UCSB Faculty Call On Mayor to Support Fossil Fuel Divestment

Additionally, they request that she publicly state that she supports recent fossil fuel divestment efforts on the UCSB and SBCC campuses, and that she encourage other local institutions to divest as well.

See the letter, delivered to her office on May 15, 2013, below:

May 15, 2013

Dear Mayor Helene Schneider,

We are a group of UCSB faculty in support of the fossil fuel divestment campaigns sweeping universities, cities, churches and other institutions right now. There have been resolutions passed by both the UCSB and SBCC student senates to have their campuses divest from the fossil fuel industry and there is a campaign now among faculty at UCSB to call on our faculty Legislature to do the same.

Some of us have been in contact with organizers from the group 350 Santa Barbara who say they have been in communication with you about fossil fuel divestment. It is our understanding that you told them the city of Santa Barbara divested long ago. We think it would make a strong statement to publicly state that the city has already divested and will not invest in any fossil fuel companies in the future, and that you support these recent campus divestment initiatives, and that you hope other local institutions will consider divesting as well. It is in the interest of the economy, the public’s health and general welfare, and our globally shared environment that we support these divestment initiatives wherever they may continue cropping up.

Great changes start with small steps. Please join us in taking those steps now. The whole world is waiting.

Sincerely,

John Foran, Sociology

Harold Marcuse, History

Paul Spickard, Asian-American Studies

David Lopez-Carr, Geography

Greg Mohr, Environmental Studies

Casey Walsh, Anthropology

David Cleveland, Environmental Studies

Aashish Mehta, Global & Int St

Celia Alario, Environmental Studies

Chris Newfield, English