What ONE THING will you do this week? Here are some suggestions:
1. Actions at the Companies
Visit profiteering CORPORATIONS to get their attention and to raise public awareness. Do they have offices or facilities near you? They care about their reputations, and they have deep relationships with the government and its purse strings.
Note: For all of these ideas, one of the most important ways to have an impact is to try and get press or media coverage of the action! For sample press releases and other publicity resources see our media tools here!
See what actions are already planned here: warheadstowindmills.org/action-calendar and email [email protected] to add your event!
Whatever you choose to do, ask yourself: What makes this effective as well as fun? Am I working in coordination with others? Are my facts accurate? Is my behavior nonviolent? Do I have plans to follow up?
Leafleting Gas Stations
You can have a stand out at a gas station, leafletting to customers and the community about boycotting the big corporations. The biggest lobbyers may own most of the big gas station brands but there are alternative options! Let the customers know what Big Oil is doing to their community and how they can have an impact.
Gas station owners are often approached by other brands to make a switch. You can make the ask too! This is something gas stations were able to do during the Shell boycott during the 1980s. If they are not able to make a switch due to contractual or other business obligations, ask them to take a pledge to not renew their current branding deal with Big Oil when it expires. Ask the gas station owners directly what the terms of their deal are, and try to work with them to support them in disaffiliating.
Research your local gas stations to let people know about better alternatives in your area. For Example, in Massachusetts, Pride and Big Y Express may be better options to avoid Big Oil and their congressional influence.
You can use this leaflet below, or make your own!
Standouts, Vigils, Demonstrations
Standouts at company locations or local gas stations, with cohesive signs and banners, can help engage the rest of the community, informing them of the work the Climate Crisis Profiteers are doing. Make it clear that they are unwelcome in the community and we want a transition to renewable energy.
If there is a proposed project for new fossil fuel infrastructure in your area you can also organize protests against it’s development.
More Creative Actions
In addition to being present with banners, signs and leaflets, you may want to consider more creative ideas, such as a die-in, using crime scene tape or other forms of street theater or stunts to draw attention. The more creative you are, the more likely you are to attract local media. You can also use photos and videos to share on social media.
Civil Disobedience Disruptions
There are many ways you can protest at company sites and gas stations without risking arrest. And if the police come and tell you that you are on private property, you can always move. But if you really want media attention, there is nothing more powerful than nonviolent civil disobedience. This can involve blocking the entrances to the companies, staging a sit-in at their office and refusing to leave, or performing other acts of civil disobedience that are clearly illegal. These kinds of actions require a lot of planning and preparation. You need to know the risks and the potential consequences if you are performing civil disobedience, and it is always best to be part of a group, to get proper training, and to have a legal observer present.
Some examples of creative civil disobedience:
For advice and further resources on civil disobedience and the law, see:
https://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/what-can-the-police-arrest-you-for-at-a-protest.html
Find Your Nearest Fossil Fuel Profiteer:
2. Contact the Companies:
If you are unable to get out to an action at the companies, you can still put the pressure on! Campaigning virtually with letters, emails, and calls to the companies or with concentrated comments on their social media pages can be an effective tool to make the companies feel the pressure.
Alongside the in person actions, it is important to make sure the companies feel pressure from all sides on these days of action. We especially want concentrated efforts to write letters, spam their social media, and call them on each company’s Day of Action. See Calendar for more information about what is going on on each day.
Use these ideas and the tools below to put the pressure on!
Check the facilities near you on the map above; we may have local contact information to streamline your process!
Letter Writing Campaign
Using the tools below, anyone can easily send letters or emails to the corporate headquarters and CEOs of the fossil fuel corporations.
Each company below has a sample letter written specifically about their work and lobbying in the industry. For each company you can click the blue button to send that letter through your email, or use the sample letter drop down to view the full message and send a physical letter.
This is a great easy activity you can do from your home and ask your friends to do as well!
AND you can step it up by holding a letter writing hour in your community. Maybe you can print out some of the sample letters and table in your community with stamps and envelopes, getting the community involved in the message to these corporate profiteers
You can also host a virtual letter writing hour with your group to send an email to the Profiteers.
If you can host an in person letter writing event, it would be extra effective to target a company/ local facility in your area or state. Check the map above to find the addresses of the corporations near you.
Fossil Fuel Corporation Template letters:
https://warheadstowindmills.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FF-Letters.zip
Stigmatize on Social Media
Take to social media to stigmatize these profiteering corporations! Criticize their work publicly, shame them and pile on the pressure to leave these deadly industries. Tweet at them! Leave comments on their Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages! Tag them in your own posts!
You can tailor your comments to specific work or posts of the companies or use some of our more generic samples below.
We want these companies to be constantly confronted with the ugly truth of their work. Everyone who goes to their pages should see our messages. We want to ruin their corporate reputations and make everyone confront the truth of what they are doing
You can do this alone OR make an event out of this by bringing your group or community together for an hour of concentrated spamming to shame these profiteers! This will be more likely to get noticed by the companies and the general public!
Be sure to use the #PressuretheProfiteers hashtag so we can see it and amplify your message!
Sample Comments:
See more examples and inspiration, including how to use the company’s slogan against them in our SHAME TOOLKIT!
The world is moving towards a sustainable future, but [Insert FF Company] remains entrenched in the fossil fuel industry. How can you continue to profit from environmental destruction when the planet desperately needs leadership in clean energy and sustainability?
[Insert FF Company]’s financial gain from fossil fuels reflects a disturbing level of greed and disregard for the planet. How do you justify making money from activities that are accelerating climate change and causing widespread devastation?
[Insert FF Company], your role in the fossil fuel industry showcases a blatant disregard for the environment and public health. Do you have no remorse for pushing the planet towards irreversible damage?
Phone Banking
You can also call these corporations and try to talk to someone live about your demands. This pathway may be the most difficult to pursue with these big companies. But, if you can get through their phone tree, it could be the most impactful. Try to have a conversation with whoever you reach about the dangers of nuclear weapons and fossil fuels, and how they could be putting their energy to better use.
It may be more effective to call smaller local branches if you can and reach the corporations as concerned community members.
A coordinated hour with a group to bombard the company with calls and complaints can be especially effective at making them feel the pressure.
Write to the Newspaper
Another way to reach the company, and to do so in the public eye to gain attention from the community, is to write letters to the editor. Letters to the editor are often the most read part of the paper, and small, local newspapers especially are more likely to publish submissions. They are generally in response to a recent article or event. If you have a fossil fuel plant, a pipeline project, or other similar infrastructure in your area, then you have a good hook to get the attention of your community.
Getting letters to the editor about taking action against the fossil fuel industry, the need to stop burning fossil fuels immediately, and the power these companies have over congress with their money and influence is a great way to get others in your community involved in the movement and build momentum for the campaign. It is also likely the companies themselves will see your letter.
Use the template below to get started!
Letter to the Editor
Contact [YOUR NAME, EMAIL, ADDRESS, AND PHONE]
I [APPRECIATED / DIDN’T AGREE WITH] the article [“NAME OF ARTICLE,” DATE PUBLISHED], because [WHY].
Why are we still burning fossil fuels like it’s not wrecking the climate and endangering our very lives? Why do we tolerate the existence of nuclear weapons that could wipe us all out in an afternoon?
Follow the money. The top companies that profit from fossil fuels and nuclear weapons spend millions of dollars lobbying Congress, funding campaigns, sponsoring climate-denying and nuclear “deterrence” think tanks, and feeding lies to the media, and in return they get billions of dollars’ worth of profits from petroleum-friendly policies.
During the two “weeks of action” September 16-29, I’m using the warheadstowindmills.org website to pressure the profiteers. We can all divest, boycott, stigmatize, protest, and contact the companies directly. We can all demand that our legislators take much bolder action than ever before – which will be more effective if the profiteers who fund their campaigns are feeling the pressure too.
Use the tools below to contact the fossil fuel profiteers.
- Click the button to edit and send a prewritten email to the CEO. MAKE SURE YOU EDIT YOUR SIGNATURE
- Click the social media links to leave a comment on their page. Samples in the “Social Media Campaign” drop down
- Use the “sample letter” drop down and their US headquarters address to send a physical letter
- Check if you are financially involved in the main U.S. investors with the “Main US Investors” drop down.
- Know what products and brands to boycott with the “Boycotting” drop down
Tell them: NO MONEY FOR FOSSIL FUELS!
CEO: Wael Sawan
Shell Technology Center Houston
3333 Highway 6 South
Houston, TX 77082-3101
Sample letter
Dear Mr. Sawan,
You claim to support the Paris Climate Agreement and plan to achieve net-zero emissions within your own operations by 2050. Yet you continue to invest in new drilling and fossil fuel infrastructure, with no end in sight. And last year, you spent nearly 8 million dollars on lobbying the US Congress. So we know you have influence and could be using it to further internationally agreed climate goals.
The continued burning of fossil fuels poses an existential threat to the planet. It must be stopped. Your company needs to be at the forefront of making this transition as swift and effective as possible.
Investors and financial institutions representing trillions of dollars in assets have already divested from fossil fuels. Global public condemnation and reputational risk will continue to drive more companies to leave the industry. It might be beneficial, for both profit and survival, to convert your remaining resources to effective climate solutions.
I intend to ensure that I have no funds invested in your company, and I will not buy products or services from you until you use your enormous power and influence on Congress and the White House to end this addiction to fossil fuels.
I will be urging my city and state to do the same. Likewise all of my community, like my bank, hospital, investment firm, insurance provider, pension fund, faith community, local businesses, hospital, college, etc.
Yours sincerely,
Main US Investors
If you do business with any of these companies consider reaching out to them about divesting from fossil fuels. Or you can move your money! Learn more here.
- Vanguard
- Blackrock
- SSgA Funds Management, Inc.
- State Street Global Advisors
- Geode Capital Management
Boycotting
Shell sells it gas under the Shell brand name, but also reputedly supplies gas to a number of other gas stations, including Stop & Shop, Ranger, and Circle K. It sells a range of motor oils and other lubricants under the brand names Pennzoil, Quaker State, and Rotella. It also owns the Jiffy Lube car repair franchise.
CEO: Mark Lashier
Phillips 66
P.O. Box 421959
Houston, TX 77242-1959
Head of Executive and External Communications: Thaddeus Herrick
Sample letter
Dear Mr. Lashier,
You recently released your latest sustainability report and claim to be working to reduce emissions. Yet you continue full speed ahead with your core business of manufacturing, marketing and transporting petroleum products.
The continued burning of fossil fuels poses an existential threat to the planet. It must be stopped. Your company needs to be at the forefront of making this transition as swift and effective as possible.
Investors and financial institutions representing trillions of dollars in assets have already divested from fossil fuels. Global public condemnation and reputational risk will continue to drive more companies to leave the industry. It might be beneficial, for both profit and survival, to convert your remaining resources to effective climate solutions.
Last year, you spent nearly 6 million dollars on lobbying the US Congress. So we know you have influence and could be using it to further internationally agreed climate goals.
I intend to ensure that I have no funds invested in your company, and I will not buy products or services from you until you use your enormous power and influence on Congress and the White House to end this addiction to fossil fuels.
I will be urging my city and state to do the same. Likewise all of my community, like my bank, hospital, investment firm, insurance provider, pension fund, faith community, local businesses, hospital, college, etc.
Yours sincerely,
Main US Investors
If you do business with any of these companies consider reaching out to them about divesting from fossil fuels. Or you can move your money! Learn more here.
- Vanguard Group
- Blackrock
- State Street Corp
- Wells Fargo
- Geode Capital Management
- Barclays PLC
- Morgan Stanley
Boycotting
Phillips 66 operates gas stations under the Phillips 66, Conoco, and 76 brand names. It also owns Kendall and Redline motor oils and Guardol and Versatrans lubricants. Chevron Phillips Chemical, which is jointly owned by Chevron and Phillips 66, produces polyethylene and other plastics for use in packaging and other products.
CEO: Murray Auchincloss
North American headquarters
501 Westlake Park Boulevard
Houston TX, 77079-2696, US
CEO email: [email protected]
US Media: [email protected]
Sample letter
Dear Mr. Auchincloss,
In your latest sustainability report, you claim to be working to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement. Yet you continue full speed ahead with your core business of manufacturing, marketing and transporting petroleum products.
The continued burning of fossil fuels poses an existential threat to the planet. It must be stopped. Your company needs to be at the forefront of making this transition as swift and effective as possible.
Investors and financial institutions representing trillions of dollars in assets have already divested from fossil fuels. Global public condemnation and reputational risk will continue to drive more companies to leave the industry. It might be beneficial, for both profit and survival, to convert your remaining resources to effective climate solutions.
I intend to ensure that I have no funds invested in your company, and I will not buy products or services from you until you use your enormous power and influence on Congress and the White House to end this addiction to nuclear weapons.
I will be urging my city and state to do the same. Likewise all of my community, like my bank, hospital, investment firm, insurance provider, pension fund, faith community, local businesses, hospital, college, etc.
Yours sincerely,
Main US Investors
If you do business with any of these companies consider reaching out to them about divesting from fossil fuels. Or you can move your money! Learn more here.
- Morgan Stanley
- State Street Corp
- Fisher Asset Management
- ArrowStreet Capital
- Blackrock
- Goldman Sachs Group
Boycotting
BP sells gasoline and other fuels at BP and Amoco stations. It sells motor oil and other lubricants under the Castrol brand. BP also owns a number of convenience stores linked to their gas stations, including ampm, Thorntons, and TravelCenters of America (TA).
CEO: Mike Wirth
5001 Executive Parkway, Suite 200
San Ramon, CA 94583, USA
CEO email: [email protected]
Alice P. Gast
Retired President and Member of Board of Directors
Email: [email protected]
Sample letter
Dear Mr. Wirth,
According to publicly available information, Chevron spent nearly 8 million dollars on lobbying Congress in 2023, largely on tax, energy, and foreign relations issues. Your lobbying efforts were listed by the Guardian Newspaper as one of the main obstacles to passing comprehensive climate legislation on Capitol Hill.
The continued burning of fossil fuels poses an existential threat to the planet. It must be stopped. Your company needs to be at the forefront of making this transition as swift and effective as possible.
Investors and financial institutions representing trillions of dollars in assets have already divested from fossil fuels. Global public condemnation and reputational risk will continue to drive more companies to leave the industry. It might be beneficial, for both profit and survival, to convert your remaining resources to effective climate solutions.
I intend to ensure that I have no funds invested in your company, and I will not buy products or services from you until you use your enormous power and influence on Congress and the White House to end this addiction to fossil fuels.
I will be urging my city and state to do the same. Likewise all of my community, like my bank, hospital, investment firm, insurance provider, pension fund, faith community, local businesses, hospital, college, etc.
Yours sincerely,
Main US Investors
If you do business with any of these companies consider reaching out to them about divesting from fossil fuels. Or you can move your money! Learn more here.
- Vanguard
- State Street Corporation
- Berkshire Hathaway
- Blackrock
- Morgan Stanley
- JPMorgan Chase
- Geode Capital Management
Boycotting
Chevron Corp. operates gas stations under Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex brand names. It also produces Havoline brand Motor Oil and other other lubricants under the Delo brand. Chevron Phillips Chemical, which is jointly owned by Chevron and Phillips 66, produces polyethylene and other plastics for use in packaging and other products.
CEO: Darren W. Woods
22777 Springwoods Village Parkway
Spring, TX 77389 – 1425 U.S.A
Dr. Susan K. Avery
Member of Board of Directors and Chair of Environment, Safety and Public Policy Committee
Email: [email protected]
Sample letter
Dear Mr. Woods,
According to numerous sources, ExxonMobil has historically lobbied against climate legislation and agreements. It also heavily funded research and advertising to disprove or distract from the existence of climate change and downplay its connection to the fossil fuels at the core of its business. Your lobbying influence has been described as one of the biggest and most dangerous in the world, posing a major obstacle to effective climate legislation.
The continued burning of fossil fuels poses an existential threat to the planet. It must be stopped. Your company needs to be at the forefront of making this transition as swift and effective as possible.
Investors and financial institutions representing trillions of dollars in assets have already divested from fossil fuels. Global public condemnation and reputational risk will continue to drive more companies to leave the industry. It might be beneficial, for both profit and survival, to convert your remaining resources to effective climate solutions.
I intend to ensure that I have no funds invested in your company, and I will not buy products or services from you until you use your enormous power and influence on Congress and the White House to end this addiction to fossil fuels.
I will be urging my city and state to do the same. Likewise all of my community, like my bank, hospital, investment firm, insurance provider, pension fund, faith community, local businesses, hospital, college, etc.
Yours sincerely,
Main US Investors
If you do business with any of these companies consider reaching out to them about divesting from fossil fuels. Or you can move your money! Learn more here.
- Vanguard
- Blackrock
- JPMorgan Chase
- State Street Corporation
- Geode Capital Management
- Bank of America
Boycotting
ExxonMobil sells gas, diesel and other fuels under both Exxon and Mobil brands. It also sells engine oil and other lubricants under the Mobil brand. Most of its other plastics, adhesives, resins and other products are sold mainly to other companies for use in packaging and construction.
CEO: James Hannan
4111 E 37th St N,
Wichita, Kansas 67220, US
Chase Koch, Executive VP
Julia Koch, board member: [email protected]
Christian Fischer, CEO Georgia-Pacific: [email protected]
Sample letter
Dear Mr. Hannan,
Koch Industries is committed to being environmentally responsible and you claim to be reducing your emissions in line with the Paris Agreement. Yet you continue full speed ahead with your fossil fuel operations and spend more than any other fossil fuel company on lobbying Members of Congress and funding their re-election campaigns.
The continued burning of fossil fuels poses an existential threat to the planet. It must be stopped. Your company needs to be at the forefront of making this transition as swift and effective as possible.
Investors and financial institutions representing trillions of dollars in assets have already divested from fossil fuels. Global public condemnation and reputational risk will continue to drive more companies to leave the industry. It might be beneficial, for both profit and survival, to convert your remaining resources to effective climate solutions.
I will not buy products or services from you until you use your enormous power and influence on Congress and the White House to end this addiction to fossil fuels.
I will be urging my city and state to do the same. Likewise all of my community, like my bank, hospital, investment firm, insurance provider, pension fund, faith community, local businesses, hospital, college, etc.
Yours sincerely,
Boycotting
Koch Industries operate four gas station chains across the country: KwikStart, KwikTrip (but no QuickTrip), Tobacco Outlet and VP Racing (for specialist fuels). They own a number of other companies, including Georgia-Pacific, a major paper and pulp supplier, which in turn produces consumer products such as:
- Angel Soft and Quilted Northern brands toilet paper
- Brawny and Sparkle brands paper towels
- Dixie cups and paper plates
- Vanity Fair napkins
- Georgia Pacific boards and cardboard products
- Guardian window glass
Co- CEOs Marshall (Mackie) S. McCrea, Thomas E. Long
8111 Westchester Dr
Ste 600 Dallas, TX,
75225-6142
Sample letter
Dear Mr. McCrea,
According to OpenSecrets.org, Energy Transfer LP has contributed more than $10 million in the last year to conservative think tanks and political action committees that continue to downplay the seriousness of climate change and to deny the need to stop burning fossil fuels. Your company is meanwhile constructing new pipelines, LNG terminals and other fossil fuel infrastructure at a time when the world needs to be moving in the opposite direction.
The continued burning of fossil fuels poses an existential threat to the planet. It must be stopped. Your company needs to be at the forefront of making this transition as swift and effective as possible.
Investors and financial institutions representing trillions of dollars in assets have already divested from fossil fuels. Global public condemnation and reputational risk will continue to drive more companies to leave the industry. It might be beneficial, for both profit and survival, to convert your remaining resources to effective climate solutions.
I intend to ensure that I have no funds invested in your company, and I will not buy products or services from you until you use your enormous power and influence on Congress and the White House to end this addiction to fossil fuels.
I will be urging my city and state to do the same. Likewise all of my community, like my bank, hospital, investment firm, insurance provider, pension fund, faith community, local businesses, hospital, college, etc.
Yours sincerely,
Main US Investors
If you do business with any of these companies consider reaching out to them about divesting from fossil fuels. Or you can move your money! Learn more here.
- Blackstone
- Goldman Sachs
- Invesco
- Morgan Stanley
- Bank of America
Boycotting
Energy Transfer LP is mostly focused on the supply of fossil fuels through pipelines, LNG terminals and other infrastructure projects. They also own Sunoco gas stations. Three wholly-owned subsidiaries, SEC Energy, USA Compression Partners and Dual Drive Technologies, produce compression engines for farms and industrial use.
3. Divestment Actions:
Rather than focus on a single company during the Weeks of Action (or in addition!), you can focus your activity on an organization or institution that you are connected to in your community: your bank, your school, your faith community, your town, local hospital, a business or any other kind of organization that has money and/or property.
Getting your target institution to divest is not something that will be achieved in one day, but you can launch your campaign (or join an existing one) with a day of action to rally support for divestment and/or other steps they might take to dissociate from the nuclear weapons and/or fossil fuel industries.
Check out these simple actions you can take during the Weeks of Action to get you started! And click here for more detailed resources on divestment.
Handing a letter to your Institution
Hand a letter to an institution you are involved with calling on them to publicly divest from nuclear weapons. Take pictures. Send a press release to your local newspaper. Find a local dignitary or well-known personality to hand in the letter. Warn the target institution (or not) that you are coming and arrange for them to accept the letter. Include in the letter a request for a meeting to discuss divestment. Bring a crowd!
Take a picture with your letters and share it with us on social media using the hashtag #PressuretheProfiteers
Set up a meeting with your institution
Another option is to send a letter ahead of time or otherwise ask for meeting to discuss divestment take place during the Weeks of Action. Prepare some materials to distribute to the press as well as to the institution explaining the reasons for divestment. Take pictures, send a press release, bring a crowd to support outside the meeting as it takes place!
Rally for divestment
Especially if you have already approached an institution about divestment, or if there is an existing campaign you can work with, you might consider stepping up your divestment actions with a rally or a sit in.
Again, remember to take pictures, let the media know, and use the hashtag #PressuretheProfiteers!
Change your bank
If your bank refuses to divest from the burning of fossil fuels, you can make the choice to move your money!
Make sure you tell your bank why you are leaving them! Read below for resources on how to find and reinvest in greener financial institutions.
Helpful workbook from THIS! is What We Did
https://bank.green/sustainable-eco-banks
https://thirdact.org/resources/how-to-switch-to-better-banks-credit-cards-faqs-2
- Financial Institutions
- Education institutions
- Faith Communities
- Hospitals
- Local Businesses
- Towns and Cities
Financial Institutions are heavily invested in the Fossil Fuel Industry. Banks, credit card companies, insurance brokers, pension funds and other related institutions may have their own investments directly in the fossil fuel industry. They may also be investing other people’s money in these companies. And they may be offering them loans and other banking services.
The first step to getting a financial institution to divest from fossil fuels is to find exactly what their policy is in relation to fossil fuel investment and whether they have any such investments. They may have a written policy on their website. You can also check a number of other sources to see if their fossil fuel policy and/or investments are listed there (see resources below). And you can write, phone or talk to your bank or other institution directly (though it won’t be easy to get the information!).
Many financial institutions are heavily implicated in both the fossil fuel industry and the nuclear weapons industry. Some of the worst offenders in both industries are:
- BlackRock
- Vanguard
- JP Morgan Chase
- Morgan Stanley
- Bank of America
- WellsFargo
- CitiGroup
Useful Resources:
Banking on Climate Chaos Report: https://www.bankingonclimatechaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/BOCC_2024_vF3.pdf
List of banks with no FF investments: https://bank.green/sustainable-eco-banks
List of worst banks with FF investments: https://www.fossilbanks.org/fossil-banks
Look up Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs): https://fossilfreefunds.org/funds
Many colleges and universities have investments that support the fossil fuel companies. Universities are also big consumers of energy and have a responsibility to decrease their fossil fuel usage and emissions.
Divesting from fossil fuels can affect those companies directly, and it can also be a strong encouragement to other institutions to do the same. The bigger the institution, and the more money they have, the more powerful the impact can be on the fossil fuel companies.
Fossil Fuel Divestment campaigns have had a lot of success already among colleges and universities. Over 250 education institutions have divested from fossil fuels. Many more have partially divested, excluding sectors like coal from their portfolios. There is still work to be done to push those institutions towards complete divestment. And to push those schools that have divested towards goals of net zero carbon emissions.
Of the hundreds of schools that have declared their intent to work towards carbon neutrality, only 12 US universities have reached that goal according to Second Nature.
Many faith communities have investments, and some of these may be financially supporting the fossil fuel corporations. Many faith communities use products or services from these companies.
Boycotting, divesting and prohibiting these activities can affect those companies directly, and it can also be a strong encouragement to other faith communities to do the same. The bigger the institution, and the more money they have, the more powerful the impact can be on the fossil fuel companies.
There is a large movement already of faith communities divesting from fossil fuels, over 550 faith based organizations have divested from fossil fuels
Many hospitals have endowments and other funds that are invested in hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, and real assets, including oil and other natural resources. These investments are not normally made public, so the first goal is to find out whether your local hospital has any such investments.
ExxonMobil also supplies hospitals with syringes, IV bags, face masks, and gloves. Shell also supplies PPE as well as pill bottles and other packaging. Koch Industries, one of the biggest funders of climate disinformation, is also a big funder of medical technologies. If hospitals and other medical facilities were to start boycotting products made by companies whose policies and end products they abhor, that could have enormous impact on those companies.
Whether you own a local business or you are a patron and community member, you can engage a dialogue for divestment and boycotting.
Your local businesses may have investments or financial holdings with the companies that make a profit off of fossil fuels, or the banks that support them. Many local businesses likely use products or services, maybe they could switch to more environmentally sustainable services.
Boycotting, divesting and prohibiting these activities can affect those companies directly, and it can also be a strong encouragement to other businesses to do the same. The bigger the institution, and the more money they have, the more powerful the impact can be on the fossil fuel companies.
Towns and cities may have control over one or more pension funds for municipal workers, teachers, or local police. Or these may be controlled by the state or some other body. Towns and cities may have other city funds or trust funds that are put aside and invested to retain or increase their value. Most towns and cities will have multiple investments and unless there is already a commitment to divest these funds from fossil fuels, these investments will almost certainly include fossil fuel investments.
Towns and cities can divest any funds they are in control of from fossil fuels. Many have already done so, include some very big cities like New York. Don’t take no for an answer – they can do this! It is a hassle for town or city officials and they don’t like doing it, but a concerted campaign to get your town or city to divest can succeed. It may take time and a lot of persistence…
The first step to any municipal divestment campaign is to build the political backing for it. And that almost certainly means mobilizing public support for the idea. If you can get, or already have, support from a mayor, city councillors, select board members or other officials, that will be critical. But showing that the local people are behind is even more important.
Hold a rally outside the city hall or other public place. Have banners and signs. Invite speakers and musicians. Hand out leaflets.
Or just hand out leaflets in the town center, farmers market, mall, supermarket or other shopping center. Talk to people. Ask them to sign a petition or write to the mayor or city council. Get students involved.
See more suggestions and ideas for an ongoing campaign in the fossil fuel divestment section of this website.
Resources
Banners/ signs
