The Mission of the Fossil Free Pitt Coalition

What actions do we take to end the investment in fossil fuel companies? How do we change the world? The individuals striving for the sustainability of all humans, who act on their principles, will change the way the world operates.

The divestment from fossil fuels campaign incorporates individuals, college campuses, non-profits and global leaders of nation-states. Individuals can make a difference, but it is when we come together as a group that our voices become one. At the University of Pittsburgh, two of the many individuals involved with the Fossil Free Pitt Coalition act as representatives on and off campus for the divestment cause.

Andrew Woomer, a second-year non-traditional student, with a major in Urban Studies, is the founder of the Fossil Free Pitt Coalition and an activist for the Oakland and Pittsburgh community. His original appreciation of and admiration for the environment was sparked during his childhood through nature summer camps and visiting the forests of the Laurel Highlands in Western Pennsylvania. Woomer learned about fossil fuel divestment in 2013 at Power Shift, the youth organizing conference fighting for social, economic and climate justice. His ideas for challenging the investing in fossil fuel industries, along with his interest in the role money plays in the economy, influenced his initiation of the Coalition on Pitt’s campus.

Part of Woomer’s role on campus includes spreading awareness of the Office of Sustainability and the Fossil Free Pitt Coalition. During an informational session at the 2015 Freshman Orientation, freshman student Sarah Grguras was pulled in by Woomer’s advocacy and began regularly attending Free the Planet, Coalition and Sustainability meetings. With a double major in biology and environmental sciences, Grguras now currently serves as one of the representatives for Fossil Free Pitt Coalition.

The campaign for the University of Pittsburgh’s divestment from fossil fuels began in October, 2014. A rally held in Schenley Plaza hosted a number of community partners, including the Thomas Merton Center’s Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign, Carnegie Mellon University’s Divestment Campaign and others to discuss divestment and reinvestment of Pitt’s revenue. Other colleges nationwide have begun divestment plans due to the action of student groups. This past April, Syracuse University announced a policy change to directly end university endowment investments in coal and other fuel companies.

What are the Fossil Free Pitt Coalition’s short-term and long-term objectives? Woomer and Grguras said they were divestment in the University’s endowment funds from fossil fuel industries along with the long-term screening of investment in a socially responsible manner. With 35 coalition partners and almost 3,000 student supporters, the University has taken notice of student power. In February, Grguras and another representative met with the Pitt Board of Trustees to pitch the idea of a Student Affairs campaign. This breakthrough lays the groundwork for an institutionalized process among students, faculty and the administration of how to use University endowments in the future.

So what’s next for the Fossil Free Pitt Coalition? Woomer and Grguras agree that divestment is only the beginning. Before divestment can occur, they hope to build committees consisting of student representatives who advocate for where and how university endowments are invested. Built into their tentative timeline is a divestment of direct holdings in three years and divestment of indirect holdings in five years. They hope to see Pitt’s reinvestment in the communities that are exploited and damaged by the fossil fuel industries. Educating the people on the effects of the fossil fuel industries is key. One of their on-campus partners is Active Minds, who educate on mental and emotional health. With Active Minds, the Coalition discusses the mental and emotional health effects of the industries.

The goals of the Coalition are for safe livelihoods and the investment of funds into the exploited communities. The investment in fossil fuel companies affects human beings now and actively affects the climate. The people, our choices, and our voices create the change.

The Fossil Free Pitt Coalition hosts monthly Divestment 101 meetings and their office hours are from 2-4pm on Friday’s in the William Pitt Union.

Kathleen Mannard is a third year student at the University of Pittsburgh with a major in Anthropology and the environmental justice intern for the Thomas Merton Center.

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