Republish this content

<h1>Stanford Has an $18 Billion Endowment. These Students Made Sure It Won't Be Invested in Coal</h1>

<div><div><div><p></p>  <p>On May 6, Stanford University announced that they would no longer invest any of their endowment funds&mdash;which are worth more than $18 billion&mdash;in &ldquo;companies     whose principal business is the mining of coal for use in energy generation.&rdquo; Stanford joins 11 smaller schools around the country in the divestment from coal mining companies.</p>  <p>The school&rsquo;s prestige and the size of its endowment fund make this the most significant victory in the student-led movement to have universities divest     their holdings from fossil fuel companies. <a href="http://gofossilfree.org/commitments/">Earlier victories</a> took place at smaller schools, including     Unity College and the College of the Atlantic in Maine, and Green Mountain College in Vermont.</p>  <blockquote>&ldquo;Stanford&rsquo;s commitment to coal     divestment is a major victory for the climate movement and for our generation.&rdquo;</blockquote>  <p>The Stanford Board of Trustees began looking at the possibility of divestment thanks to the student group    <a href="http://www.fossilfreestanford.org/">Fossil Free Stanford</a>. &ldquo;In the U.S. coal is on its way out and we feel like Stanford really helped that     become a reality,&rdquo; said Yari Greaney, one of the students involved. However, she emphasized the group still wants full divestment from oil and natural gas     as well as from coal: &ldquo;None of these companies have a business model that is sustainable. They all have a business model that is predicated on creating an     unsafe climate.&rdquo;</p>  <p>Last year, the group petitioned the university to pull its investments out of the fossil fuel industry and cited Stanford&rsquo;s own     <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/group/apir-l/docs/public/Stanford%20University%20Statement%20on%20Investment%20Responsibility.pdf"> Statement of Investment Responsibility </a> , which states that, when the university makes decisions about where to invest its money, &ldquo;corporate policies or practices [which] create substantial     social injury,&rdquo; should be avoided. The students asked the board to consider the impact its investment in fossil fuel extraction has on the environment and     the role it plays in climate change.</p>  <blockquote>Stanford students have proven that divestment campaigns can be successful, even at a major university.</blockquote>  <p>&ldquo;We are proud that our university is responding to student calls for action on climate by demonstrating leadership,&rdquo; read a    <a href="http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/may/divest-coal-trustees-050714.html">statement</a> by Fossil Free Stanford. &ldquo;Stanford&rsquo;s commitment to coal     divestment is a major victory for the climate movement and for our generation.&rdquo;</p>  <p>Steven A. Denning, chairman of the university&rsquo;s board of trustees,    <a href="http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/may/divest-coal-trustees-050714.html">praised</a> the student divestment campaign. &ldquo;Fossil Free Stanford     catalyzed an important discussion,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We believe this action provides leadership on a critical matter facing our world and is an appropriate     application of the university&rsquo;s investment responsibility policy.&rdquo;</p>  <p>Divestment is not just for universities. Websites like <a>gofossilfree.org</a> and    <a href="http://www.wearepowershift.org/campaigns/divest">wearepowershift.org</a> explain that these types of campaigns can be applied to any institution     that currently invests in fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas&mdash;including cities, counties, and religious institutions.</p>  <p>Stanford does not release specific information regarding their investments, so it&rsquo;s unclear exactly how much money had been invested in companies that     engage in coal mining or where that money will be invested now.</p>  <p>What is clear is that Stanford students have proven that divestment campaigns can be successful, even at a major university.</p>  <hr style="width: 50%;" width="50%"><ul><li>  </li><li>  </li><li>  </li></ul></div><!-- <img src="fbc6465e17184380825ea383de033aff"> --></div><!-- <p><img src="448bb6b0d62d40f4a185cfbbc8e07762">This article was written by Liz Pleasant for <a href="http://dev-wp.yesmagazine.org/" style="height: 22px; width: 0px !important;">YES! Magazine</a><span style="height: 22px;">, a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas with practical actions. Liz is a graduate of the University of Washington's program in Anthropology, and an online editorial intern at YES! Follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/lizpleasant">@lizpleasant</a>.</span></p> --></div><!-- <p><span style="height: 22px;"><b>Read More</b></span></p>&#13;  --><!-- <a href="resolveuid/9b9f19dfba7147b880825cf5f40eecda"><b>The Coal Workers You Didn't Know Existed&#8212;And Why They May Be At Risk</b></a> --><!-- <a href="resolveuid/72939e9ff5c74575b412bb2c2eedd474"><b>How a "Black Snake" in the Heartland Brought Spirit to American Environmentalism</b></a> --><!-- <a href="resolveuid/ceefb2ae87d64977876ac1b4fe430e6b"><b>To My Friend the Climate Defeatist: Here's Why I'm Still In the Fight</b></a> -->

<p>This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org">Yes! Magazine</a> at <a href="https://dev-wp.yesmagazine.org/environment/2014/05/14/these-students-convinced-stanford-to-stop-investing-in-coal-we-re-talking-18-billion">https://dev-wp.yesmagazine.org/environment/2014/05/14/these-students-convinced-stanford-to-stop-investing-in-coal-we-re-talking-18-billion</a>.</p><link href="https://dev-wp.yesmagazine.org/environment/2014/05/14/these-students-convinced-stanford-to-stop-investing-in-coal-we-re-talking-18-billion" rel="canonical"/><p>Yes! Magazine is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of ... . Learn more at <a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org">Yes! Magazine</a></p><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://dev-wp.yesmagazine.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=10845&ga4=G-74QJNNY44Z" style="width:1px;height:1px;">

Stanford Has an $18 Billion Endowment. These Students Made Sure It Won't Be Invested in Coal

On May 6, Stanford University announced that they would no longer invest any of their endowment funds—which are worth more than $18 billion—in “companies     whose principal business is the mining of coal for use in energy generation.” Stanford joins 11 smaller schools around the country in the divestment from coal mining companies.  The school’s prestige and the size of its endowment fund make this the most significant victory in the student-led movement to have universities divest     their holdings from fossil fuel companies. Earlier victories took place at smaller schools, including     Unity College and the College of the Atlantic in Maine, and Green Mountain College in Vermont.  “Stanford’s commitment to coal     divestment is a major victory for the climate movement and for our generation.”  The Stanford Board of Trustees began looking at the possibility of divestment thanks to the student group    Fossil Free Stanford. “In the U.S. coal is on its way out and we feel like Stanford really helped that     become a reality,” said Yari Greaney, one of the students involved. However, she emphasized the group still wants full divestment from oil and natural gas     as well as from coal: “None of these companies have a business model that is sustainable. They all have a business model that is predicated on creating an     unsafe climate.”  Last year, the group petitioned the university to pull its investments out of the fossil fuel industry and cited Stanford’s own      Statement of Investment Responsibility  , which states that, when the university makes decisions about where to invest its money, “corporate policies or practices [which] create substantial     social injury,” should be avoided. The students asked the board to consider the impact its investment in fossil fuel extraction has on the environment and     the role it plays in climate change.  Stanford students have proven that divestment campaigns can be successful, even at a major university.  “We are proud that our university is responding to student calls for action on climate by demonstrating leadership,” read a    statement by Fossil Free Stanford. “Stanford’s commitment to coal     divestment is a major victory for the climate movement and for our generation.”  Steven A. Denning, chairman of the university’s board of trustees,    praised the student divestment campaign. “Fossil Free Stanford     catalyzed an important discussion,” he said. “We believe this action provides leadership on a critical matter facing our world and is an appropriate     application of the university’s investment responsibility policy.”  Divestment is not just for universities. Websites like gofossilfree.org and    wearepowershift.org explain that these types of campaigns can be applied to any institution     that currently invests in fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas—including cities, counties, and religious institutions.  Stanford does not release specific information regarding their investments, so it’s unclear exactly how much money had been invested in companies that     engage in coal mining or where that money will be invested now.  What is clear is that Stanford students have proven that divestment campaigns can be successful, even at a major university.