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Last fall, I became aware of the work of the Carleton Responsible Investment Committee and the CRIC Report on Divestment of September, 2015. Being rather passionate about our living space on this earth, I was exceedingly disappointed to read the Carleton Board of Trustees’ response to the September CRIC report on divestment. Because of the trustees’ inaction regarding divestment from the fossil fuel industry, only after significant consideration, I have decided to “wash my hands” from contributing to the destruction of the habitable environment of this earth by suspending my contributions to an organization that, in part, invests in and profits from the destruction of our earth’s atmosphere and habitable living space on earth.

I have submitted this article to the Carletonian in order to remind the students at Carleton College of the significant number of alumni who are similarly disappointed with the inaction of Carleton’s Trustees, have contacted Divest Carleton, and diverted their contributions to the college into the Carleton College Fossil Free Fund, a reserve fund that will only be delivered to the college upon its divestment from companies that profit from the destruction of the Earth’s habitable environment.

Dear President Poskanzer and Carleton community,

It is with profound disappointment that I write to the president of my alma mater and to the Carleton community after reading the recommendation of the CRIC Report on Divestment of September, 2015 and the response to this recommendation published earlier this month by the Board of Trustees. Please let me detail my disappointment in the shortsightedness of this decision of the Trustees.

In the Board of Trustee’s report, I read “We believe that reducing the universe of possible investments will have a negative impact on long-term investment returns.” With the wealth of investment opportunities available on the marketplace today, I feel that limiting investment portfolios to those companies not directly involved in the destructive change of the earth’s climate need not have a negative financial impact on the college’s endowment. I have limited my retirement investment substantially by investing only in companies whose business practice I consider socially responsible divesting from producers of all dirty fuels, as well as companies who manufacture military arms, and other industries of my choice. Yet, despite this limitation on my portfolio, my investments have outperformed the S&P 500 stock market average consistently for 15 years! This was done without the input, for which the college must pay, of any financial professionals.

As a trained scientist, I do not have any doubt that investment in fossil fuels is harmful for life on earth. The vast majority of climate scientists (a number of whom are Carleton grads and even friends of mine) agree that the use of fossil fuels is the primary driver of global warming. As trained a theologian, I know that investment in companies that profit from this destruction is both unethical and immoral. Most followers of almost every religious tradition, having considered this issue carefully, would agree with this assessment. Apparently, Union Theological Seminary also agrees: their trustees recently voted unanimously to begin divesting the school’s entire $108.4 million endowment from fossil fuels. This school’s President, Serene Jones, has called the irresponsible investment in the fossil fuel industry “sinful.”