The Undergraduate Environmental Union formally endorses Luke Farrell as Young Trustee. The Undergraduate Environmental Union (UEU)* consists of 11 student environmental organizations: Duke Campus Farm, Duke Climate Coalition, Duke Energy Club, Environmental Alliance, Duke Conservation Technology, Duke Student Government - Services & Sustainability Committee, Food for Thought, Duke Smart Home, Duke Sustainable Ocean Alliance, and Green Devils.** We appreciated each candidate’s attentiveness to Duke’s environmental footprint and their willingness to make Duke a leader in sustainability. We concluded that Luke’s history of engagement on environmental issues and his fluency with high-impact areas of environmental action set him apart as a candidate and earned unanimous endorsement from the UEU members.

Through his appointment to the Advisory Committee on Investment Responsibility, Luke has worked to divest the Duke University endowment from fossil fuels, to ensure that Duke’s finances are aligned with the urgent need to address the climate crisis. He has proven himself to be a committed and persuasive advocate for climate action, able to emphasize the ethical benefits of environmental action and to dispel misconceptions.

We were also heartened to hear Luke’s interest in leveraging Duke University’s political influence to advocate for renewable energy policy reform, which will be critical to unlock more affordable environmental solutions. We hope Luke will continue to refine his environmental mission to emphasize ambitious improvements in Duke’s operations on campus and Duke’s impact on surrounding communities.

John Desan (T’19)

* The Undergraduate Environmental Union is currently seeking SOFC recognition.

** DSG did not participate in the UEU’s Young Trustee endorsement process since DSG gives their own endorsement.