The DASB Senate at its May 22 meeting unanimously endorsed a proposal to halt new investments by the Foothill-De Anza District into a list of the 200 most carbon-polluting companies.

Members of 350 De Anza will petition the FHDA Foundation Board in August, said Samya Abdela, one of the founding members of the campaign and treasurer of the De Anza club Students for Justice.

Abdela, Ashley Snyder, and Mounia O’Neal formed the campaign based on the activist group 350.org, which compiled the list of 200 companies.

The group’s name refers to an atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide that many scientists predicted would forestall major effects of climate change. A sensor recorded nearly 400 parts per million on May 9, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

“[The proposal] is more symbolic in that sense, since one community college’s endowment isn’t going to kill the oil companies,” Abdela said. “But if it’s a collective — there are around 200 campaigns going on right now on other college campuses; there’s about 20 of them that have already passed
resolutions.”

The foundation has $33 million in assests, including investments and cash holdings as of April 30, according to Robin Lyssenko, assistant director.

The board invests with three energy companies including Exxon Mobile Corp. and Chevron Corp.

“We’re talking about the carbon footprints of huge companies that impact the world,” Abdela said. “But your own actions, if you change them, can impact a little bit as well.”