TIAA Must Stop Funding Deforestation and Land Grabs

NFFCPress Room

Coalition of environmental, human rights, and farm and farm worker groups will march to TIAA’s NYC office to deliver petitions demanding the company stop funding divest from destructive palm oil companies and land grabbing.

April 14, 2017

NEW YORK, NY – On Thursday, April 20, a coalition of environmental, human rights and farm organizations as well as a cohort of university faculty will gather at the New York City offices of pension fund management company TIAA, which manages the retirement money of many cultural institutions in the U.S. including universities, unions, nonprofits and hospitals, to demand that they stop funding deforestation and land grabs around the world. TIAA has over $100 million invested in palm oil companies that raze tropical forests, steal indigenous land, and exploit farmers and $8 billion invested in farmland that was acquired without permission from local communities..

The coalition, which includes Friends of the Earth, Rede Social de Justiça e Direitos Humanos, the National Family Farm Coalition, ActionAid USA, Sum of Us, and a number of other organizations, will deliver over 100,000 petitions urging TIAA to implement deforestation and land-grab free policies. Over 11,000 TIAA clients, who include university faculty, nonprofit and hospital workers, specifically are submitting petitions. Throughout the week from April 17-21 people across the country will also be delivering petitions to regional TIAA offices.

WHAT: Protest to Demand that TIAA stop financing deforestation and land grabs.

WHO:

Andrianna Natsoulas, Exeuctive Director of the NY State Northeast Organic Farmers Association

Nancy Romer, PSC-CUNY union faculty member. TIAA client

Maria Luisa Mendonca, Rede Social Brazil

Jeff Connant, Friends of the Earth

Nancy Holmstrom, Rutgers University, Newark faculty and AAUP member, TIAA client

Ray Figeroa, President, NYC Community Garden Coalition

WHEN:  Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 11:30 AM

WHERE:  Meet St. Agnes Catholic Church, 143 E. 43rd St. (Lexington & 3rd Aves.)

PROCEED:  Noon – 1:00 PM TIAA New York City headquarters at 730 3rd Ave (E. 45th St)

For more information, contact Tristan Quinn-Thibodeau:  tristan.quinn-thibodeau@actionaid.org, 207 475 7542