NC State was ranked 42nd on the Princeton Review’s 2018 “Top 50 Green Colleges” List! Public transportation is provided by the Wolfline bussing system to cut down on vehicle emissions, and students often utilize lime-bikes and bird scooters. The University boasts over 20,000 square feet of minimum LEED Silver Certified architecture, encourages recycling and composting, has made the switch to biodegradable paper straws and cups in many locations and offers a variety of environmental science majors and studies for students.
42nd place out of 648 institutions seems like a pretty impressive feat; however, there are some colossal sustainability issues at NC State that remain unaddressed but are deemed less important by the Princeton Review. Despite many humble efforts to increase sustainability on campus, there are massive financial issues looming overhead that the University has yet to correct.
NC State’s Endowment Fund is currently running at about $1 billion. Right now, up to five percent of this fund is being invested in the fossil fuel industry. Fossil fuel is wreaking havoc on the environment, as shown by the IPCC special report finalized in October, and the National Climate Assessment released by the federal government in November.
Furthermore, in 2016, NC State’s Endowment Fund shrank by two percent, largely due to losses in the energy sector. It is unwise for NC State to be supporting an industry that causes environmental damage and has proven to be an inefficient expenditure.
The Climate Reality Project at NC State, a group of students who actively seek to improve the University’s impact on the planet, supports the divestment of fossil fuels and encourages the utilization of other forms of clean energy on campus.
Our organization believes this money would be better invested in an environmentally and socially responsible fund. Such an investment strategy would not be new to the NC State administration — there is already a small portion of the endowment invested in an ESG (environmental, social and governance) fund, which has lately been outperforming the traditional investment fund.
Students can take action by signing The Climate Reality Project’s online petition to show their support for divestment. It is important for the administration to see that students want this issue to be resolved. Students should ensure that our university’s money is being put to good use and supporting causes that align with NC State’s imperative to protect the environment.
Even though NC State earned an impressive ranking from the Princeton Review in 2018, students should continue to strive for increased environmental protection by pushing for divestment in the fossil fuel industry. I am proud of the small changes the University has made, but I hope that in the future the biggest threats to environmental safety and health are addressed and that a ranking can reflect a true commitment to environmental health.
Katie Ellis is a first-year studying political science and agroecology and a member of the Climate Reality Project at NC State.
