Credit: George School
The George School, which sits in Middletown and Newtown, announced this week that they are eliminating coal mining companies from its investment portfolio.
The elite Friends high school that sits on a picturesque campus off Langhorne-Newtown Road said it is taking the step to eliminating coal mining companies from its $150 investment portfolio in an effort to reduce its endowment’s investment in fossil fuel-based companies.
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The plan came about after a the coed school, which has yearly tuition between $36,975 and 54,600, developed a task force that planned reduce the school’s overall environmental impact.
“Our students think beyond the classroom and feel empowered to tackle world challenges,” Head of School Nancy Starmer said in a statement. “We listened to our students’ interests and took their recommendations to heart, creating a task force of board members, staff, faculty, and other experts to study the issues beyond just our endowment.”
As the school stops its investment in coal mining operations, funds will be invested in “companies that deliver alternative energy solutions as well as implement new policies and procedures on campus to improve energy efficiency and environmental sustainability,” according to a press release.
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Officials from the school said the idea to move away from fossil fuel-based companies came about due to input from the George School’s “socially conscious student body.” Some students railled in an effort to get the school’s trustees to examine the investments.
In 2009, the school opened the LEED Gold certified Mollie Dodd Anderson Library. More recently, the Fitness and Athletics Center achieved LEED certification.
