• Nov 11 Toronto Event: Fossil Fuel Divestment Discussion Panel

    Fossil Free U of T is hosting this panel discussion on fossil fuel divestment as part of Divestment Action Week at U of T.

    Tuesday, November 11 at 6:00pm

    Ramsay Wright Building, Room 143, University of Toronto


    Panelists:
    — Doug Macdonald
    — Jeanne Moffat
    — Jane Ambachtscheer

    Moderated by Katie Krelove

    Organizers: U of T 350.org

  • Nov 22 Toronto Event: Divestment and Ethical Reinvestment

    Divestment 2014 Poster 8.5x11

    Eastminster United Church divested from the fossil fuels industry. You can too!

    Explore the moral, financial and geophysical issues surrounding the growing divestment movement – taking your money out of the fossil fuels industry – and the socially responsible, ethical and green economy investment alternatives available for Families and Individual investors.
    View the documentary “Do the Math” and stay for a Q&A with:

    GUEST PANELISTS:
    Timothy Nash, economics professor and financial planner focusing on socially responsible investing, impact investing, and the green economy

    Sucheta Rajagopal, portfolio manager at Jacob Securities Inc. and member of the Responsible Investment Association.

    PRESENTERS:
    SolarShare and ZooShare

    1:00 – 3:00 pm
    Saturday, November 22, 2014

    Eastminster United Church
    310 Danforth Ave. (near Chester Subway Station)
    416 463-2179 • http://www.eastminsteruc.org

  • Hamilton Spectator Article: “An Exodus from Dirty Oil”

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    “According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. “Canada has a unique role in the global economy with regard to fossil fuels. Some 80 per cent of the world’s oil reserves are held by state-owned companies; that is, countries who have made public ownership of this strategic asset a top priority. Of the remaining global oil reserves, two-thirds are found in Canada, making the country a top destination for private investments.”

     

    Read the full story here:  http://www.thespec.com/opinion-story/4881969-an-exodus-from-dirty-oil-/

  • Fossil Fuel Divestment Hits $50 Billion

    September 22 2014 — “Over 800 global investors have now committed to divest their holdings in fossil fuels. New signatories encompass a broad diversity of sectors and regions— including foundations, individuals, faith groups, health care organizations, cities and universities around the world. Their pledge was revealed at a news conference in New York today, and will be presented tomorrow at the United Nations Climate Summit where over 120 world leaders will gather.

    A leading advocate of the movement, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, called on institutions and people of conscience to divest in a video recorded for the
    announcement: “Climate change is the human rights challenge of our time. We can no longer continue feeding our addiction to fossil fuels as if there is no tomorrow, for there will be no tomorrow.” He called for a freeze on all new fossil fuel exploration as the companies cannot safely burn 75% of known reserves.
    The fossil free Divest-Invest movement has grown explosively since its launch three years ago. Today’s announcement includes over 650 individuals and 180 institutions, including 50 new foundations added to the 17 who pledged in January. Together these institutions hold over $50 billion in total assets. Signers pledge to divest from fossil fuels over five years, taking a variety of approaches.
    The foundations announced today include the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, whose original endowment comes from wealth generated in the Standard Oil Company. The Fund will be divested first from coal and tar sands by the end of this year, with more to come thereafter.”
    For the full Sept 22 2014 press release from the global Divest/Invest coalition, click here.
  • Archbishop Tutu calls for an end to fossil fuel dependence

    Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has called on delegates attending next week’s United Nations Climate Summit in New York to take the first tangible steps to move humanity beyond the fossil fuel era.

    “We are on the cusp of a global transition to a new safe energy economy, a transition that unites people in common purpose, advances collective wellbeing and ensures the survival of our species,” he said.

    In a video statement posted on the website of the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation (www.tutu.org.za), the Archbishop describes the summit as a decisive moment in the struggle to maintain God’s earth – “a moment that demands unprecedented collective action”.

    Noting that the most devastating effects of increasing global carbon emissions are visited on the poor, and that the climate crisis had become the global human rights challenge of our time, the Archbishop proposed a four-step agenda to free humanity of its dependence on coal, gas and oil.

    (1) Freeze further exploration for new fossil sources, and use exploration budgets to develop renewable energy solutions;
    (2) Hold those responsible for climate damages accountable by making them pay for the damage they cause;
    (3) Encourage governments to stop accepting funding from the fossil fuel industry, and;
    (4) Divest from fossil fuel companies, and invest in a clean energy future that benefits the world’s majority.

    “The United Nations deserves the highest kudos for its leadership over the past 30 years on crucial human rights and developmental issues,” Archbishop Tutu said.

    But the UN could only be as powerful as its constituent parts – nations and people. Its capacity to take tangible action was entirely dependent on the will of individual governments and leaders who felt genuinely torn between short-term economic and political pressures, and long-term survival.

    “We can no longer tinker about the edges. We can no longer continue feeding our addiction to fossil fuels as if there is no tomorrow. For there will be no tomorrow…

    “My prayer is that humankind takes its first tangible steps in New York, in September 2014, to move beyond the Fossil Fuel Era. It is a matter of conscience, a matter of faith, and indeed, a matter of our continued existence,” Archbishop Tutu said.

    Ends…

    Issued for the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation by Oryx Media.

    To view the full statement visit www.tutu.org.za, or follow the Tutu Legacy Foundation on Twitter (@TutuLegacy)

  • Oct. 21 Hamilton, ON Event: Fossil Fuel Divestment Forum

    Greening Sacred Spaces Hamilton is hosting a fossil fuel divestment forum on October 21st @ 6pm

    Forum Speakers are:

    • Jane Ambachtsheer, Partner and Global Head of Responsible Investment, Mercer
    • Tim Nash, Sustainable Economist, Toronto
    • Don Mclean, Hamilton 350

    Tuesday, 21st of October at Westdale United Church (99 North Oval, Hamilton).
    Doors open at 6pm
    Event starts at 6.30 pm.

    To reserve your place, contact Beatrice Ekwa Ekoko: bekoko@faith-commongood.net, 905 549 090

    (The evening will also include the presentation of Green Sacred Space awards to 2 congregations: Westdale United Church & Meadowlands Fellowship Christian Reformed Church.)

    GSS Hamilton is a joint program of Faith and the Common Good and Environment Hamilton to assist faith communities in taking practical actions towards a more sustainable and energy efficient place of worship and to educate members of the community about ecological issues.

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