Structure
Currently, SFU350 is organized into core leadership and working groups that correspond to the demands under our Climate Emergency Declaration campaign, in addition to Social Media and Ad-Hoc working groups. Browse this page for a summary of the aims of each working group.
Think you’re a good fit for one or more of these working groups? Let us get to know you and what you have to offer through our recruitment form!
Core leadership
Core Leadership is responsible for facilitating general meetings and ensuring coordination amoung all working groups. They provide support to working groups that need it (e.g., feedback, problem-solving, acting as temporary working group leads) and regularly meet with the working group leads for updates. Core leadership does not currently have regular meetings for Fall 2022.
Decarbonization
Aligning SFU’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) with science-based emission reduction targets outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This group is currently inactive, but would otherwise review data from SFU on their GHG emissions. This working group is currently inactive for Fall 2022.
Community Reinvestment
A follow-up to Divestment, which we successfully achieved as per SFU’s November 1, 2021 announcement to divest all funds under its portfolio investments from fossil fuel extraction by 2025. This is part of a campaign that SFU350 is spearheading alongside Climate Justice UBC and DivestUVic called Towards a People's Endowment. We are each calling on our universities to move 10% of their endowment and working capital fund into community investments that support a vibrant and local economy, amongst other recommendations. See our full demands and more information here. This working group meets Mondays 4:00-4:30PM for Fall 2022, over Zoom and/or in-person.
RAISE AWARENESS AND AMPLIFY
Opposing all new and pending fossil fuel projects that are not aligned with a 1.5°C world and that do not have Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) of the Nations whose territories overlap the project. This group is connected with other organizers fighting against the pipeline, including students at other universities, other youth, those in high school, etc. This group has supported an anti-TMX rally hosted by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, done tabling and classroom talks to raise awareness, and has met with other on-campus allies (i.e., SFPIRG, Embark, GSS). This working group is currently inactive for Fall 2022.
Climate hub
Establishing a student-led climate hub to engage the student body on climate justice topics and guide sustainability policy and action on campus. This working group meets Tuesdays 5:00-6:00PM over Zoom.
Social media
This team works on graphic design (visual or disruptive) for our social media platforms, editorial writing (op-eds, blog posts, newsletters), media engagement (press releases), social media engagement with followers (posts, stories, live), and website management. This working group meets biweekly Mondays 1:00-2:00PM for Fall 2022 (starting September 19).
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EDUCATION
Ensuring all SFU students graduate with an understanding of climate change and climate justice. The goal is to have climate education embedded into every undergraduate degree. This working group has members that sit on the SFU Sustainability’s Climate Literacy, Education, Skills working group. In May 2022, this working group hosted Leah Thomas, founder of the Intersectional Environmentalist initiative for a book tour event. This working group meets weekly Thursdays 11:00-12:00PM over Zoom and/or in-person for Fall 2022.
Climate justice
Implementing a climate justice lens to all pending and future climate action at SFU and collaborating with other on-campus groups that are working around anti-racism, decolonizing, and anti-oppression work. This includes working to understand how different systems of oppression intersect with climate justice (racism, sexism, capitalism, colonialism, western imperialism, globalization, classism, prison-industrial complex, policing, etc.)
This group is connected to a broad range of initiatives that span other working groups. An example is the connection between the Climate Justice and Raise Awareness and Amplify group for the SFU Hug the Mountain event where people assembled into a human chain to encircle Burnaby Mountain and take a stand against the TMX pipeline. This group meets weekly Mondays 2:30-3:30PM for Fall 2022.
AD-HOC/SHORT-TERM
The Ad-Hoc working group forms when there is a short-term project or initiative and dissolves after the project is complete. It includes our members' initiatives or projects that external groups reach out for our support with. Examples include: supporting the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty that went in front of Burnaby City Council, supporting the Global Climate Strike, penning a letter of support for the End Fossil Fuel Subsidies campaign.
