Pictures from #showthelove Campaign

During the Students’ Union “Change Your World” week in March 2016 we ran a ‘green heart’ campaign on the SU concourse asking people to sign a green heart calling on the University to #showthelove and divest Shell. More than 150 hearts signed and sent to the Vice Chancellor! Some pictures below and here:

We had a table with lots of info on tar sands, Shell and climate change.

Which had to be extended a bit!

The board was designed to be as colourful and genuinely informative as possible:

And we tried to hone in on everything that’s been achieved elsewhere already!

We had old school campaign badges!

And the obligatory angry whiteboard!

But the overall effect was positive and engaging 🙂

And as a team we certainly had fun! 🙂

All ready to send to the VC!

Victory! UoS Decision

Today the University has announced that their endowment cash is to be invested in an ethical fund free from coal, tar sands, arms companies and tobacco. We have also received assurances from the Vice Chancellor and Finance Director that this does include the sale and re-investment of their remaining direct shareholdings; including that in Shell which was the subject of our ‪#‎showthelove‬ campaign! We are delighted that this means Southampton has now joined a growing list of universities committed to the socially and environmentally responsible investment of their students’ tuition fees.

Kames’ ethical investment fund is a genuinely high quality, “dark green”, investment vehicle and we wholeheartedly support their choice; which ensures that the University does not profit from the dirtiest sources of energy; socially destructive industries or human rights abuses. We would like to thank the University for engaging so warmly and constructively with our campaign and for taking this decision. Particular congratulation must be given to our new Vice Chancellor, Professor Snowden, who has now seen two universities commit to ethical investment under his leadership. Thanks also to our Students’ Union; for voting overwhelmingly to back an end to coal and tar sands investments at Union Council in December last year. Finally, the greatest thanks of all to the student society committees and academic staff who added their names to our first open letter and the more than 150 students who signed and hung green hearts during SUSU’s, “Change Your World”, week.

It is wonderful to see that progress is possible and we send our support and encouragement to the many other divestment campaigns around this country and beyond; who are united in working for a cleaner, safer future. Together, we can beat climate change.