Colorado State University is known around the country for its strides in sustainability.

Emma Klein, a CSU first-year student, grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. She visited Colorado on vacation when she was younger and enjoyed the outdoors and healthy lifestyle that accompanied it. Klein continued to be an environmentally conscious person, and when deciding which school to go to, the sustainability of CSU was appealing.

“(CSU’s sustainability) is honestly why I chose to come here,” Klein said. “I wanted to leave (Illinois), and I was really focused on sustainability. So that’s why I chose to come here opposed to another school and because of the environmental program as well.”

Klein is impressed at the dedication of CSU’s environmental efforts, which is why she was surprised to hear CSU has supported the practice of digging for fossil fuels. According to Divest CSU, a campaign petitioning the university to break its endowment with fossil fuel companies, CSU has invested more than $7 million in fossil fuels.

“It’s contradictory if so many students are coming here to learn about how to better the environment if the school itself is doing the opposite.” -Kyla Wolffe, CSU student

According to a recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world has limited time to take action and reduce carbon emissions to limit the damage caused by climate change. Fossil fuels are the primary source of carbon emissions, and divesting from them is a crucial step toward achieving sustainability. Divestment campaigns have become popular across the United States.

Other divestment campaigns at schools including the University of California system, Cornell University and Georgetown University have successfully convinced their schools to remove fossil fuel funds. Specifically, Divest CSU’s campaign is based on the successful Divest Harvard campaign.

Divest CSU organized a rally to try to get CSU to follow suit. The rally will be an opportunity for students and community members to come together and show their support for divestment. Divest CSU also has a petition to bring attention to the issue that has garnered close to 600 signatures so far.

CSU student Kyla Wolffe is also environmentally conscious and enjoys nature. Upon finding out about CSU’s investment in fossil fuels, she said she found it a bit hypocritical.

“It’s contradictory if so many students are coming here to learn about how to better the environment if the school itself is doing the opposite,” Wolffe said. 

Both Wolffe and Klein said there were better places to allocate those funds. Klein said CSU could put those funds into more sustainable resources. 

“I guess in the regard of investment, sustainable energy is a very forthcoming market,” Klein said. “I’m sure that (CSU) can find wise investments there rather than in fossil fuels if they’re trying to portray themselves like a green school.”

Divest CSU’s rally will take place at 12:30 p.m. on April 27 at the Lory Student Center Plaza.

Reach Fern Clark at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @csucollegian.