Divested in 2018
In May 2018, the university announced it had divested its holdings in the Carbon 200 (fossil fuel) companies and added investments in solar and renewable energy companies. This followed a vigorous campaign by students and faculty and a 2016 Board of Trustees vote to move the university toward full divestment from companies in the Carbon Underground 200 list. In 2019, Salem State University received $57,000 as the only institution from 30 participating schools in the Multi-School Fossil-Free Divestment Fund (MSFFDF) to fully divest from fossil fuels by the December 2018 deadline.
Carbon Neutral Goal and Net Zero Goals
Salem State signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment in 2007, pledging the university to carbon neutrality by 2050. Salem State is also guided by the state’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, adopted in 2021.