled to Swarthmore, PA to meet up with 76 other campuses and divestment campaigns from all over the country! Needless to say, the movement is growing (very similar to the love the Temptations have). If you want to check out the awesome video, some pictures, and other updates from the nationwide movement, head over to studentsdivest.org!

Forward on Climate Rally

Pictures from our trip to DC for the "Forward on Climate" rally coming soon! 

Until then, check out the piece in the DI under the "In the News" tab.

(If you want something a little more controversial, HuffPost has details on where Obama was as we marched to the White House)

Flashback!

Here the photo of us at the Do The Math Tour! And yes, we are the ones front row with the yellow Beyond Coal shirts!

 

Bill McKibben's Thought Bubble

Heres just a little video I stumbled upon!
Is the narration by Bill McKibben or Owen Wilson?

Check This Out! UIUC's Apartheid Divestment Movement!

Check out this page from our fellow divestment campaigners at Swarthmore! The article features University of Illinois's apartheid divestment movement! Time for us to call on the Board of Trustees!

President's Day Climate Rally in Washington, DC

On Sunday, February 17, thousands of Americans will head to Washington, D.C. to make Forward on Climate the largest climate rally in history. Join this historic event to make your voice heard and help the president start his second term with strong climate action.

If you'd be interested in going, shoot Drew an email at obryan2@illinois.edu. Travel cost will be around $60 and space may be limited.

When: February 16th-17th

Where: Washington, DC