We call on Baruch College to address climate change through the implementation of a comprehensive sustainability resources and a curriculum plan change. Please sign this petition and join us as we call on Baruch to enact our demands for a better Baruch and a brighter future for all.

We urge the Baruch administration to address climate change through the implementation of a comprehensive resources and curriculum plan change including:

1. Clearly addressing climate change sustainability as its own goal in the upcoming Baruch Strategic Plan (2023-2028) in the new strategic plan and officially address climate change as a “climate crisis” within the Baruch Strategic Plan (2023-2028)
2. Creation of a Climate Emergency Fund specifically related to help students recover from climate-powered natural disasters, including, but not limited to hurricanes, extreme heat waves, and flooding
   1. This would be separate from the Petrie fund, as it is catered to short-term financial emergencies, and the Climate Emergency Fund would be to help students facing immediate climate emergencies such as to evacuate or recover
3. Create an active Office of Sustainability Initiatives and the position of Director of Sustainability in Baruch administration to lead these initiatives and changes
4. Gradually create and offer more courses aimed specifically focused on sustainability and climate change throughout Marxe, Weisman, and Zicklin in order to help students become the future leaders of New York City and respective communities or industries. Launch 2 courses per year, or 1 course per semester, for a gradual listing of 10 course offerings in 5 years
5. Require a sustainability component in the capstone curriculum of Zicklin, Weissman, Marxe to be enforced within the next 5 years, by 2027
6. Pledge to implement greener infrastructure on Baruch College’s campus.
7. Creation of a composting program at Baruch, followed by a more comprehensive recycling system in Baruch College
8. Create a research center focused on sustainability similar to NYU and Columbia
9. Host an annual climate conference at Baruch to measure progress toward goals, review research, provide student and staff networking opportunities and ensure accountability
   1. Focus on bringing together and inviting industries such as: research, government, business, non-profit
10. Develop a program at Baruch College to certify students in sustainability as a seal for the resume, like NYU currently offers, to prepare future and current leaders with the knowledge, skills, and tools to embed social and environmental sustainability into communities and business alike
11. Develop an course that is focused on sustainability to fulfill the Individual and Society Flexible Core, providing intersectional education regarding climate, indigenous land rights and environmental racism
12. Host annual beach/park cleanups through Office of Student Life or Baruch administration and encourage engagement from all students, staff, faculty, administrators, alumni
13. Offer mental health awareness and resources specifically surrounding climate change at the Baruch College Counseling Center
14. Lead CUNY divestment from fossil fuels into renewable energy by 2028
15. Create a tab about climate change on the Baruch website (Similar CUNY page)
16. The Office of Institutional Research of Baruch College must publish sustainability initiative data every year in efforts to be transparent with the Baruch community and as a method for accountability

For the full resolution, please click here.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rSRhN0BHM4isj2lBYMgcLMt02eUwMVYK/view?usp=sharing

Baruch College does not currently have a comprehensive response to educate stakeholders on combating climate change for the future decades to come, putting students, faculty and staff at risk or at a disadvantage for social mobility and other career or life opportunities. 

Given that New York City is expected to experience higher rates of heat waves, heavy rainfall events, rising sea levels and coastal flooding, the possibility of an uninhabitable Lower Manhattan continues to threaten future generations if no action is taken to limit global warming and the affects of climate change.

Hurricane Ida and Hurricane Sandy was only the beginning.

In 2012, Hurricane Sandy killed 43 New Yorkers and cost the city roughly $19 billion in damages. 6,500 patients were evacuated from hospitals and nursing homes, nearly 90,000 buildings in the inundation zone, 1.1 million New York City children unable to attend school for a week, close to 2 million people without power, 11 million travelers affected by flooded train tunnels (MTA, LIRR, PATH Amtrak).

In 2021, Hurricane Ida devastated low-income, immigrant communities living in basement apartments, killing 13 people in New York City and public transportation was flooded due to the aging infrastructure affecting people commuting home from work and school.

Moreover, CUNY has invested over 10 million dollars towards the fossil fuel industry and has not released fossil fuel investment data since then.

An appropriate response to the ongoing climate crisis is imperative because Baruch College’s student demographic is majority historically underrepresented communities who will be affected by the climate crisis; 39% of students are first generation to attend college and 29.4% of students are Hispanic, Black or American Indian or Native. 30.8% of students live in Queens and 24.9% live in Brooklyn, two boroughs of New York City that are projected to receive the worst effects of climate change in the future.