Irving Oil Donations Under Scrutiny by Climate Activists at Ivy League School

At Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, a group of climate activists has published a report taking issue with the sponsorship of the college's new facility, Arthur Irving Institute for Energy and Society, by Irving Oil.

A new facility at the Ivy League school was named after the owner of Irving Oil, which operates Canada’s largest refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick.

The report by Fossil Free Dartmouth, titled Investigating Irving (PDF), raises questions about greenwashing and the potential undermining of academic credibility.

Irving Oil didn’t respond to a request for comment. Dartmouth College provided a statement that said, in part, “Dartmouth faculty have independence in any research related to the institute, as stipulated by the founding gift agreement.”

Dartmouth established the institute with money from Irving Oil, Arthur Irving, his wife Sandra Irving, their daughter Sarah Irving, and the Arthur L. Irving Family Foundation.

The report states that one-third of the institute’s advisory board works with the fossil fuel industry either directly or indirectly.

Its members include Sandra Irving, Sarah Irving, Irving Oil president Ian Whitcomb, and ExxonMobil global brand manager Abigail Rodgers.

The report calls for Irving Oil and ExxonMobil representatives to be removed from the board. It also calls for the institute’s building to be renamed, and for the college to implement a policy rejecting funds from fossil fuel companies.

For more on this, the NB Media Co-op spoke to Maya Beauvineau and Noor Boukari, students activists with Fossil Free Dartmouth who co-authored the report with Kate Yeo and with Erin Steuter, a professor of sociology specializing in critical media studies at Mount Allison University.

Check out the video for the full interviews.

David Gordon Koch is a journalist with the NB Media Co-op. This reporting has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada, administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Stations and Users (CACTUS).