Building a Clean Energy Future: The Role of Students and University Endowments

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In partnership with the United Nations Foundation and Ceres, the Sustainable Endowments Institute recently helped organize a conference on Building a Clean Energy Future: The Role of Students and University Endowments. UNF President Tim Wirth, Ceres President Mindy Lubber, and SEI Executive Director, Mark Orlowski led a lively discussion with 30 representatives of colleges, universities and other nonprofits at United Nations Foundation headquarters in Washington, DC.

Among those taking part in the spring event were students from University of California-Berkeley, Brown, College of the Atlantic, Columbia, Middlebury, University of Massachusetts, University of Toledo, Wheaton, and Yale. Other organizations represented included Campus Progress, Energy Action, League of Conservation Voters, Net Impact, Pew Charitable Trusts, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Sierra Student Coalition and Southeast Climate Network.

Enthusiastic participants helped draft Principles for Endowment Climate Action—emphasizing measures to institute active shareowner engagement on global warming by college and university endowments. A volunteer Steering Committee is in charge of planning follow-up activities.

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