SUNDAY, DOORS OPEN AT 7:30PM FOR STUDENTS, 7:45PM FOR THE COMMUNITY, MEAD CHAPEL
Bill McKibben speaks at a Do the Math event earlier this winter. Photo from rollingstone.com.
Middlebury, VT – This January 20th, Middlebury College will kick-off a formal process to consider divesting its endowment from fossil fuels and arms manufacturers with a major “Do The Math” event with writer and activist Bill McKibben.
“If you’re curious about divestment, this event will be a chance to see why it has suddenly emerged as the biggest student movement in a very long time,” says McKibben, Middlebury’s Schumann Distinguished Scholar and the founder of the international climate campaign 350.org.
Over 200 colleges and universities across the country have joined the new fossil fuel divestment campaign that McKibben helped launch last fall with 350.org’s sold-out 21-city “Do The Math” tour. The campaign is modeled on the 1980s campaign to divest from apartheid South Africa.
This November, in response to a surge of student activism at Middlebury, President Ronald Liebowitz revealed that 3.6% of Middlebury’s $900 million endowment is invested in fossil fuels. The President agreed to a formal process to consider divestment that will begin this January.
“Midd Does The Math’ will offer the Middlebury community a chance to engage in a movement that belongs to all of us,” said Greta Neubauer, a student organizer on campus. “We appreciate the administration’s commitment to dialogue and look forward to this conversation yielding a commitment to action.”
Over 700 students, faculty, administrators and community members are expected to attend the Jan 20th Do The Math event at Middlebury. Press are requested to RSVP for the event since organizers expect a sell-out crowd.