Sheridan student leads campaign against fossil fuel free

The online petition of fossil free campus

STORY BY SATYARTH MISHRA

A Sheridan student is spearheading a campaign to make the college fossil fuel free.

Jenn Mezei says she is part of the Fossil Free Canada campaign started by Bill McKibben, a scientist, who is trying to take money away from energy companies that are not environmental friendly.

“More than 400 institutions across the Canada and United States are now involved in divestment campaigns,” Mezei said.

Some 200 publicly traded companies hold the vast majority of the world’s proven coal, oil and gas reserves. We’re asking our institutions to divest from these companies, the website states.

Many schools and universities are involved in the campaign and students are taking more interest in making campuses fossil fuel free.

According to an article published in Alternative Journal, Canada’s environmental voice, students at McGill University formed Divest McGill in October 2012. The initiative was presented at a school Board of Governors meeting with two petitions and a combined 750 signatures. McGill, which holds a nearly $1-billion endowment, invests about $56 million in publicly traded companies involved in fossil fuel extraction.

“I put the online petition on the page I created for Sheridan College and in upcoming weeks I am setting a table to make students aware,” said Mezei.

Jenn Mezei, working on online petition for fossil free campus

Samantha Cunningham, a Photography student at Trafalgar Campus, signed an online petition and said via email, “I felt that it really needed more depth for a petition. It needs more examples and suggested solutions.

“I know that residence isn’t really associated to Sheridan, but my Res Building is doing a terrible job at being eco-friendly.”

Cunningham said her building is filled with environmental concerns.

“The new Res building has a GIANT calendar on the wall, made of paper, and then each day of the month is its own piece of 8.5 x 11 paper, which gets replaced every month, and on top of that, every floor has paper reminders tacked to the walls,” added Cunningham.

Mezei is happy after getting the support of The Social Justice Club and The Environmental Club at Trafalgar Campus but is still seeking more student support.

“I want our campus to stop investing on those energy companies like tar sands and take an initiative to make fossil fuel free campus,” said Mezei. “As soon as I get more support from students, I will put that issue in front of board members of Sheridan College.”