One of the things that keeps me moving forward in my work with Johnson Center is the way good environmental initiatives can “bubble up” from this community.
Since Thanksgiving, Gustavus students Rebecca Hare, Jennifer Steffen, Jessica Burggraff, as well as some other hard working students, have stepped up to engage the Administration and the college’s Trustees in a thoughtful dialog about our institutions investment in fossil fuels. Inspired by Bill McKibben’s work with 350.org, they are asking the question about whether investments in fossil fuel industries make sense if the products of that industry are destabilizing our climate. See their work at Divest Gustavus on Facebook.
And at the final Faculty Meeting before the holiday break, the Gustavus Faculty went on record as support the Gustavus effort to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions. At the initiative of Chuck Niederriter, the Faculty Senate brought a resolutions to the full Faculty who approved the resolution. See the text of the resolution and other documents related to the Gustavus climate effort at this link.