OAC divestment efforts receive new support

The University's Ozone Action Coalition has recently received a major helping hand in their plight to get the University to divest from members of the Global Climate Coalition when the Public Interest Research Group In Michigan announced last Thursday that they will be supporting the organization.

Brian Imus, campaign director at PIRGIM, announced in a press release that the organization will support the OAC. Later, Imus referred to the 10,000-member organization as an "environmental watchdog."

OAC has been working since September to get the University to divest from GM, Mobil, and Exxon - companies that belong to the GCC.

Imus said that members of the GCC "have been working to stop the Kyoto treaty."

The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty that encourages everyone to reduce global warming. The treaty has not yet been ratified by the U.S. Congress.

OAC organizer Josh Davis said that the backing of PIRGIM will do a lot to help the OAC in its efforts. "More than anything it perfectly exemplifies how important (our) campaign is to the general public."

Davis said that OAC has 1,000 signatures, including 43 from University professors on a petition stating their cause.

OAC has also received recognition by the Michigan Student Assembly. Davis said that they brought a resolution before the Steering Committee of MSA on Sunday and was brought before the entire MSA Tuesday night as a first draft.

Davis said that the amount OAC is asking the University to divest is around $6 million. "The University has 1.3 billion dollars in different stock holdings all across the country." he said. "Six million is a drop in the bucket."

The involvement with OAC is not the only way PIRGIM is making its presence known on college campuses. Imus said they are trying to earn support for the Dirty Jobs Boycott.

Heather Kunst, Dirty Jobs organizer for the midwest explained that the national student project focuses on Ford, BPAmoco, and Coca-Cola - all members of the GCC.

Kunst will be trying to obtain pledges from students not to work at these companies until they withdraw from the GCC.

The companies "need to be held accountable for their horrible environmental records," Kunst said. We have "specific things to ask of each of them."

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