As a member of Environmental Consciousness Outreach (ECO), I would like to thank everyone who voted in support of our wind power referendum last Wednesday ("ECO measure passes with 88 percent approval," April 27). This makes a strong statement that Tufts students support a clean energy future, and now it is up to the administration to act accordingly. If Tufts purchases wind power, it will go a long way towards reducing the negative environmental and health impacts associated with conventional fossil fuel forms of energy.
However, although purchasing clean, renewable energy is important, we must also keep in mind that our university's endowment may be invested in the very fossil fuel corporations that contribute to environmental degradation and climate change. We have no way of knowing this, since Tufts currently does not require its money-managers to disclose the exact nature of their investments. I am currently working on a campaign about these issues with support from EnviroCitizen, an environmental non-profit. Tufts must leverage its financial power to steer corporations in more sustainable directions, thus ensuring that its endowment is not being used to support destructive practices. This can only enhance the university's current reputation as a social and environmental leader.
Aditya Nochur
LA '07
