Sussex University is now a Fossil Free institution

After four years of campaigns and petitions by Fossil Free Sussex and the Sussex in Transition society, the University of Sussex is Fossil Free. The university is now investing their money in Liontrust's 'Sustainable Futures Managed Fund', which excludes all investments in the fossil fuel industry.

Liontrust, the company that now manages Sussex's investment fund, completely excludes companies involved in fossil fuel extraction in their Sustainable Futures Managed Fund, such as Shell, BP and Rio Tinto.

Prior to the victory, Sussex held £9,446,000 worth of investments, with roughly 1.3 % of this in fossil fuel exploration companies, however, since September 2017, the university has entirely divested from these companies that threaten the environment. As well as this, they are now actively committed to investing further in low-carbon assets and renewable energy in the next five years.

The campaign launched a petition which gained over 2,000 signatures, held events and actions across campus, and met with senior management to demand divestment in fossil fuel companies.

The University of Sussex have followed the lead of the World Bank, Axa Insurance and New York City Council in moving their money out of the fossil fuel industry. To celebrate, the campaign has made a video, and are hosting a party at East Slope on February 16 with funk, soul and disco until 2am to commemorate this victory for Sussex's sustainable future.