OUR PROGRESS
The campaign for divestment from fossil fuels at Princeton began in 2013, inspired by the decision to divest from companies operating in Darfur and the long campaign for divestment from companies supporting apartheid in South Africa.
-
In accordance with the process for divestment established by Princeton, our divestment proposal was submitted to the Resources Committee in February 2020.
-
The Resources Committee presented its recommendations to the Board of Trustees on May 10, 2021
-
the Board announced its decision on May 27, 2021.
-
Divest Princeton published its response on May 28,2021.
-
On September 20, 2021 President Eisgruber announced his plans for a new process for "Fossil Fuel Dissociation".
Princeton has fallen far short of the mark and we are continuing the fight to ensure that Princeton no longer funds the climate crisis.
Anand Giridharadas speaks at SPIA and responds to a question from Divest Princeton saying "“It’s particularly egregious, then, when institutions in that place don’t exert power. I think what a lot of these (divestment campaigners) are raising is: if not a Harvard, or a Yale, or a Princeton, then who?”
February 10th, 2021
January 18, 2021
Co-coordinator of the growing Divest Princeton movement Anna Hiltner ’23 sits down for a conversation about what lies ahead for her organization. This Orange Table podcast also discusses the intersections of black activism and environmentalism.
Divest Princeton hosts an update and Q and A featuring the most frequently asked question and doubts about fossil fuel divestment for students and alumni.
January 21, 2021
February, 2021
February 26, 2021
Rep. John Sarbanes '84 endorses Divest Princeton.
Senator Jeff Merkley *82 endorses Divest Princeton.
February 2, 2021
Divest Princeton hosts its second Alumni Session: Why Divesting is a Good Investment Strategy featuring 3 alumni speakers.
February 23, 2021
February 16, 2021
Divest Princeton hosts Varshini Prakash, founder of the Sunrise Movement.
February 22, 2021
Annamie Paul *01, Leader of the Green Party of Canada, endorses Divest Princeton.
Divest Princeton hosts its first movie screening "The Sacrifice Zone" about environmental injustice in Newark, New Jersey.
February 27, 2021
February 7- 9, 2021
Power and Money at Princeton: What we see and what we don’t
The Daily Princetonian publishes a three part series by guest contributors from Divest Princeton about donations and power at Princeton.
March 22, 2021
CPUC Meeting - the Resources Committee presents preliminary findings with recommendations to be delivered on May 3 at the next CPUC meeting
Interview with Steven Donziger - the human rights lawyer who took on Chevron
April 15, 2021
April 24, 2021
Denial is Delay - socially distanced rally with masks attended by over 100 people
The Board of Trustees announces its decision to move ahead with "selective dissociation". No timelines are given and a new committee is to be created.
May 27, 2021
May 10, 2021
CPUC Resources Committee publishes the report it sent to the Trustees.
Resources Committee presents Powerpoint of recommendations to the CPUC
May 3, 2021
May 28, 2021
Divest Princeton published its response on May 28,2021. Princeton has fallen far short of the mark and we are continuing the fight to ensure that Princeton no longer funds the climate crisis.
Divest Princeton asks the administration a series of questions about the next steps and asks to be involved in this new phase for which there is no procedure on the CPUC website.
June 23, 2021
September 20, 2021
In person CPUC meeting held at 4:30 pm. Agenda includes "Update on principles and process to govern dissociation": faculty panel is announced which will give recommendations to a new committee which will then report back to the Trustees.
As the remnants of Hurricane Ida moved into the northeast, students and staff on campus are told to shelter in basements because of tornado warnings. Basements around campus flooded, as was predicted by the flash flooding warnings. At least 25 people were killed in New Jersey.
September 1, 2021
June 29, 2021
The administration responds: "The administrative process to implement the dissociation actions approved by the Board of Trustees will be expert driven and accountable to the Board. Members of the Princeton community, including Divest Princeton, can remain engaged and updated on the process and its progress through the CPUC."
Global Climate Strike and Divestment Rally at Princeton in front of Nassau Hall
12:30 - 4:30 pm
September 24, 2021
.png)
September 10, 2021
Harvard University announces
full divestment from fossil fuels.
October 27, 2021
The Andlinger Centre invites e-filliates partner ExxonMobil along with Dow and Occidental Petroleum to speak at their annual conference. Divest Princeton protests outside and asks questions that go unanswered inside.
_edited.jpg)
_edited.jpg)
September, 2021
Boston University, the MacArthur Foundation and Canada's second largest pension fund announce full divestment.
The University of Aberdeen, The University of Minnesota, Dartmouth College, Loyola University Chicago, Reed College, The University of Toronto, California State University and Vassar College announce full divestment.
The Ford Foundation announces full divestment.
The largest pension fund in the Netherlands announces full divestment.
Divest Princeton's Open Letter is signed by more than 2500 Princetonians.
October, 2021
Hannah Reynolds' Op Ed is published by The Nation: What Will It Take for Princeton to Finally Take Bold Climate Action?
October 27, 2021
November 14, 2020
Divest Princeton hosts the first Alumni Session featuring Prof. Michael Oppenheimer and alumni climate leaders Tom Leyden '77, Tessa Kaneene '06 and Audrey Lee *07. Watch the video here.
Divest Princeton hosts a conversation with climate activists Fernando Cazares *04 and Veronica Coptis.
November 19, 2020
November 23-25, 2020
USG Referendum on divestment from fossil fuels passes with 82% of the vote. Read the question here. 17 of 19 candidates endorse divestment.
The 145th Editorial Board of The Daily Princetonian endorses divestment from fossil fuels.
November 23, 2020
January, 2021
Divest Princeton stickers arrive on campus along with students for in-person second term.
November 8, 2021
The CPUC holds another in-person meeting and an update is given on the "dissociation process". Divest Princeton members attend wearing green and holding up signs demanding full divestment. Multiple students ask why no students are involved with the Faculty Panel or the Administrative Committee and are told that "world leaders" are taking care of the process.
.jpg)
Divest Princeton launches the survey Energy Research & Fossil Fuel Funding at Princeton.
October 27, 2021
1500 signatures!
Signatures of the open letter to President Eisgruber urging divestment and pledging to withhold donations surpass 1500. Over 40 campus organization publicly endorse divestment as well as over 45 faculty and staff and numerous community and climate supporters.
October, 2020
Divest Princeton hosts a conversation with alumnus and environmental VC Rohit Gawande '11. Watch the video here.
October 20, 2020
Fall Term commences virtually because of the global pandemic.
August, 2020
The Resources Committee has a follow up meeting with Divest Princeton at the end of July, 2020.
July 29, 2020
A Resources Committee report, summarizing 2019-2020 activities, will be available on their website by May 29.
May 29, 2020
Divest Princeton hosts a virtual conversation about Princeton's duty to divest from fossil fuels during the University's first ever online Reunions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Speakers include Bob Massie '78, Rebecca Goldburg '80, and Anna Liebowitz '09. Watch the replay here.
May 29, 2020
The Resources Committee meets for its "initial review of the proposal."
March 10, 2020
The Resources Committee meets with staff from the Princeton University Office of Sustainability to "learn more about their action plan and to seek additional information to their objective to achieve carbon neutrality by 2046."
April 17, 2020
Divest Princeton launches its website. Within days, 100 more Princetonians pledge to withhold donations until Princeton divests from fossil fuels.
April 28, 2020
The Resources Committee meets privately to discuss the proposal and decided "its next step would be to meet with members of Divest Princeton, and continue meeting as a committee over the summer."
May 1, 2020
The CPUC holds a public meeting in which the Chair of the Resources Committee, Professor Blair Schoene (Geosciences), reports that the committee's review of the proposal was still in the beginning stages and outlines next steps. Professor Schoene also responds to questions from students and alumni about 1) why remaining invested in fossil fuels was not a political act in itself, and 2) why Princeton had previously decided to divest from companies operating in apartheid South Africa and Darfur.
May 4, 2020
Polls close for the 2020 Alumni Trustee Election. If the Resources Committee recommends divestment, the Board of Trustees will make the final decision. Check out this year’s candidates here. Unlike Yale and Harvard, Princeton trustee candidates are not allowed to voice their opinion on issues pertaining to the University while running for election: How are Princeton alumni supposed to make educated voting choices?
May 20, 2020
February 22, 2020
At Princeton’s annual Alumni Weekend, Divest Princeton students present the divestment proposal and answer questions. Alumni share their reasons for supporting divestment and sign up to join the campaign. Bob Massie '78 speaks.
February 13, 2020
Divest Princeton releases an Open Letter to President Eisgruber, titled "No Donations Until Divestment". Over 900 current and future alumni, faculty, and other members of the Princeton community have signed.
October 20, 2019
Divest Princeton protests during President Eisgruber’s opening address at the Princeton Environmental Forum, putting divestment on the agenda, with multiple faculty and alumni panelists supporting our efforts and calling on the university to divest.
October 24, 2019
On Fossil Fuel Divestment Day, Divest Princeton joins with peers at over 60 universities to protest university investments in fossil fuel companies and submit a proposal for divestment to the Resources Committee. Divest Princeton members read aloud the proposal in front of Frist Center all day before marching to Nassau Hall.
September 20, 2019
Over 600 Princeton students, faculty, and community members participate in a climate strike. Participants rallied in Hinds Plaza and marched across campus to stand in solidarity with protesters around the world, demanding immediate and just action on the climate crisis.
The Princeton Student Climate Initiative (PSCI) passes a USG referendum with 95 percent voter approval in favor of counting Scope III emissions, which includes the university’s investments (42% of undergraduates voted in the referendum which was record turnout).
April 2019
March 24, 2016
Princeton Sustainable Investment Initiative (PSII) proposes and co-sponsors a Whig-Clio Senate Debate on the merits of fossil fuel divestment. The pro-divestment side “wins” a spirited debate.
March 28, 2016
Princeton Sustainable Investment Initiative (PSII) launches a new divestment petition, which garners over 500 signatures.
March 10, 2016
Princeton Sustainable Investment Initiative (PSII) develops a new proposal for University divestment from fossil fuels and writes a new op-ed for the Prince, stating a renewed proposal for University divestment.
Princeton Sustainable Investment Initiative (PSII) students meet with the Resources Committee.
March 3, 2015
The Resources Committee, then-chaired by Professor Marc Fleurbaey, declines to recommend divestment to the Princeton University Board of Trustees. Read their full response, their 2014-15 Annual Report, and the memos from President Christopher Eisgruber and Andy Golden, president of PRINCO, that strongly influenced the outcome.
May 1, 2015
About 45 students rise in silent protest, holding signs, as Chair Fleurbaey announces the Resources Committee decision at a CPUC meeting.
May 4, 2015
Princeton Sustainable Investment Initiative (PSII) celebrates Global Divestment Day with tabling and a photo campaign.
February 13, 2015
Princeton Sustainable Investment Initiative (PSII) submits a formal proposal to the CPUC Resources Committee, ultimately gathering over 1,600 signatures from the Princeton community as well as endorsements by 18 campus groups.
December 10, 2014
November 20, 2014
Princeton Sustainable Investment Initiative (PSII) develops a proposal to incorporate environmental responsibility into the University’s management of the endowment - of which divestment is a component - and ramps up its campaign.
Spring 2014
Students United for a Responsible Global Environment (SURGE) and Princeton Sustainable Investment Initiative (PSII) organize the attendance of over 100 students, alumni, and faculty at the People’s Climate March in NYC.
September 21, 2014
Students United for a Responsible Global Environment (SURGE) circulates a petition for Princeton to divest its holdings in fossil fuels companies, gathering 576 signatures by October of that year.
February 26 2013
Students United for a Responsible Global Environment (SURGE) co-sponsors a panel on Energy, the Environment and Endowment Investing at The Princeton Association of New York City. David Crane '81, CEO of NRG Energy, Professor Michael Oppenheimer, Professor Peter Singer, and Randall A. Hack '72, former PRINCO president, spoke; Carl Ferenbach '63 served as the moderator.
October 2, 2013
Princeton University acts to "prevent future investment in companies complicit in genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan" after determining that there was "'considerable, thoughtful and sustained' campus interest in the Darfur conflict and widespread consensus that action should be taken." Read the Resources Committee’s full recommendation here.
June 2006
The Resources Committee meets with Divest Princeton.
June 29, 2020
This year’s Annual Giving campaign ends. Princeton alumni will likely receive more emails, mail, and calls in the weeks leading up to this date - tell them you can’t donate until Princeton divests from fossil fuels. If you are interested in contributing to higher education otherwise, check out this list of organizations recommended by Princeton alumni working in higher education.
June 30, 2020
Divest Princeton hosts a virtual conversation with Dr. Ben Franta about fossil fuel funded research at universities, in light of the renewal of the Exxon-Andlinger partnership. Watch the replay here.
July 9, 2020
Divest Princeton hosts a conversation with Stephen Heintz, President and CEO of the philanthropic Rockefeller Brothers Fund, to discuss the Fund's evolution from oil money repository to model of fossil fuel divestment. Since the Fund's decision to divest in 2014, it has surpassed expectations with its increasingly sustainable investment portfolio. Professor Rob Nixon will moderate. Watch the replay here.
July 15, 2020
Divest Princeton hosts a talk with Shannon Osaka '17. Now an environmental journalist at Grist, Shannon Osaka ‘17 brings a unique lens to the Princeton divestment campaign because she was on the Resources Committee, a key body in the decision making process. Osaka’s writing has also appeared in WIRED, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Rolling Stone & Slate.
July 24, 2020
January 1987
Divest Princeton hosts a conversation with author and environmentalist Bill McKibben. Watch the video here.