The Fossil Free Guelph club on the upcoming referendum and its issues
On March 9, 2016, the Fossil Free Guelph club held a panel discussion about the issues surrounding the upcoming referendum question in the 2016 CSA general elections. This referendum question is about the divestment of university funds from fossil fuel companies.
According to Emily Martin, a member of Fossil Free Guelph, “Divestment is the act of intentionally not investing in something.” Martin continued by saying, “It’s a question of finances and ethics.”
The Fossil Free Guelph club is urging students to participate in the referendum to divest university funds.
“The University of Guelph invested $26 million into the tar sands and other fossil fuel organizations,” said Adrian D’Alessandro—lead organizer of Fossil Free Guelph—when asked about the financial details of the club’s campaign.
“With the support of the student body it gives us more momentum to show this is an important issue,” stated D’Alessandro, in his interview for The Ontarion.
This urge for change comes from both an ethical standpoint and a financial standpoint. The university’s investments in fossil fuels resulted in Guelph losing $9 million as the price of oil declined. It is the norm for institutions to invest into fossil fuels and Guelph has continued to follow the status quo.
With this referendum, students participating in the Fossil Free Guelph movement are hoping to empower other students. They hope to show that Guelph undergraduates want to be a part of a green community and do not support their university investing in fossil fuels.
“The university is directly profiting from this green image which their investments contradict,” said Sarah Rotz, a founding member of Fossil Free Guelph, after asking the audience if the green image of Guelph was a factor in their decision to attend the institution.
Students nodded and raised their hands showing that, when choosing a university, students decided on Guelph partly for its environmentally friendly image. Members of Fossil Free Guelph are trying to make Guelph a greener institution and are urging students, faculty, and board members alike to help change how Guelph invests its money.
“We’re asking the university to think more critically about its investments,” said Martin.
Companies have divested in the past by breaking connections to cigarette companies or arms manufacturing. It is not farfetched to ask the University of Guelph to pull its funding from fossil fuel companies.
The Fossil Free Guelph club hopes to educate as many people as possible and are urging students to vote in the referendum. You can vote and have your voice heard, or you can even join the club and help raise awareness about this issue.
“It sounded like a good way average students could contribute and make a difference,” said Aeryn Ng, a first-year environmental student and new member of Fossil Free Guelph, when asked why she joined the club.
Along with being a leader for the club, D’Alessandro is a sixth-year chemistry and computer science double major at the University of Guelph.
“A lot of people think it’s only arts and environmental science students taking up these issues,” said D’Alessandro.
D’Alessandro said that students from all disciplines can participate in this movement and have their voices heard. The student population has a chance to vote in this referendum March 16 to 18 through their student e-mails.