Student Quoted in BDN Article on University System’s Partial Coal Divestment
Brooke Lyons-Justus, a University of Maine sophomore, was quoted in a Bangor Daily News article about the University of Maine System board of trustees voting to partially divest from investments in the coal industry. The decision makes the university the first land grant, higher-education institution in the country to cut fossil fuel from its portfolio, according to the report. Lyons-Justus is a student advocate with Divest UMaine, which is part of a national movement calling on higher education institutions to divest from fossil fuels, the article states. As part of a public comment before the vote, Lyons-Justus said divestment advocates are a concerned group of people who have invested in the university and will play an important role in the planet’s future. “The risk [of divestment] is low, but the message is strong,” she said.