Fossil Free WashU recently visited a community in southern Illinois to see the direct effects that fossil fuel extraction has had there.

Peabody Energy Corporation, a St. Louis-based energy company with close ties to Washington University, may soon file for bankruptcy, according to a recent securities filing.

In just a few months, the CCCU’s research into the controversial field of carbon sequestration—“clean coal”—will take shape in the form of the world’s first Staged Pressurized Oxy Combustion (SPOC) system, located in Urbauer Hall.

As alumni, we write to express our support for the student movement demanding that Washington University break ties with Peabody Energy. Despite a dirty reputation of social injustice and scientific misrepresentation, our alma mater continues to propagate the myth of clean coal and Peabody’s CEO Greg Boyce continues to sit on the University’s board of trustees.

As the movement to divest from fossil fuels and cut ties with Peabody Energy gains popularity, the University and the board of trustees must acknowledge not only the social importance of moving away from fossil fuel, but also the tremendous potential this movement has to improve the appearance, influence and popularity of the University.

In light of recent behavior by Peabody Energy, we are disappointed to see this corporation continuing to act in its own self-interest, in staunch opposition to the will of the people and at the expense of the public good. We are calling on this university to end its partnership with Peabody Energy. On Feb.

“Washington University in St. Louis is a national leader in sustainability, a core priority that runs through all aspects of our campus community, our operations and our work as a leading research and teaching institution.” These are the words that greet me when I click on “Energy, Environment & Sustainability,” one of the most prominent tabs on the wustl.

As a Washington University alumnus, I was disappointed but not surprised by the responses from fourth-year Olin Business School students regarding recent student protests at Bank of America’s on-campus recruiting events.

After hearing of Green Action’s protest at the Bank of America recruiting event on campus, I am left thinking less about the environmental consequences of mountaintop coal mining and more about the students whose information session was thwarted.

“Chancellor Wrighton, we be fightin’ till the coal is gone,” chanted a group of about 20 students and community members as they marched through campus from Olin Library to Green Hall with banners full of signatures Tuesday.