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Environment / Sustainable business practices


NEWS STORY: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CARBON MANAGEMENT | FINANCIAL INDUSTRY
Are Big Banks Ignoring Paris Climate Agreement?
The seventh edition of the Fossil Fuel Finance Report Card reveals that while some progress has been made in exiting the financing of coal mining, global financial institutions are lagging badly in other extreme fossil fuels and human rights.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | ENERGY INDUSTRIES
SEC Backs Shareowner Challenge of Dominion Nuclear Plant
The utility's effort to exclude the resolution calling for analysis of the financial risks associated with a nuclear reactor which could cost over $19 billion is turned down by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | OIL AND GAS COMPANIES
Carbon Tracker Offers Roadmap for Energy Transition
Asserting that many executives in the oil and gas industry assume a business as usual approach in their planning, the NGO warns that unconventional exploration and price volatility will have negative impacts for investors.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY
Sustainable Investment Firms Offer Guide to Fossil Fuel Investing
Along with 350.org, Green Century Capital Management and Trillium Asset Management update a guide for investors who want to divest from fossil fuel companies and reallocate their assets to sustainability.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | COAL INDUSTRY | UTILITIES
EPA Announces Regulations for Coal Ash Disposal
But by declining to classify coal ash as hazardous waste, the Agency fails to adequately safeguard human health, the advocacy organization As You Sow states. Second of a two-part series.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Carbon Tracker Analysis Refutes Exxon Claims
The analysis reveals that unconventional oil and gas exploration has contributed to ExxonMobil underperforming the S&P 500 by eight percent over five years, and that the company has not adequately stress tested a future low carbon scenario.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | UTILITIES
Electric Utilities Ranked on Renewables and Energy Efficiency
A report from Ceres and Clean Edge benchmarks the nation’s largest electric utilities on renewable energy sales, and cumulative and incremental energy efficiency savings.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | MINING INDUSTRY
EPA Limits on Alaskan Pebble Mine Likely to Prevent Construction
The Agency's proposal states that if constructed the mine would lead to unprecedented losses in streams and wetlands, and cause streamflow alterations, threatening one of the world's largest salmon fisheries.

NEWS STORY: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CARBON MANAGEMENT | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Step Back from New Oil Sands Projects, Scientists Tell North American Leaders
Citing approval of pipelines and other oil sands projects as symptoms of a broken policy process, a group of scientists call for no new oil sands project approvals unless they are consistent with effective climate change policies.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Shareowner Action on Fracking Disclosure Proves Strength of Proxy
The Investor Environmental Health Network reports that of six shareowner resolutions filed this year with companies engaged in hydraulic fracturing, four were withdrawn and two received substantial support.

NEWS STORY: SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Third National Climate Assessment Published
In its new report, the US Global Change Research Program asserts that the effects of climate change have already become a present day concern, and announces the launch of a website to help Americans receive reliable scientific information.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Investors Warned Again of Risks in Arctic Drilling
A coalition of nonprofit organizations releases a report for institutional investors detailing the considerable financial, environmental, and social risks associated with Shell's plans to drill for oil in the waters of the US Arctic.

INTERVIEW: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE GOVERNANCE | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Shareowners Opt for Engagement to Press Chevron on Corporate Governance
Shareowner advocate Simon Billenness updates SocialFunds.com on judgment against Chevron in Ecuador, and explains why engagement with fossil fuel companies is more effective than divestment.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | CORPORATE REPORTING | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Shareowner Engagement yet to Convince Frackers to Disclose
A group of sustainable institutional investors issues a report on the hydraulic fracturing industry that reveals companies are failing to disclose impacts on communities and the environment from their operations.

NEWS BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT | STOCK INDEXES
New Stock Indexes Champion Sustainability
The United Nations Global Compact creates an index of 100 companies adhering to its principles, and STOXX launches two indexes using key performance indicators developed by Axel Hesse.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | FOOD INDUSTRY
As You Sow Engages with Food Companies on Packaging
The advocacy group succeeds in convincing McDonald's to end the use of environmentally destructive polystyrene foam cups, but decides to resubmit a shareowner resolution with General Mills after engagement over post-consumer packaging fails to lead to agreement.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Shell Fined $1 Million for Clean Air Act Violations in Arctic
The Environmental Protection Agency finds the company violated its Clean Air Act permits in the Arctic after encountering operational challenges with its two drilling rigs.

NEWS BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Governments Overestimate Levels of Sustainable Development
By failing to account for materials extraction through international trade, developed nations provide a misleading picture of raw materials use.

NEWS BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT
Corporate Sustainability Leaders Report Business Benefits
A survey of sustainability heads by the UK-based Verdantix indicates that most have achieved cost savings and almost half expect to increase spending on product sustainability

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CARBON MANAGEMENT | INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Cisco, Google Share Top Spot on Cool IT Leaderboard
The sixth edition of the Greenpeace ranking of companies in the information technology sector focuses on political advocacy for effective climate change legislation.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE REPORTING | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Climate Principles Issues Best Practices for Hydraulic Fracturing
Guidelines for financiers of hydraulic fracturing published by the European Climate Principles add to calls for greater transparency by companies engaged in the practice.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE REPORTING | UTILITIES
Get Real about Climate Change, Shareowners Tell Utilities
With trillions of dollars in infrastructure upgrades looming for electric utilities, investors call on five companies to emphasize a transition to renewables, improve energy efficiency, and manage water risks.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE REPORTING | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Fracking on Proxy Ballots at Chevron and Exxon
Described as laggards for their failure to address investor concerns, the oil and gas giants face shareowner resolutions addressing environmental and social risks associated with hydraulic fracturing.

NEWS STORY: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE REPORTING
Natural Capital and Integrated Reporting Among Trends for 2013
With the help of environmental research from Trucost, GreenBiz publishes the sixth annual edition of its State of Green Business Report, assessing major trends as well as the environmental performance of 500 US companies.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE REPORTING | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Shareowners Press on with Fracking Campaign
Nine oil and gas companies face shareowner resolutions this proxy season requesting quantitative reporting of risks associated with hydraulic fracturing and the management of fugitive methane emissions.

NEWS BRIEF: COMMUNITY INVESTMENT | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Cuomo Proposes $1 Billion Green Bank for New York
The bank will leverage public funds with private sector investment to hasten the transition to a clean economy and environment in New York State.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Ceres Awarded with Zayed Future Energy Prize
The investor network wins the $1.5 million prize in the nongovernmental organization category for its work on behalf of addressing climate change.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Shareowner Urges End to Natural Gas Flaring
Mercy Investment Services files a shareowner resolution with Continental Resources, requesting that the oil company reduce or eliminate the environmentally destructive practice of natural gas flaring in its operations.

NEWS STORY: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Dangerous Mishaps Plague Shell's Arctic Exploration
The Department of the Interior launches an expedited review of Shell's drilling program after a drill rig runs aground in the Gulf of Alaska.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Top Sustainable Investment Stories of 2012, Part 3
For some institutional investors, shareowner tactics evolve from resolutions to engagement, and proposals addressing hydraulic fracturing focus concerns on community impacts.

NEWS STORY: SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT | CARBON MANAGEMENT
Businesses Unprepared for Resource Scarcity
Carbon Trust surveys the CEOs of corporations in five countries and finds that most have not set targets for reducing their use of natural resources, with nearly half stating that to do so would cost too much.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Largest Companies Setting Emissions Reduction Targets
A new report finds that most companies in the Fortune 100 and Global 100 now have greenhouse gas reduction goals, and more are committing to renewable energy use.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY
Dole Hit with Lawsuit Alleging Environmental Destruction
The Seattle-based law firm Hagens Berman files a lawsuit against Dole for knowingly purchasing bananas from growers whose operations have destroyed wetlands and poisoned water sources with pesticides in Guatemala.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE REPORTING
2012 Newsweek Green Rankings Published
With research provided by Sustainalytics and Trucost, this year's Green Rankings note a 20% improvement in companies disclosing environmental information.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CARBON MANAGEMENT | EMERGING MARKETS
Resources Insufficient to Protect World's Poorest from Climate Change
The Climate Vulnerability Monitor warns that 100 million lives could be lost by 2030 if climate change and carbon-intensive energy practices are not addressed.

NEWS BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT | FINANCIAL INDUSTRY
BankTrack not Satisfied with new Draft of Equator Principles
While acknowledging that the new draft is an improvement, the Netherlands-based NGO finds insufficient commitments by signatory banks to transparency, human rights, and climate change mitigation.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Chevron Wants Access to Emails of Critics
The oil company's latest effort to avoid paying a $19 billion judgment for extensive environmental damage in Ecuador involves trying to gain access to the private email accounts of 101 people who have worked on the case.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CARBON MANAGEMENT | INSURANCE INDUSTRY
Insurers Unequipped to Deal with Climate Change
A report from Ceres warns that as payouts for extreme weather events increase to record levels, the insurance sector is falling behind other industries in returns on investment.

NEWS STORY: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE REPORTING | CARBON MANAGEMENT
CDP Releases Annual Reports on Corporate Carbon Management
Responding to more than half of the world's invested capital, large companies increasingly view climate change as a current business concern, but too little is being done at present to avert a climate crisis.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
GMI and Trucost Form Partnership
The strategic partnership provides for environmental research by Trucost to be incorporated into GMI's analysis of the corporate governance performance of companies.

INTERVIEW: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT | CORPORATE REPORTING
Is Corporate Reporting Sufficient to Meet Sustainability Goals?
Mark McElroy of the Center for Sustainable Organizations argues that the absence of context for corporate sustainability measurements increases the likelihood that meaningful goals will not be met.

NEWS STORY: SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT | INSTITUTIONA INVESTORS
Muhammad Yunus, Father of Microcredit and Nobel Peace Prize Recipient, to Address SRI Conference
The founder of the Grameen Bank will be the keynote speaker at October's SRI Conference on Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing, which will also feature author Deepak Chopra and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Second of a two-part series.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ENGAGEMENT | INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS
PRI Signatories Prioritize ESG Issues for Engagement
A survey of frequent users of the PRI Clearinghouse indicates that executive compensation, climate change, and labor standards in corporate supply chains will be the top areas of engagement for institutional investors during the coming year.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CARBON MANAGEMENT | AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY
Fuel Efficiency Standards Finalized
The new fuel efficiency standards of 54.5 miles per gallon will nearly double the current standards, and could increase profitability while creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | HUMAN RIGHTS
Investors Call on EPA to Strengthen PVC Regulations
Arguing that proposed regulations do not go far enough to protect the health of communities, the investors request that national emission standards for the PVC industry provide better protection from cancer-causing pollutants.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE REPORTING | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Sustainability Management by Oil Firms Lacking
A report from oekom, a German research firm, analyzes the sustainability performance of oil and gas companies, finding that as technological demands increase the management of risk is failing to keep up.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY
Certified Coffee to be on Menu at Smucker's
A resolution from Calvert Investments and Trillium Asset Management, supported by 30% of shareowners in 2011, is withdrawn after Smucker's agrees to targets for purchases of certified coffee.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CARBON MANAGEMENT | INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Facebook Publishes Carbon Footprint
For the first time, the social networking company has disclosed its greenhouse gas emissions, and announces a goal of using renewable energy sources for 25% of its power.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CARBON MANAGEMENT | OIL AND GAS SECTOR
Despite SEC Guidance, Disclosures by Oil and Gas Companies Are Insufficient
A report from Ceres finds that ten of the largest companies in the oil and gas sector are failing to provide sufficient disclosures on climate change and deepwater drilling.

NEWS BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT | INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS
PRI Publishes Case Studies of Sustainable Investment
A report provides examples of sustainable investments by CalPERS and other signatories to the Principles for Responsible Investment, and argues for government policies to help mitigate the risks of such investments.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CARBON MANAGEMENT
Pros and Cons of Australian Carbon Tax
Implemented on July 1st, Australia's carbon pricing scheme imposes a price of $23 per ton on carbon emissions. But some clean energy advocates argue that the policy does not go far enough.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | COMPUTER INDUSTRY
Apple Reverses Plan to Dump Green Registry
The computer giant reverses its decision to leave the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool registry, calling it a mistake after consumer backlash.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Proxy Season Results Support Mainstreaming of ESG
This year's shareowner resolution tracker from Ceres notes that almost half of the environmental and social resolutions coordinated by the organization were withdrawn after successful engagement with companies. First of a two-part series.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY | PRODUCT SAFETY
Congressional Friends of GMOs Sneak Rider into Appropriations Bill
The rider will require that a permit for planting genetically engineered crops be issued even if a federal court orders that the planting be halted.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY | PRODUCT SAFETY
Genetic Engineers Debunk GMO Claims
A report by Earth Open Source reveals that the claims of product safety and sufficient regulation made by producers of genetically modified organisms are false.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | UTILITIES
Investors Urge Congressional Leaders to Support EPA Authority
A coalition led by Calvert urges leaders in both houses of Congress to oppose resolution that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from implementing Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for power plants.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT | CORPORATE REPORTING
Rio+20 Ends without Binding Agreements
Sustainable investors who consider regulatory action to be essential are likely to be disappointed by the absence of agreements addressing climate change and corporate reporting.

NEWS STORY: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT | CORPORATE REPORTING | FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
A Giant Leap Forward, or Unsustainable Business as Usual?
The Natural Capital Declaration, launched at Rio+20, aspires to properly value the environment in financial transactions, but at least one nongovernmental organization argues that the pricing of environmental assets is a fatally flawed solution.

NEWS BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Replacement for GDP Proposed at Rio+20
The Inclusive Wealth Index would provide a definition of wealth that encourages sustainable economic and social development.

NEWS BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT | SMALL BUSINESSES
Business Leaders Call for Sustainable Economic Recovery
Members of the American Sustainable Business Council visit the White House for a summit in which they describe a market that accounts for externalities and benefits all participants.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | MUTUAL FUNDS
Proxy Voting on Climate Change by Mutual Funds Fails to Account for Materiality
An analysis by Ceres and Fund Votes of 2011 proxy voting reveals that the three largest mutual funds failed to vote in favor of a single climate-related resolution.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE REPORTING
Investors Urge Corporations to Consider Physical Impacts of Climate Change
A new report notes improved corporate reporting on greenhouse gas emissions emerging from SEC guidance, but calls for improved management and disclosure of extreme weather events and other physical risks.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | CORPORATE GOVERNANCE | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Shareowners Voice Support for Environmental and Governance Resolutions at Chevron
A call for the separation of the positions of CEO and Board Chair gains more than 38% of shareowner support, while 27% vote in favor of improved disclosure of risks associated with hydraulic fracturing.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT | CORPORATE REPORTING
Add Corporate Social Responsibility to Rio+20, Stakeholders Say
The Dialogue on a Convention on Corporate Social Responsibility and Accountability proposes a global policy framework requiring companies to embed sustainability into their operations and report on their efforts.

NEWS BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT | CARBON MANAGEMENT
Clean Energy Initiatives on the Increase in Many States
The third annual State Clean Energy Index from Clean Edge ranks California first among states in its adoption of such indicators as electricity generation from renewable sources and deployment of hybrid and all-electric vehicles.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | OIL AND GAS COMPANIES
Investors Warned to Question Shell's Plans for Arctic
Citing the likelihood that control of a spill in ice-covered waters will fail, and outlining Shell's poor track record in the Russian Far East, Greenpeace advises investors to ask hard questions about the risks to the company's financial health.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | OIL AND GAS COMPANIES | HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
A Trillion Dollar Call for Best Practices in Fracking Operations
Fifty-five institutional investment organizations representing $1 trillion in assets under management call for adoption of best practices by oil and gas companies engaged in hydraulic fracturing.

NEWS BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT | CORPORATE REPORTING | CARBON MANAGEMENT
Concerns Grow over Slow Pace of Sustainable Development
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development publishes a report in advance of next month's Rio+20 Conference, warning that a radical adaptation in the use of natural capital is required.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Shareowners Ask SEC to Investigate Chevron
Three sustainable investment organizations say that the company's management appears to be covering up the risks associated with an $18 billion legal judgment against it for environmental damage in Ecuador. Second of a two-part series.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Is Chevron in Violation of Securities Law?
New reports on Chevron's liabilities relating to environmental damages in Ecuador assert that while the company's legal options have narrowed significantly, its public filings repeat the same arguments made in 2008. First of a two-part series.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CARBON MANAGEMENT | INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS
Race Between Sustainability and Over-Consumption Continues
The third annual MIT survey of corporate executives suggests that sustainability is increasingly a management agenda item, while a report from WWF finds that global consumption patterns are still unsustainable.

NEWS STORY: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CARBON MANAGEMENT | EMERGING MARKETS
UNDP Reports on Outlook for Sustainable Development in Asia-Pacific
Exploring both widespread poverty and the impacts of climate change on the region, the report warns that the private sector and other stakeholders must act in order to galvanize government action.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | CORPORATE GOVERNANCE | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Chesapeake Energy Agrees to Separation of Chair and CEO
The controversial oil and gas company agrees to a key corporate governance reform after widespread criticism of an arrangement allowing CEO Aubrey McClendon to borrow more than a billion dollars from its treasury.

NEWS BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT | CORPORATE REPORTING
EIRIS Reports on Sustainability Practices of Largest Global Companies
Companies in the US and Asia lag behind their peers in Europe, while significant differences persist among corporate approaches to sustainability.

NEWS STORY: SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT | SHAREOWNER ACTION | CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Clock Is Ticking While Corporate Sustainability Lags
A report from Ceres and Sustainalytics identifies a small number of US corporations leading sustainability efforts, but more decisive action is required to embed sustainability by 2020. First of a two-part series.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CARBON MANAGEMENT | FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
US Banks Receive Failing Grades for Financing Coal
While most of the nation's largest banks have publicly stated commitments addressing mountaintop removal coal mining and coal-fired power generation, the financing of such projects continues.

NEWS BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT | CORPORATE REPORTING | FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
UKSIF Endorses Key Investor Initiatives for Rio+20
The Natural Capital Declaration commits financial institutions to integrating environmental considerations into their products and services, while the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Coalition seeks a convention on corporate reporting.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | OIL AND GAS COMPANIES | HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
Retail Investors Invited to Discussion on Fracking
Moxy Vote provides a forum for individual investors to vote their proxies, and invites them to weigh in on hydraulic fracturing resolutions at Chevron and Exxon Mobil.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | MINING INDUSTRY
Investors Challenge Goldcorp's Closing Costs for Guatemala Mine
Two institutional investors warn that Goldcorp faces litigation risks if its plan for funding the environmental cleanup of its mine in Guatemala is inadequate.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | SOCIAL ISSUES | SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Companies Advised to Address Risks in Supply Chains
A Procurement Report from Eurosif establishes the business case for addressing environmental and social risks in corporate supply chains, and recommends that investors assess the exposure of companies in their portfolios.

NEWS STORY: SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT | CORPORATE REPORTING | RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES
Solar Industry Maturing Despite Lack of Subsidies
A report from As You Sow details examples of best practice in environmental, social, and corporate governance considerations by solar companies, and provides a benchmark for investors to track sustainable developments in the industry.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE REPORTING | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Regulatory Path Cleared for Fracking Resolution at Exxon
The Securities and Exchange Commission overrules challenge by ExxonMobil to hydraulic fracturing resolution submitted by As You Sow.

NEWS BRIEF: CORPORATE REPORTING | CARBON MANAGEMENT | GREEN JOBS
Green Jobs Topped Three Million in 2010
In its first-ever tally of green jobs, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 3.1 million jobs in businesses that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources.

NEWS BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT | FINANCIAL INDUSTRY | PRIVATE EQUITY
Private Equity Increases Sustainability Focus
Programs encouraging the uptake of environmental, social, and corporate governance considerations by private equity firms include the Environmental Defense Fund's Green Returns initiative.

NEWS BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT | CORPORATE REPORTING
Ethisphere Awards 145 Companies for Ethical Performance
The annual World's Most Ethical Companies Rankings include 23 companies that have been honored in each of the six years of the award.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | CORPORATE REPORTING
PRI Signatories Challenge 29 Corporations to Meet Their Obligations to Report
The companies are members of the UN Global Compact but have failed to submit an annual Communication on Progress as required.

NEWS BRIEF: CORPORATE REPORTING | INTEGRATED REPORTING
Momentum Grows for Integrated Reporting
With the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development three months away, numerous voices speak out on the need for governments to mandate sustainability reporting by large companies.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY | HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
Investors Continue Pressure for Fracking Disclosure
Two guides for investors and companies engaged in hydraulic fracturing have been published in recent months, and four of ten shareowner resolutions calling for increased disclosure of risks have been withdrawn.

NEWS STORY: SOCIAL ISSUES | NUCLEAR WEAPONS INDUSTRY | FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
Study Identifies Financial Institutions Investing in Nuclear Weapons
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons names 322 financial institutions from 30 countries with substantial investments in the $100 billion-a-year nuclear weapons industry.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE REPORTING | CARBON MANAGEMENT
EPA and Partners Announce Recipients of First Climate Leadership Awards
Companies are recognized for greenhouse gas management through goal setting and achievement, supply chain leadership, and overall organizational leadership.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | CORPORATE REPORTING
As You Sow Publishes Proxy Preview
The report notes an exponential increase in resolutions addressing the various forms of corporate political spending, while the community impacts of hydraulic fracturing and financial risks associated with coal lead environmental resolutions.

INTERVIEW: SHAREOWNER ACTION | CORPORATE GOVERNANCE | CORPORATE REPORTING
Zevin Asset Management Grows into a Corporate Engagement Powerhouse
The Boston-based investment manager, with $335 million in assets under management, has co-filed 14 shareowner resolutions for the 2012 proxy season.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | MINING INDUSTRY
Advisory Warns Investors of Risks of Proposed Copper and Gold Mine in Alaska
Citing community opposition, unprecedented infrastructure requirements, and environmental risks, Earthworks questions whether the mine, located in the Bristol Bay area, will ever be built.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE REPORTING
Resolutions or Engagement? Ceres Prepares for Proxy Season by Using Proxy Ballot to Encourage Change
SocialFunds.com talks with Rob Berridge of Ceres about the organization's past success and its plans for driving change in the stewardship of the environment through shareowner resolutions.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | OIL AND GAS COMPANIES | HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
Shareowners Continue Campaign for Disclosure of Risks Associated with Fracking
Ten shareowner resolutions addressing hydraulic fracturing have been filed thus far for the 2012 proxy season, and proponents for improved disclosure look to improve upon last year's 40% vote in support.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CARBON MANAGEMENT | INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Google Tops Greenpeace International's Cool IT Leaderboard
The Internet giant is cited in Greenpeace's fifth ranking of information technology companies for its commitment to renewable energy and its public advocacy for clean energy policies.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | RENEWABLE ENERGY
Intel Tops EPA's Green Power Partnership Rankings
EPA's quarterly ranking of top purchasers of renewable energy lists Intel first, followed by Kohl's and Wal-Mart; Kohl's and Whole Foods are largest purchasers of 100% green power.

INTERVIEW: SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT
Interview: Cary Krosinsky, Editor of Evolutions in Sustainable Investment
SocialFunds.com talks with Krosinsky about the challenges to as well as the inevitability of a mainstream uptake of sustainable investing strategies.

NEWS BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
UN Adaptation Database Highlights Corporate Sustainability Efforts
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change publishes an online database featuring case studies of climate change adaptation activities undertaken by private companies.

NEWS BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT | CORPORATE REPORTING
Corporate Knights Publishes Eighth Annual Ranking of Sustainable Companies
Danish pharmaceutical firm Novo Nordisk tops the 2012 Global 100 and the United Kingdom leads countries with 16 companies on list.

NEWS STORY: SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CARBON MANAGEMENT | INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS
Investors Vow to Address Climate Change even as Congress Fails to Act
At the Investor Summit on Climate Risk & Energy Solutions, hosted by Ceres, institutional investors note progress in managing climate change in their portfolios, but warn that further action must be taken now.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CARBON MANAGEMENT | INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS
Investors Advised to Increase Climate-Sensitive Allocations and Engage with Companies and Policymakers on Climate Change
Mercer follows up groundbreaking 2011 study of the economic costs of climate change with a survey of the climate change-related investment strategies of institutional investors.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CARBON MANAGEMENT | INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Greenpeace Ends Unfriend Coal Campaign Targeting Facebook
The social media giant agrees to reduce its reliance on coal-powered electricity by siting its data centers where renewable energy sources are available.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Shareowners Press Chevron to Acknowledge Environmental Liabilities in Ecuador
Even as Chevron's liability for a November oil spill in Brazil reaches billions of dollars, the company still refuses to disclose to shareowners the risks associated with an $18 billion court judgment against it in Ecuador. Second of a two-part series.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | CORPORATE REPORTING | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY | HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
Investors Provide Guidance for Companies Engaged in Hydraulic Fracturing
SocialFunds.com talks with Richard Liroff of the Investor Environmental Health Network about a collaborative effort with the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility to minimize risks associated with fracking through key performance indicators and best practices.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | PROXY ADVISORY SERVICES
ISS Seeks Investor Input for Revised Proxy Voting Policies
Institutional Shareholder Services says the comment period for the 2012 update of its proxy voting policies will run through November 7th.

INTERVIEW: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE REPORTING
Why the Newsweek Green Rankings are Important
SocialFunds.com talks with Cary Krosinsky of Trucost about the methodology and the significance of the findings of this year's results.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE REPORTING
Munich Re and IBM Lead Companies in Newsweek's 2011 Green Rankings
IBM moves up from third place finish last year to first in US, and HP ranks second for second year in row; Dell drops from first to fifth, and Munich Re tops list of global companies.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE REPORTING
GRI Proposes Reporting Guidelines for Ecosystem Impacts
With health of global ecosystems at risk, the Global Reporting Initiative proposes reporting on ecosystems impacts that go beyond general environmental reporting.

NEWS STORY: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE REPORTING | CARBON MANAGEMENT
US Companies Don't Wait for Regulation, Address Climate Change to Compete
The Carbon Disclosure Project's survey of S&P 500 companies finds that the number integrating climate change into business strategies nearly doubles.

NEWS BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Sustainability Issues Persist but Urgency to Address them Declines
A survey of sustainability experts finds that while issues such as energy, climate change, and water scarcity remain critical, a sense of urgency in dealing with them is declining.

NEWS BRIEF: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE REPORTING | TECHNOLOGY
Google Finally Comes Clean on Energy Usage
The IT giant's energy consumption continues to grow, but with the help of renewable energy sources and the purchase of carbon offset credits the company claims to have been carbon neutral since 2007.

NEWS BRIEF: COMMUNITY INVESTMENT | FIXED INCOME ASSETS
Sustainable Initiatives Supported by Fixed Income Investing
A white paper from Community Capital Management describes five categories of fixed income investments that can support environmental and social goals while providing competitive returns.

NEWS BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT | AGRICULTURE | INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS
PRI Launches Farmland Initiative
Eight institutional investors join to develop the Principles for Responsible Investment in Farmland, to ensure that investment in farmland is sustainable and transparent.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY | HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
SEC Considering Oversight of Hydraulic Fracturing
As investor concerns over the risks of hydraulic fracturing increase, news reports indicate that the Commission is asking companies for information relating to chemicals used in the practice.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Increased Support for Shareowner Proposals in 2011
Reports on 2011 proxy season by ISS and Ernst & Young reveal that shareowner support for social and environmental proposals continues to grow.

NEWS STORY: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | CORPORATE GOVERNANCE | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Can Shell Be Trusted with Drilling in Arctic?
The company's permit from the Interior Department to drill in the Arctic precedes by days an oil spill in the North Sea, and follows a UN report critical of its acceptance of responsibility for oil spills in Nigeria.

NEWS BRIEF: CORPORATE GOVERNANCE | HUMAN RIGHTS | MINING INDUSTRY
EIRIS Notes Some Progress in ESG Performance of Vedanta Resources
One year after finding that the mining company had breached international norms in its Indian operations, the sustainable investment researcher sees signs of progress on some fronts but insufficient attention paid to risk management.

NEWS STORY: SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT | FINANCIAL INDUSTRY
ImpactAssets Seeks to Administer $1 Billion in Impact Investing Assets
Ten years after developing the Giving Fund for the Calvert Foundation, Tim Freundlich talks with SocialFunds.com about the nonprofit's efforts to catalyze investment for environmental, social, and financial impact.

NEWS STORY: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Shareowner Support for Environmental Resolutions Continues to Grow
Tracking by Ceres of this year's environmental resolutions reveals that the average support for hydraulic fracturing proposals increased to 40% in 2011, up from 30% in 2010.

NEWS BRIEF: CORPORATE REPORTING
GRI Calls for Input into New Sustainability Guidelines
The Global Reporting Initiative announces that it will publish the G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines in 2013, and invites public input into their formation.

NEWS BRIEF: SHAREOWNER ACTION | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES | OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Resolutions Addressing Hydraulic Fracturing Continue to Attract Shareowner Support
At annual meeting of Ultra Petroleum, the company refuses to permit shareowners to present their proposal, but votes in favor double that of 2010.

NEWS BRIEF: GREEN FUNDS: SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION
New Sustainable Transportation ETF to be Launched on NASDAQ
Index-based ETF to track companies offering green solutions to growth in worldwide transportation.

INTERVIEW:
Sunshine is the Best Disinfectant: Shareholder Activists Promote Corporate Transparency
SocialFunds writer Bill Baue speaks with Sanford Lewis of the Investor Environmental Health Network on his shareholder activism promoting corporate disclosure

NEWS STORY: GREEN SECTORS
The Very Rich Green Their Portfolios
With European and Middle Eastern investors leading the way, high-net-worth investors are putting their money into green technologies and alternative energy sources.

INTERVIEW:
Bob Monks: ExxonMobil Exemplifies Corpocracy
SocialFunds writers Bill Baue and Francesca Rheannon interview corporate governance advocate Bob Monks about his shareholder activism at ExxonMobil and his new book, Corpocracy.

INTERVIEW:
Shelley Alpern on How Tar Sands Perpetuate Petro-Addiction
SocialFunds writer Bill Baue speaks with Shelley Alpern of Trillium Asset Management about its shareholder activism on oil company exploitation of tar sands.

INTERVIEW: STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Michael Conroy on Activist Campaigns and the Certification Revolution
SocialFunds writer Bill Baue speaks with Michael Conroy about his new book, Branded! How the “Certification Revolution” is Transforming Global Companies

NEWS BRIEF:
The Toxic 100: New Report on Polluting Companies Hopes to Empower Communities and Shareholders
Index of top corporate air polluters updated in new report from researchers at the University of Massachusetts.

INTERVIEW: ENVIRONMENT: BUSINESS TRENDS
Joel Makower on the GreenBiz.com State of Green Business 2008 Report
GreenBiz founder talks about the inaugural report, which surveys the top 10 green business stories of 2007 and introduces the GreenBiz Index.

NEWS STORY: ALTERNATIVE ENERGY: PERSONAL FINANCE
Growing Interest In Green Investing
New research shows that individual investors think the environment is hot, with solar energy an important investment opportunity.

NEWS STORY: CLIMATE CHANGE: BANKING
Are Banks Getting Caught With Their Umbrellas Down?
A new report from the RiskMetrics Group ranks 40 of the world's largest banks responses to climate change risks and possibilities.

NEWS STORY: PERSONAL FINANCE
Whistling Past the Graveyard—Socially Responsible Investing and the Financial Crisis
SRI thought leaders analyze the potential impacts of the widespread economic downturn caused by the subprime meltdown and deflating dollar.

NEWS STORY:
Environmental, Social and Governance Standards: Glass Half-Empty or Half-Full?
The spread of voluntary and mandatory ESG disclosure and performance standards for business raises the question, how robust is implementation and enforcement?

NEWS STORY:
Consumers Demand Companies Walk Their Green Talk
The growing number of consumers who identify themselves as "conscious" creates more opportunities for sustainable companies.

NEWS STORY:
Launch of Five Climate Change Funds May Enrich Investors, But Won't Save the World
Deutsche Bank, F&C, HSBC, Schroders, and Virgin Money launch climate funds, a trend that validates the role of finance in addressing--though not solving--global warming.

NEWS STORY:
CEOs Add ESG Issues to Business Blueprints
A report from McKinsey & Company finds that more CEOs are including environmental, social, and governance issues in core strategies.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review: The Clean Tech Revolution
A new book on investing in green technology looks at new and expected developments that hold out promise for big returns over the coming decades.

NEWS STORY:
Green Financial Products Take Root in North America
A new report commissioned by UNEP FI lists green financial services and products as it makes the case for green banking's environmental, social, and economic benefits.

NEWS STORY:
Are Colleges Only Green Skin Deep?
The Sustainability Report Card 2008 examines colleges and universities dedication to sustainability, on campuses and in endowment portfolios.

NEWS STORY:
Corporate Operations in Burma Fuel Human Rights Abuses, Say Shareowner Activists
Shareowner letters to Chevron and Total criticize the piping of revenues to the Burmese regime, while the Norwegian Pension Fund defends its decision not to divest from Total.

NEWS STORY:
Green Angels: Venture and Private Equity Capitalists Help Sprout a New Generation of Environmentally Friendly Companies
Private investors and high-net worth individuals are making a difference--in hopes of making a profit--by actively recruiting start-up and middle-sized companies dedicated to the environment and society.

NEWS STORY:
Emissions Trading Commodifies Carbon, But Does It Really Help Solve Climate Change?
Proponents of carbon trading see markets as the best mechanism for reducing emissions, while critics characterize carbon trading as a devil's bargain that steers profits to polluters.

NEWS STORY:
Contracting Human Rights? Ruggie Teams with IFC on Study
Empirical research conducted by John Ruggie and the International Finance Corporation examines if foreign investment contract clauses enable human rights violations.

NEWS STORY:
The Subprime Meltdown and SRI: Engage, Avoid, Predict
Shareowner activists engaged banks on predatory lending long before the subprime crisis climaxed, and SRI research predicted the meltdown in time to avoid some impacts.

NEWS STORY:
Leave Only Footprints: Measuring and Managing Corporate Carbon Emissions
Corporate carbon footprinting is on the rise, but so too is the number of footprint methodologies, challenging companies and investors to discern the best options. Part two of a two-part article.

NEWS STORY:
Green Outsourcing: Companies Demanding More Environmentally Sound Suppliers
Brown-Wilson Group's newest "Black Book of Outsourcing" reports that businesses are including more environmental factors when choosing suppliers.

NEWS STORY:
To Avoid Risk of Alien Tort Claims Act Cases, Companies Must Improve Human Rights
The first-ever corporate ATCA verdict of not guilty does not diminish the ongoing liabilities companies face in US courts for human rights violations committed overseas.

NEWS STORY:
BSR Proposes Going Beyond Monitoring to Achieve Truly Sustainable Supply Chains
The new report from Business for Social Responsibility posits a four-pronged vision for shifting supply chain management from a surveillance model to a comprehensive, proactive solution.

NEWS STORY:
Sustainability Picks Up Where Supply and Demand Meet
Both investors and companies are working on sustainability issues as new reports by UN PRI and Goldman Sachs show ESG issues are gaining momentum.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review--Ethical Markets: Growing the Green Economy
Author Hazel Henderson's exhaustive survey of the sustainable business landscape serves as a perfect primer on green economics and tracks lesser-known trends and developments.

NEWS STORY:
Biofuels: Keeping Good Intentions on the Right Path
With the biofuels industry growing by leaps and bounds worldwide, controversy is erupting over whether this important new energy source is truly as sustainable as it claims to be.

NEWS STORY:
SustainAbility Predicts How Sustainable Development Will Play Out Over Next Two Decades
Part two of this two-part article looks at a recent report from SustainAbility that projects four scenarios of potential developments in sustainability over the next 20 years.

NEWS STORY:
Brundtland Report Celebrates 20th Anniversary Since Coining Sustainable Development
Part one of this two-part article examines how the Brundtland Report has promoted sustainable development over the past two decades.

NEWS STORY:
Banking on the Future: The Two Biggest US Banks To Dedicate Billions to Halting Climate Change
Citigroup and Bank of America have pledged billions of dollars to help fight climate change while a new report questions Chinese banks' environmental policies.

NEWS STORY:
Yes and No: Newmont Recommends Voting For One Resolution, Petitions SEC to Omit Another
The actions span the gamut of corporate responses to shareowner resolutions on environmental, social, and governance issues, from wholehearted support to forceful opposition.

NEWS STORY:
Corporate Social Responsibility: Perfect Playing Field for Tipping Points and Cognitive Frames
The Lifeworth review of CSR developments in 2006 fuses two popular concepts on social beliefs and change to promote personal, corporate, and societal transformation.

NEWS STORY:
If You Tag It, It Will Be Used: Sustainability Reporting in XBRL
Weeks after the latest SEC roundtable on interactive data, the Global Reporting Initiative releases a draft taxonomy of XBRL tags mapped to G3 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines.

NEWS STORY:
Porter and Kramer Framework Melding CSR with Business Strategy Wins Harvard Award
The Harvard Business Review grants the 2006 McKinsey Award to an article arguing companies create competitive advantage by integrating social and environmental issues into core strategy.

NEWS STORY:
Carbon Offsets: Modern-Day Indulgences to Assuage Carbon Guilt or Market Mechanism for Supporting Clean Energy
Even as they gain popularity as a climate change solution, carbon offsets have come under considerable criticism for diluting action on global warming--the truth likely resides between these extremes.

NEWS STORY:
The World's Poor: Huge Market or Just a Marketer’s Fantasy?
New report from the International Finance Corporation and World Resources Institute measures the market-size of the Earth's people who live in poverty.

NEWS STORY:
Shareowner Activism Precedes Development of SRI Slavery Screen
Most slavery exists far up the supply chain, and auditing practices do not yet exist to monitor for slavery at second- or third-tier suppliers, so it is too early to enact an enforceable slavery screen.

NEWS STORY:
Concerned Investors and Businesses Call for Congress to Pass a Carbon-Cap or Wear a Dunce Cap
A large group of institutional investors and US companies call on the federal government to pass legislation to fight climate change that includes a demand for mandated cuts in greenhouse gasses.

NEWS STORY:
Mutual Funds Inch Toward More Conscientious Proxy Voting on Social and Environmental Resolutions
Corporate social responsibility resolutions addressing climate change reveal the increasing complexity of assessing proxy voting records.

NEWS STORY:
Citigroup, Lehman Brothers, and UBS Report on Climate Risks and Opportunities for Investing
Lehman Brothers and UBS agree climate change represents a market failure for neglecting to price carbon externalizations in valuations, while Citigroup makes specific stock picks.

NEWS STORY:
Business for Social Responsibility Fuses the Theoretical and Practical to Promote Sustainability
SocialFunds.com speaks with Aron Cramer, CEO of Business for Social Responsibility, about past developments in corporate social responsibility and future trajectories of sustainability.

NEWS STORY:
Top US Jewelry Retailers Get the Gold for Signing Responsibility Pledge
In time for Valentine’s Day, seven out of the top ten US jewelry retailers sign No Dirty Gold’s "Golden Rules" to back responsible gold mining practices.

NEWS STORY:
S&P 500 Lags on Climate Disclosure, Electric Utilities Burning Economic Value Into Carbon
Two recent reports use findings of the 2006 Carbon Disclosure Project to assess limits of transparency on climate risks and opportunities and drag on value creation at electric utilities.

NEWS STORY:
Inaugural Report Card Grades College Sustainability on Endowment and Campus Efforts
The Sustainable Endowments Institute study finds endowment sustainability lagging campus sustainability policies and initiatives.

NEWS STORY:
Global 100 List Raises the Profile of Sustainability at the World Economic Forum (and Beyond)
Competition to make the third annual list of the 100 most sustainable companies--based on ratings by Innovest--continues to spur strong corporate social and environmental performance.

NEWS STORY:
From Competition to Cooperation: Companies Collaborate on Social and Environmental Issues
Collaborative initiatives bring together companies, investors, and activists to address issues such as online freedom of expression, climate change, and labor rights in the global supply chain.

NEWS STORY:
The Problem with Voluntary Corporate Initiatives Is -- Well, They Are Voluntary
A Harvard study identifies the voluntary nature of such corporate social and environmental initiatives as their pitfall, limiting the ability to gauge their effectiveness.

NEWS STORY:
Top Five Socially Responsible Investing News Stories of 2006
Green investing booms, microfinance pioneer wins Nobel Peace Prize, shareowner democracy increases, resolutions receive record votes, and UN launches Principles of Responsible Investment

NEWS STORY:
Launch of Three New Clean Tech Indexes Culminates Banner Year for Green Investing
The three Jefferies Global Clean Technology Indexes join the half-dozen green indexes introduced this year.

NEWS STORY:
Costs of Carbon and Coal: Examining Emissions Trading Scheme Impact on Shareowner Value
WWF and SAM Group collaborate on a study modeling impacts of rising costs of carbon dioxide emissions on the valuation of German utility RWE, the biggest private carbon emitter in Europe.

NEWS STORY:
Rainforest Action Network Seeks to Stem Flow of Financing to TXU Coal Project
Part two of this two-part articles addresses how RAN sent a letter to 54 banks urging them to withhold funding from a TXU plan to build 11 pulverized coal-burning power plants in Texas.

NEWS STORY:
TXU Shareowners File Three Resolutions Questioning Wisdom of Pulverized Coal Plants
Part one of this two-part article examines how shareowners are raising environmental and regulatory concerns over the TXU coal expansion plan, as well as environmentally preferable alternatives to coal such as energy efficiency.

NEWS STORY:
Swedish Government Facilitates Corporate Responsibility
A SocialFunds.com interview with Elisabeth Dahlin, Ambassador, Head of Global Responsibility, Sweden.

NEWS STORY:
Another Clean Energy Exchange Traded Fund to Launch
First Trust Advisors is slated to introduce an ETF that tracks the NASDAQ Clean Edge US Liquid Series Index early next year.

NEWS STORY:
How to Do Sustainble Banking
BankTrack, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations promoting social and environmental responsibility in the finance sector, issues a guide to best practices in sustainable banking.

NEWS STORY:
Eight Percent of Fortune 500 Taking EPA Challenge to Double Their Green Energy Use
Fortune 500 companies are installing renewable energy generation on-site as well as purchasing green power directly or through renewable energy certificates.

NEWS STORY:
Pharma Companies Need to Keep Improving AIDS Response, Says ICCR and Nigerian Doctor
Chukwumuanya Igboekwu of Physicians for Social Justice adds his own critiques to the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility study on pharmaceutical industry shortcomings in addressing AIDS.

NEWS STORY:
Ecosystem Depletion Presents Businesses with Risks and Opportunities
Four prominent environmental and business organizations report on the business risks and opportunities associated with ecosystem crises such as climate change and water scarcity.

NEWS STORY:
Corporate Accountability Improves, Progressing on Stakeholder Engagement But Not Assurance
Vodafone, BP, and Shell top the annual Global Accountability Rating by AccountAbility and CSRnetwork, with Home Depot rising 10 percentage points and Chevron falling 20.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review: Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage
The plethora of real-life examples of corporate environmental initiatives is where readers will find value in this book from two authors associated with Yale.

NEWS STORY:
Dear Sir or Madam: Stakeholder Letters Push Corporate Sustainability Improvements
Letters remains an important mode for addressing environmental, social, and governance issues, encompassing a broader swath than simply communication between shareowners and companies.

NEWS STORY:
Merrill Lynch and World Resources Institute Issue Second Auto Sector Climate Change Report
The report again balances stock picking and investment analysis with in-depth discussion of regulatory and market developments in response to global warming and energy security concerns.

NEWS STORY:
Sustainability Reporting Improving, But Not Necessarily Contributing to True Sustainability
The biennial survey of global reporters by SustainAbility assesses disclosure on sustainability performance, but refrains from directly assessing corporate sustainability performance.

NEWS STORY:
As Climate Debate Matures, Companies Strategize Solutions and Investors Push for Disclosure
Companies are taking tangible actions to minimize risks and seize opportunities related to climate change, while investors promote more robust climate-related disclosure.

NEWS STORY:
Two New ETFs Fight Climate Change: One Bridges Shift to Cleaner Energy, One Pushes Cleantech
The PowerShares WilderHill Progressive Energy Portfolio and the PowerShares Cleantech Portfolio offer investors increasing choice for investing in climate change solutions.

NEWS STORY:
Winslow Conservation Index Outperforms the S&P 500 and Russell 2000
Winslow Management Company back-tested five-year performance of 15 companies focused on conservation, an oft-overlooked component of the alternative energy equation.

NEWS STORY:
Global Compact Puts 335 Companies in Deep Freezer Until They Communicate on Progress
In part one of this two-part interview, SocialFunds.com speaks with Georg Kell about the de-listing of 335 companies from the Global Compact for failing to issue Communication on Progress reports.

NEWS STORY:
Investors Call on S&P 500 Companies to Use New Global Reporting Initiative G3 Guidelines
Only 13 percent of the S&P 500 issues GRI reports--those that do see the move as insulating them against the possibility of future mandated disclosure on issues such as climate risk.

NEWS STORY:
FTSE4Good Deletes Nine Companies on Environmental and Supply Chain Labor Standards
FTSE4Good criteria promote incremental progress in corporate social responsibility performance, and climate change is the latest topic covered in newly proposed standards.

NEWS STORY:
Emerging Markets Emerging as Socially Responsible Investing Opportunities
A report by the Ethical Investment Research Services examines 50 emerging market companies using various SRI screens, and finds a number of possible plays.

NEWS STORY:
Pennsylvania Treasurer Keys into Clean Tech Investing and Green Screens
Keystone Green Investment Strategy commits state to $40 million in green private investments, $50 million shifted to managers investing in clean tech, and environmental screening.

NEWS STORY:
Canadian Social Investment Organization Recommends Mandating Global Reporting Initiative
In a submission to the National Roundtables on Corporate Social Responsibility, SIO advocates for amending the Canada Business Corporations Act to mandate annual GRI reporting.

NEWS STORY:
Carbon Disclosure Project Finds Tipping Point in Awareness But Not Action on Climate Risks
CDP4 reveals almost three quarters of FT500 tracking their greenhouse gas emissions, but less than half of those who think climate change poses risks are reducing GHG emissions.

NEWS STORY:
DJSI Takes Holistic Approach to Assessing and Promoting Corporate Sustainability
Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes assesses overall sustainability performance, driving constant improvement through the competitiveness to attain best-in-class status.

NEWS STORY:
How Insurers Are (and Are Not) Tackling Climate Risk in Underwriting, Investing, and Policies
A new report from Ceres identifies almost 200 activities recently introduced by insurers to address climate change, but calls on the industry for further action.

NEWS STORY:
Trucost Joins Yale Professor to Devise Tool to Gauge Financial Cost of Environmental Impacts
Professor Robert Repetto and Trucost Researcher Dan Dias apply the TRUEVA methodology for measuring externalities in financial terms to the US electric sector, which scores terribly.

NEWS STORY:
Shareowners Push TimeWarner on Movies Depicting Smoking, Recycled Paper, and Pay Disparity
Part two of this two-part article documents steps forward made by TimeWarner, as well as areas where shareowner activists continue to press for progress.

NEWS STORY:
Shareowner Activists See Progress at TimeWarner, and Room for Improvement
In part one of this two-part article, activists applaud the company on its first corporate social responsibility report while continuing to push on environmental, social, and governance issues.

NEWS STORY:
ADVANCE Converts Corporate Environmental Metrics Into Monetary Terms
The transparent methodology stands to advance corporate social responsibility and socially responsible investing, but it remains to be seen if it measures true sustainability.

NEWS STORY:
Biofuels May Not Be Sustainability Panacea, According to Bank Sarasin Report
The report identifies strengths and weaknesses of biofuels from social and environmental perspectives, as well as positing minimum sustainability criteria to qualify for investment.

NEWS STORY:
BP, Suncor, and Shell Top Oil Sector Sustainability Rating; Chevron and ExxonMobil Rank Low
The report by Jantzi Research examines 23 oil companies worldwide on environmental issues such as greenhouse gas emissions as well as human rights and other social issues.

NEWS STORY:
The Pages of Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility
Books addressing climate change dominate the fourth annual SocialFunds.com Summer Reading List recommended by socially responsible investing and corporate social responsibility leaders.

NEWS STORY:
Survey Examines Nomenclature and Numbers Fueling SRI and Extra-Financial Research
The fourth annual survey from Thomson Extel and the UK Social Investment Forum looks beyond the numbers to assess the role of language in promoting uptake of SRI research.

NEWS STORY:
Trillium Takes the Reins from Winslow in Managing the Green Century Balanced Fund
The transition in portfolio managers has shifted the fund back to its roots as a core portfolio holding by reducing risk and diversifying holdings across the multi-cap space.

NEWS STORY:
Filing Resolutions at Mutual Funds: The Next Frontier for Shareowner Activism?
Eight years after the Northwest Corporate Accountability Project first filed an environmental shareowner resolution, it will finally go to vote at the Merrill Lynch Global Allocation Fund.

NEWS STORY:
Parnassus Small Cap Fund Identifies Unique Sustainability Characteristics to Outperform Russell 2000
While the introduction of the Parnassus Workplace Fund a year ago piqued interest, the Parnassus Small Cap Fund unveiled at the same time is turning heads with strong financial performance.

NEWS STORY:
UN Advances Business Case for Materiality of SRI, Leaving Skeptics Little Wiggle Room
A new UNEP FI report assesses how investment banks are integrating environmental, social, and governance factors and linking them to financial performance in their research.

NEWS STORY:
Survey Reveals TIAA-CREF Investor Desire to Up Commitment to SRI
TIAA-CREF promises to respond to participants, of whom over three-quarters prioritize social and environmental considerations in investing choices.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review--The Triple Bottom Line: How Today's Best-Run Companies Are Achieving Economic, Social, and Environmental Success--And How You Can Too
The book lays out a framework for companies to follow on the path toward integrating the triple bottom line of economic, social, and environmental sustainability.

NEWS STORY:
Revised Equator Principles Fall Short of International Best Practice for Project Finance
While some observers praise the strengthening of labor rights, others decry the failure to implement adequate transparency, accountability, and governance mechanisms.

NEWS STORY:
Some Applaud Rise in Sustainability Reporting, Others Say It Masks Corporate Un-sustainability
A new study documents the increase in sustainability reporting, but a paper by St. Andrews researchers considers corporate sustainability an unrealistic goal under current economic system.

NEWS STORY:
Missouri Farmers Union Credit Union Supports Sustainability in Low-Income Rural Areas
The new credit union supports cooperative entrepreneurial models that advance social responsibility and environmental sustainability in low-income agricultural regions.

NEWS STORY:
Recycling 1.2--Dell, HP, and Apple Upgrade Takeback Programs to Slouch Toward Sustainability
The Computer TakeBack Campaign applauds the improvements while mapping the long road the computer industry still has to travel to attain true sustainability.

NEWS STORY:
Does Trucost Measurement of Corporate Carbon Footprints Reduce Environmental Impacts?
Trucost ranks the carbon intensity in UK portfolios, arguing for overweighting companies with lower carbon footprints to reduce ecological impact while maintaining performance.

NEWS STORY:
Correlating Proxy Advisory Firm Recommendations with Voting Results
A look at the link between recommendations by Institutional Shareholder Services, Glass Lewis, and PROXYGovernance and voting results at Citigroup, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Wal-Mart.

NEWS STORY:
Norwegian Government Pension Fund Dumps Wal-Mart and Freeport on Ethical Exclusions
The $230 billion global fund--one of the largest pension funds in the world--cited Wal-Mart for systematic human rights violations and Freeport for serious environmental damage.

NEWS STORY:
World Resources Institute and Citigroup Team Up to Report on Solutions to Climate Change
The report recommends a dozen companies poised to profit from a carbon-constrained future, including Archer Daniels Midland, Caterpillar, Cypress Semiconductor, GE, Itron, Johnson Controls, Monsanto, and Waste Management

NEWS STORY:
Winslow and Jupiter Launch Global Green Fund Using Only Positive Environmental Criteria
The Jupiter Green Investment Trust pioneers cross-continent collaboration and evolution from negative screening to positive sustainability criteria.

NEWS STORY:
Corporate Shenanigans: Companies Dis Shareowners at Annual Meetings
Home Depot exemplifies a phenomenon of companies manipulating annual meeting protocols to disempower shareowners, following in the footsteps of Weyerhaeuser, Whole Foods, and others.

NEWS STORY:
Survey Starts to Pry Open Black Box of University Endowment Holdings and Proxy Voting
The survey, conducted by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, finds the vast majority of universities and colleges veiling their holdings and proxy voting records in secrecy.

NEWS STORY:
Applying an Ant Colony Mentality to Extra-Financial Factors and Enhanced Analytics
A report from the Universities Superannuation Scheme, a member of the Enhanced Analytics Initiative, calls for diverse, community-wide advocacy of factoring extra-financials into research.

NEWS STORY:
Listmania! Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility Lists Drive Improved Performance
CSR lists take the old adage--what gets measured gets managed--one step further by spotlighting the ranking process, thereby encouraging better corporate social and environmental performance.

NEWS STORY:
Ecological Community Loan Pool Directly Links Ecologically Minded Investors to Eco-Preneurs
The portal created by Ecostructure Financial tweaks the community development financial institution model to allow investors to lend directly to startups solving environmental problems.

NEWS STORY:
Japanese Fund First to Track KLD Global Climate 100 Index
The construction methodology of the Global Climate 100 distinguishes it from other clean energy indexes, and distinguishes this fund from other Japanese eco funds.

NEWS STORY:
Chemical Companies Unprepared to Reduce Toxicity for European REACH Regulations
An Ethical Investment Research Service report finds on Akzo Nobel advanced in preparation for REACH, while an Innovest report debunks industry claims that the rules will cripple them.

NEWS STORY:
Hog Manure Fertilizes Improvements in Environmental Management at Smithfield Foods
Fines for Clean Water Act violations and a lawsuit settlement spur Smithfield to clean up its act and move toward environmental leadership, but it still has a way to go to complete a turnaround.

NEWS STORY:
Confirming the CalPERS Effect: Academic Study Links Shareowner Activism to Financial Gain
Examining companies targeted for governance reform by the CalPERS Focus List, the study presents data correlating activism to increasing shareowner value as well as cautionary notes.

NEWS STORY:
Proxy Season Report Geared to Foundations Helps Others Navigate Proxy Landscape
As You Sow Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors report allows for stepping back by providing a useful overview as well as an in-depth look at behind-the-scenes dialogue.

NEWS STORY:
United Nations Endorses SRI Strategies in Launching Principles for Responsible Investment
Some 50 institutional investors globally representing $4 trillion in assets have signed on to the Principles, which promote the consideration of environmental, social and governance factors.

NEWS STORY:
Voting Recommendations on Shareowner Resolutions Vary Widely at Proxy Advisory Firms
Part one of this two-part article compares Institutional Shareholder Services, Glass Lewis, and PROXY Governance vote recommendations on resolutions at Citigroup and Chevron.

NEWS STORY:
Wal-Mart Discloses Equal Employment Opportunity Data
The company joined six others in the S&P 100 that publicly disclose their EEO-1 report, but Wal-Mart still faces shareowner action on union-busting and selling gems mined in Burma.

NEWS STORY:
New Analysis of Sustainability Risks and Opportunities in Developing Asian Markets
New report from ASrIA and IFC seeks to bring consideration of environmental, social, and governance factors into investment decisions in developing Asian markets.

NEWS STORY:
Common Good Bank Advances One Branch of Community Investing Evolution
The bank promotes the common good by distributing excess profits to the community and by making all lending and spending decisions through participatory democracy.

NEWS STORY:
Social Footprint Introduces Simple Elegance in Measuring Corporate Sustainability Performance
The method conceived by the Center for Sustainable Innovation for quantifying corporate social and environmental impacts uses quotients to compare company action to sustainability goals.

NEWS STORY:
Shareowner Resolutions Overcome Obstacles to Promote Sustainability Reporting
A campaign advocating for sustainability reporting refines its strategies, shifting from requiring adherence to recommending Global Reporting Initiative guidelines.

NEWS STORY:
Corporate Action on Climate Change Improves Over Past Three Years, But Still Insufficient
A report from Ceres benchmarks corporate governance on climate change, finding steady gains by leaders while some laggards leapfrog toward the top and other laggards stagnate at the bottom.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review--Responsible Investment
An impressive and wide-ranging list of contributing writers advance a balance between elucidating the strengths of socially responsible investing while also exposing its weaknesses.

NEWS STORY:
Facing Campaign on Farm Working Conditions, McDonald's to Heed Independent Study Results
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers urges McDonald's to improve farm working conditions, which the company is addressing through a study by the Center for Reflection, Education, and Action.

NEWS STORY:
Cost of Clean Energy Decreases to Compete with Its Dirtier Counterparts, According to Report
The Clean Edge report surveys clean energy, documenting market growth, strong stock performance, and expansion of venture capital investment, as well as projecting future trends.

NEWS STORY:
Thirty Years and Counting: Cofounder Wayne Silby Recounts the Birth of Calvert
To celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Calvert, SocialFunds.com speaks with co-founder Wayne Silby about its genesis, development, and future.

NEWS STORY:
A Serendipitous Match: Davis Advisors Takes Over MMA Praxis Core Stock Fund
The portfolio holding of Wal-Mart exemplifies (oddly enough) how both Davis Advisors and MMA Praxis emphasize the importance of stewardship and shareowner empowerment.

NEWS STORY:
FTSE4Good Semi-Annual Review Boots 16 US Companies on Environmental Criteria
Of the 19 deletions, only one company was dropped due to human rights (instead of environmental) criteria, and all but three deletions were US-based companies.

NEWS STORY:
US Banks Sink to the Bottom of the Barrel on Latest Sustainability Ratings from Oekom
Most US banks fail to disclose enough information on their social and environmental performance to qualify for analysis, and only four of 21 analyzed earned above D-level grades.

NEWS STORY:
Whole Foods Market Gags Shareowners at Annual Meeting
A leader on corporate social responsibility, Whole Foods lags on corporate governance by stymieing shareowner democracy.

NEWS STORY:
Wells Fargo Issues Alternative Energy Report to Join Ranks of Banks Advancing SRI Research
The report provides an overview of the alternative energy market as well as the pros and cons of investment opportunities in wind, solar, hydroelectric, hydrogen, biomass, and even nuclear.

NEWS STORY:
SEC Forces Chevron, Dow, and CVS to Include Shareowner Resolutions on Their Proxies
Part two of this two-part article examines no-action activity thus far in the 2006 proxy season, focusing on attempts to apply the personal grievance rule and expand a new risk assessment rule.

NEWS STORY:
Resolution Withdrawals Signal Success in Shareowner Advocacy Early in 2006 Proxy Season
Part one of this two-part article examines withdrawal of resolutions on climate change, sexual orientation nondiscrimination, political contributions, and HIV/AIDS policies.

NEWS STORY:
Bank Policies Fail to Meet International Social and Environmental Standards, Report Says
The 39 banks assessed fall far short on global sustainability standards, and fail to disclose enough information on implementation to even be assessed by NGO coalition BankTrack.

NEWS STORY:
Evergreen Solar and Energy Conversion Devices Rated Outperformers in Piper Jaffray Solar Report
The report continues a trend of mainstream equity research using socially responsible investing strategies, and SRI funds confirm this assessment through wide exposure to these two companies.

NEWS STORY:
Defining Corporate Complicity in Human Rights Abuses
Business and Human Rights Seminar report maps the landscape of corporate complicity in human rights abuses, and addresses the dichotomy of mandatory laws versus voluntary codes.

NEWS STORY:
Financial Wonks Meet Treehuggers: New Tool Places Valuation on Corporate Sustainability
The sdEffect analytical framework takes the next step in establishing metrics to translate sustainable development into valuation.

NEWS STORY:
Two New Indexes Help Wean Us From Oil Addiction Via Clean Energy and Cleantech
The WilderHill New Energy Global Innovation Index tracks clean energy companies internationally, while the Cleantech Index tracks cleantech companies in the US.

NEWS STORY:
Shareowner Action on Product Toxicity Shifts from Isolated Resolutions to Become a Campaign
Fueling this development is the increasing visibility of product toxicity in the news, with the Environmental Protection Agency issuing record fines.

NEWS STORY:
Calvert Rates Environmental, Social and Governance Practices of 100 Largest US Companies
The move increases transparency of socially responsible investing research while maintaining the proprietary nature of the Calvert investment process.

NEWS STORY:
Using Mutual Fund Proxy Voting Data to Promote More Conscientious Voting
The final installment of this multi-part series steps back to consider the implications of the findings and how to harness them to push mutual funds to support corporate social responsibility.

NEWS STORY:
Two Sides of the Same Coin: Surveys Track Growth of Interest in CSR and SRI
Part two of this two-part article focuses on a survey by McKinsey Quarterly on increasing interest from global corporate executives in corporate social responsibility.

NEWS STORY:
How to Determine the Top 100 Sustainable Companies in the World
Innovest Strategic Value Advisors and Corporate Knights announce the Global 100 Most Sustainable Companies at the World Economic Forum, documenting financial outpeformance.

NEWS STORY:
Social Investment Forum Trends Report Tracks Rises and Falls of Socially Responsible Investing
The 2005 report documents increases since 2003 in assets overall in SRI, in SRI mutual funds, and in shareholder advocacy, but decreases in overall screened assets and in screened separate accounts.

NEWS STORY:
Eroding Support for Shareowner Resolutions on Climate Change Revealed by Unpublished Data
In part three of this multi-part article, SocialFunds.com examines unpublished data associated with a recent report on mutual fund proxy voting from The Corporate Library, and finds decreasing support for climate change resolutions.

NEWS STORY:
Whole Foods, FedEx Kinko's Snap up Renewable Energy Credits
Renewable energy credits continue to gain ground in North America as FedEx Kinko's and organic supermarket chain Whole Foods Market each announce major new purchasing deals.

NEWS STORY:
Unpublished Data Clarifies SRI Proxy Voting on CSR Resolutions
In part two in this multi-part series, SocialFunds.com examines unpublished data associated with a recent report from The Corporate Library, and finds that statistics are not always what they seem at first glance.

NEWS STORY:
The Corporate Library Report on Mutual Fund Proxy Voting Finds Stagnation and Even Retreat
Part one of this multi-part series discusses the report findings on decreasing mainstream fund support for CSR resolutions; subsequent articles examine unpublished data from the research.

NEWS STORY:
GE Comes Clean, Disclosing Costs Related to PCB Cleanup on the Hudson
The move prompts the Tri-State Coalition for Responsible Investment, which characterized some of these expenditures as delay tactics, to withdraw its shareowner resolution requesting this information.

NEWS STORY:
Wal-Mart Faces Host of Shareowner Resolutions, From Union-Busting to Sustainability Reporting
The broad range of resolutions suggests that the sustainability commitments announced by Wal-Mart last year did not convince shareowners that the company has solved all its challenges.

NEWS STORY:
Top Five Socially Responsible Investing News Stories of 2005
Socially responsible investing, corporate social responsibility, and microfinance embraced by the mainstream; shareowner advocates withdraw several climate change resolutions as companies agree to report; and exchange traded funds apply SRI strategies.

NEWS STORY:
Socially Responsible Property Investment Still on the Drafting Table
A blueprint of the fledgling field of socially responsible real estate investment.

NEWS STORY:
Are European Finance Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives Adequate?
A report from a recent EU conference on CSR suggest so, while a Corporate Responsibility Coalition report says voluntary CSR initiatives and current regulation fall short.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review--Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism
The newest in the Megatrends series advances a framework for conscious capitalism that highlights socially responsible investing.

NEWS STORY:
EPA Tries to Pull a Disappearing Act on the Toxics Release Inventory
In response to the Environmental Protection Agency proposal to dilute TRI, the socially responsible investing community launches the SaveTRI.org website.

NEWS STORY:
Solar Energy Helps Fuel Socially Responsible Investing
Managers from Winslow Green Growth Fund, New Alternatives Fund, and Portfolio 21 discuss the opportunities and challenges of investing in solar power.

NEWS STORY:
Tool for Tracking Greenhouse Gas Reductions Launched at UN Climate Change Conference
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the World Resources Institute release a GHG accounting tool for projects to complement their existing corporate-wide tool.

NEWS STORY:
Socially Responsible Investing Advances Anti-Racism in Helping Rebuild New Orleans
In addition to supporting community investment and leveraging influence through shareowner advocacy, social investors can help rebuild in the aftermath of Katrina by naming root problems.

NEWS STORY:
A Light Bulb Turns On: Goldman Sachs First Investment Bank to Adopt Environmental Policy
The policy matches the robustness of other such policies recently adopted by global financial institutions, but the status of Goldman Sachs as an investment bank brings added significance.

NEWS STORY:
Calvert World Values Fund Tackles Challenges of International Socially Responsible Investing
The fund delivers double-digit three-year returns for shareholders while screening for corporate environmental, social, and governance performance in international and emerging markets.

NEWS STORY:
New International Finance Corporation Sustainability Standards: Watershed or Watered Down?
A group of socially responsible investors express concern over perceived shortcomings in the proposed IFC policy revisions, while the IFC points out where the policies break new ground.

NEWS STORY:
Citigroup Smith Barney Report Seeks to Bridge Divide Between SRI and Traditional Analysis
The report seeks to cross the metaphorical river dividing socially responsible investing analysts, who assess sustainability, from traditional analysts, who examine financial fundamentals.

NEWS STORY:
Radical/Conservative: Innovest Integrates Sustainability Factors into Financial Analysis
Innovest Strategic Value Advisors reconciles socially responsible investing research with traditional investment research by fusing social, environmental, and financial considerations.

NEWS STORY:
Shareowner Empowerment Is Alive and Well: a Preview of the 2006 Proxy Season
Part two of this two-part article examines the developing trends in shareowner activism as resolutions are filed for the upcoming proxy season.

NEWS STORY:
Forging Ahead from the Crossroads: Reviewing the 2005 Proxy Season
Part one of this two-part article looks back at this year's proxy season, which was highlighted by majority vote director election proposals while part two previews the upcoming proxy season.

NEWS STORY:
One Year On: Global Compact Maps Progress on Mainstreaming ESG Considerations
Two recent reports paint a vivid picture of developments over the past year on integrating environmental, social, and governance considerations into traditional financial analysis.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review--The Challenge to Power: Money, Investing, and Democracy
John Harrington compiles voluminous evidence to diagnose what ails modern corporatocracy, and prescribes a comprehensive cure with socially responsible investing playing a key role.

NEWS STORY:
Insurers at the Crossroads: Intersection Between Insurance and Sustainability is a Busy Corner
Swiss Re exemplifies global sustainability leadership, as the chair of its US arm gives the keynote address at a summit on climate change and insurance in Connecticut.

NEWS STORY:
SRI Research from UBS Strikes Balance Between Ethics and Economics
The new socially responsible investing team at UBS quantifies the costs of corporate social and environmental impacts as a means of effecting ethical and economic rectification.

NEWS STORY:
Wal-Mart Embraces Sustainability: Does the SRI Community Buy It?
Socially responsible investors cautiously applaud Wal-Mart for committing to social and environmental sustainability, but remain highly skeptical about actual implementation.

NEWS STORY:
New Index and Exchange Traded Fund Expose Risks and Potentials in Nanotech
The Innovest Nanotech Index assesses social and environmental risks, while the PowerShares Lux Nanotech Portfolio focuses more on investment opportunities.

NEWS STORY:
Rising Oil Prices Fuel Investment Returns in Renewable Energy for New Alternatives Fund
The first environmental mutual fund is also globalizing its reach to capitalize on innovative developments in alternative energies in other countries.

NEWS STORY:
Moskowitz Prize Winning Study Correlates Corporate Eco-Efficiency and Financial Outperformance
The paper finds a significant and positive relationship between Innovest eco-efficiency ratings and both market-based and accounting-based financial performance metrics.

NEWS STORY:
Divining the Future of Socially Responsible Investing
A study commissioned by Vancity Credit Union surveys 42 SRI thought leaders to identify trends, opportunities, and obstacles, as well as potential developments that defy prediction.

NEWS STORY:
Business Roundtable May Be Seeing the Light with New Initiative
The SEE Change program hints at a tipping point for US business community engagement of social, environmental, and economic issues, but the program's success may depend on how critics view its performance.

NEWS STORY:
Spreading SRI: Goldman Sachs Adds Its Own Twist in Social and Environmental Assessment
As socially responsible investment strategies migrate into the mainstream, mainstream analysts apply social and environmental considerations in innovative ways.

NEWS STORY:
ICCR Online Database Eases Access to Information on Shareowner Resolutions
EthVest, the new web-based tool from the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, provides access to 2,000-plus shareowner resolutions and 12-plus years of shareowner action.

NEWS STORY:
Lighthouse G3: Third Generation GRI Guidelines Shine a Beacon for Sustainability Reporters
The Global Reporting Initiative dubbed its guidelines overhaul and update "G3," in which it is defining metrics for the Indicators and integrating the Principles with the Indicators.

NEWS STORY:
Insurers Behind the Curve on Addressing and Disclosing Risks of Climate Change
Two reports, one from Ceres and one from Friends of the Earth, concur that climate change is catching insurance companies, which are particularly impacted by global warming, unawares.

NEWS STORY:
Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes Launch United States and North America Indexes
The new indexes apply a best-in-class approach that differs from the approach of US socially responsible investing indexes currently available, which focus on exclusionary screening.

NEWS STORY:
Third Carbon Disclosure Project Survey Finds Increasing Action on Climate Change
CDP3, now sponsored by 155 institutional investors with more than $21 trillion in assets, also reveals some significant footdragging by the Financial Times 500 companies.

NEWS STORY:
Business Impacts on Millennium Development Goals: A Virtuous Cycle or a Coin Toss?
A new World Business Council for Sustainable Development report profiles corporate initiatives to alleviate poverty, but focuses less attention on how business may confound such goals.

NEWS STORY:
A Next Generation SRI Strategy: The Henderson Industries of the Future Fund
By extending to its entire portfolio a focus on ten sustainability industries, Henderson has conceived of a novel approach to socially responsible investing.

NEWS STORY:
A Semantic Hermeneutics of SRI
KLD Research & Analytics Founding President Peter Kinder examines limitations of the term socially responsible investing, and identifies both overemphasized and overlooked distinctions.

NEWS STORY:
Banks and Financial Service Providers Figure Prominently in FTSE4Good Attrition, DJSI Matriculation
Corporate social responsibility plays an important role at banks and financial service companies, which are not only recipients but also increasingly purveyors of socially responsible investment.

NEWS STORY:
Labor Day List Celebrates Corporate-Union Collaboration
The inaugural list launched by American Rights at Work spotlights positive relationships between companies and their workers.

NEWS STORY:
Toxic 100 Uses Enhanced Toxics Release Inventory Data to List Top Corporate Polluters
The Toxic 100 aggregates facility-level TRI data to compute company-wide toxic emissions performance.

NEWS STORY:
Most Canadian Extractive Companies Behind the Curve on Human Rights Policies
Ethical Funds surveys Canadian energy and mining companies and finds less than a handful with comprehensive human rights policies, management systems, and disclosure mechanisms.

NEWS STORY:
Generation Gap: Young Sell-Side Analysts Fail to Fill Void in Sustainability Research
A survey expecting to find the upcoming generation of securities analysts eagerly assessing environmental, social, and governance issues in their recommendations discovers the exact opposite.

NEWS STORY:
New Document Alleges Tie Between Chevron and Human Rights Abuses in Nigeria
Identified in the discovery phase of a case proceeding at state and federal levels, the invoice and receipt indicate Chevron paid Nigerian soldiers for services on a day several villagers were allegedly killed (part one of a two-part article.)

NEWS STORY:
Arthur D Little Study Identifies Trends in Sustainability Innovation
The report finds increasing corporate commitment to sustainability innovation, though it demonstrates room for more growth.

NEWS STORY:
Power to the People: Amnesty Launches Grassroots Shareowner Advocacy Program
The SharePower program encourages ordinary people to tell institutional investors holding shares in their name to vote for shareowner resolutions supporting human rights.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review--Profitable Socially Responsible Investing?: An Institutional Investor's Guide
An invaluable tool for fiduciaries considering SRI, the book advances original research finding competitive financial performance for positive screening.

NEWS STORY:
Winslow Green Growth Fund: On the Rise Again
Following up on its stellar 2003 performance, the environmentally-focused fund is again significantly outperforming its peers and benchmark.

NEWS STORY:
New Report Links Industrial Business Performance, Environmental Compliance
Report finds industrial competitiveness can be improved by boosting waste management capabilities that also make it easier for companies to comply with environmental regulations.

NEWS STORY:
New Study Shows Benefits of Sustainable Forestry Certification
Third-party verification leads to measurable improvements in the protection of forests, wildlife, and stakeholder rights.

NEWS STORY:
Shell Doubles Cost Projections of Sakhalin II, Project Critics Redouble Opposition
The largest oil and gas project in the world meets resistance over concerns about its social and environmental impacts, as well as its economic sustainability.

NEWS STORY:
Gap and Nike Engage Stakeholders For Assurance Statements on Sustainability Reports
Sustainability reports, whose credibility is enhanced by such stakeholder engagement and assurance statements, are gaining in significance, as KLD indexes add Nike due in part to its report.

NEWS STORY:
Thinking Outside the Big-Box: Report Suggests Smart Growth for Retailer Siting Decisions
Domini Social Investments and Christian Brothers Investment Services provide retailers nine recommendations, examples of best practice and cautionary tales, and helpful resources.

NEWS STORY:
French Pension Reserve Fund Commits 600 Million Euros to Socially Responsible Investment
The fund seeks to drive innovation and best practice through this significant infusion of cash into the European SRI asset management community.

NEWS STORY:
New KLD Index Benchmarks 100 Global Companies Proactively Addressing Climate Change
While the G8 agreement on climate change may amount to hot air, the KLD Global Climate 100 Index will allow investors to support high-profile large-cap companies as well as little-known small caps actively mitigating climate change.

NEWS STORY:
KPMG Finds More Than Half of Fortune 250 Issuing Standalone Sustainability Reports
Surveying the top 250 companies in the Fortune 500, the percentage rises to almost two thirds when considering annual financial reports that address corporate responsibility.

NEWS STORY:
Merrill Lynch and World Resources Institute Analyze Climate Change Investment Opportunities
The jointly-produced report, the first such collaboration between a mainstream US investment bank and a environmentalist nonprofit, breaks new ground by issuing stock recommendations.

NEWS STORY:
Women's Equity Mutual Fund Supports Businesswomen Through Screening and Now Microfinance
Subadvisor Walden Asset Management provides research on how companies treat women, and Blue Orchard Finance provides a new securitized product supporting microfinance institutions.

NEWS STORY:
The Power of Three: SJF Ventures Sets Precedent in Community Development Venture Capital
SJF and its partners won all three award categories at the annual conference of the Community Development Venture Capital Alliance, which promotes economic, social, and environmental advancement.

NEWS STORY:
Business for Social Responsibility Suggests Improvements to the Global Reporting Initiative
A BSR report surveys 19 member companies on their experience and opinions of sustainability reporting according to GRI guidelines, identifying both strengths and weaknesses.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review--The Next Sustainability Wave: Building Boardroom Buy-In
Longtime IBM Canada executive authors a sequel book, adding new sustainability drivers and providing a comprehensive tool for convincing management to consider sustainability.

NEWS STORY:
Nuclear Power: Still an Environmental Scourge or Now a Climate Change Mitigator?
Despite prominent environmentalist opinions that low greenhouse gas emissions of nuclear power eclipse its problems, socially responsible investment funds still screen nukes out.

NEWS STORY:
Report Equips Investors With Tools To Analyze Climate Risk in Uncertain Policy Atmosphere
Investor Network on Climate Risk and World Resources Institute team up on a report that provides a framework for valuating climate risk in the absence of regulatory clarity.

NEWS STORY:
The Ghost of a Shareholder Resolution Haunts ExxonMobil Annual Meeting
Despite an unprecedented 28 percent vote for a first-year climate change resolution and strong support for seven others, the censoring of a resolution quashes shareholder democracy.

NEWS STORY:
IFC Urged to Include Corporate Screens and Address Climate Change in New Standards
A group of socially responsible investment practitioners recommends revisions to new International Finance Corporation social and environmental sustainability standards.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review--The Bhopal Reader: Remembering Twenty Years of the World's Worst Industrial Disaster
A collection of primary and secondary sources spanning the twenty-year quest for corporate accountability from Union Carbide and now Dow for the 1984 chemical leak that killed thousands upon thousands.

NEWS STORY:
Institutional Investors Call on SEC, Wall Street, and Companies to Address Climate Risk
The second Investor Summit on Climate Risk focused on information, from the perspectives of disclosure, data generation, and analysis, as a key to transforming climate risk into opportunity.

NEWS STORY:
Virgin Trees in Kleenex: Greenpeace Lambasts Kimberly-Clark Fiber Sourcing
Between 15 and 30 percent of K-C tissue products fiber originates from the Canadian Boreal Forest, according to a Greenpeace report, and only 19 percent of its fiber is recycled.

NEWS STORY:
JPMorgan Chase Environmental Policy Triggers Tipping Point for US Bank Sustainability
The JPMC policy surpasses environmental best practice established by Citigroup and Bank of America in some areas, but also lags these sustainability leaders in others.

NEWS STORY:
Weyerhaeuser To Screen Shareholder Questions at Annual Meeting Tomorrow
Shifting from the standard open-mic Question and Answer format, the CEO will act as gatekeeper for shareholder questions, a practice viewed by shareholders as restricting their rights.

NEWS STORY:
Vermont Issues Call to Investment Managers for Environmentally Sustainable Portfolio
Request for Information asks investment managers about their positive and negative screening practices as well as financial performance, particularly of environmentally sustainable portfolios.

NEWS STORY:
Ecuadorian Attorney General Tells ChevronTexaco Shareholders Remediation Agreement May Be Invalid
The questionable validity of the remediation agreement indemnifying ChevronTexaco could carry implications for the lawsuit and beyond (part three of a multipart article).

NEWS STORY:
Asphalt Jungle: Did Oil Drilling by Texaco Create Environmental and Social Harm in Ecuador?
Both ChevronTexaco and lawsuit plaintiffs are finding evidence of contamination during judicial site inspections: the question is, does it pose human health or environmental risks? (part two of a multi-part article.)

NEWS STORY:
Oil Spread Upon the Waters of Ecuador May Return Harm for ChevronTexaco Shareholders
A shareholder delegation surveys the environmental and social impact of oil operations, assessing potential risk from a twelve-year old lawsuit in its judicial inspection phase (part one of a multi-part article).

NEWS STORY:
To Screen Or Not To Screen?: That May Not Be The Question For Fiduciaries
Part two of this two-part article examines the opportunities and limitations that social and environmental sustainability screens present to pension funds and other institutional investors.

NEWS STORY:
Shareowner Activists on Sustainability Take Baby Steps Into Sustainability Screening
Part one of this two-part article surveys the landscape of US public pension fund screening of corporate social and environmental sustainability.

NEWS STORY:
Faith-Based and Environmentalist Shareowners Withdraw Climate Change Resolutions at Six Companies
The six oil and gas companies commit to measure, mitigate, and disclose data related to global warming, and evangelicals join their faith-based compatriots in concern over climate change.

NEWS STORY:
Wanted: Socially Responsible Real Estate Investments
An academician searches for socially responsible real estate investment trusts, finding few that fit the definition, as well as disagreement over what criteria define SRI REITs.

NEWS STORY:
Comparing Citigroup and JP Morgan Chase Policies: Which Stems Illegal Logging in Indonesia?
Before providing funding, financial institution policies requiring documentation certifying legitimate timber sourcing may help promote sustainable logging in Southeast Asia.

NEWS STORY:
Tale of Two Reports: Sustainability Yearbook Compares Extra-Financial to Financial Reporting
Published jointly by Sustainable Asset Management and PricewaterhouseCoopers, the yearbook shows how adding extra-financial data to a financial report increases buy recommendations.

NEWS STORY:
Web Design, Lobbying Disclosure Fuel Co-Operative Bank Win of UK Sustainability Reporting Awards
The award judges distinguished between sustainability and corporate social responsibility reporting, noting that many reports identifying themselves as the former (which are more rigorous) were actually the latter.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review--Corporations and the Public Interest: Guiding the Invisible Hand
Steve Lydenberg eloquently describes corporate social responsibility and socially responsible investment, fields in which he is an expert, and recommends mechanisms to fuel their trajectories.

NEWS STORY:
Benchmarking Corporate Governance on Product Toxicity and Safer Alternatives
The benchmark, released by the Rose Foundation today, addresses the scientific uncertainty of product toxicity through risk assessment and opportunity identification instead of inaction.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review--Cause for Success: 10 Companies that Put Profits Second and Came in First
The profiles present a wealth of information supporting the claim that corporate social responsibility can enhance profitability, but little information critiquing this claim.

NEWS STORY:
List of Global 100 Most Sustainable Companies Highlights Alcoa, BP, and Toyota
Canadian corporate social responsibility magazine Corporate Knights sponsored the list, which is based on sustainability ratings from Innovest Strategic Value Advisors.

NEWS STORY:
Two Socially Responsible Investment Exchange Traded Funds Launch
The iShares KLD Select Social Index Fund seeks broad diversification and low risk, while the PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy Portfolio ETF invests in renewable energy companies.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review--Faith and Fortune: The Quiet Revolution to Reform American Business
Fortune magazine writer Marc Gunther documents the growing link between spiritual values, which he defines broadly to include sustainability, and business conduct.

NEWS STORY:
Monsanto $1.5 Million Fines for Genetic Engineering Bribe Illustrates Risks of GE Strategy
The penalties, levied by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice, may lend credence to a shareowner resolution asking Monsanto to report on GE risks.

NEWS STORY:
ConocoPhillips Bows Out of Arctic Power, Green Century Withdraws ANWR Resolution
The oil company left the group lobbying to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge a year ago and neglected to inform resolution filers, who were nonetheless pleased with the development.

NEWS STORY:
Top Five Socially Responsible Investing News Stories of 2004
Shareowner engagement shifted from confrontational to collaborative, sustainability analysis fused with financial analysis, and fiduciary duty expanded to include social and environmental issues.

NEWS STORY:
Latin American Forest Products Company Illustrates Best Practice Sustainability Reporting
Terranova issues its second Global Reporting Initiative-based sustainability report, exhibiting many exemplary practices such as stakeholder engagement and external verification.

NEWS STORY:
Report Finds Bank Sector Assessment of Impact on Disadvantaged Communities Lacking
AccountAbility and Business for Social Responsibility to apply their new assessment methodology to the pharmaceutical, agricultural, and extractive sectors next.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review--Capitalism at the Crossroads: The Unlimited Business Opportunities in Solving the World's Most Difficult Problems
According to author Stuart Hart, sustainable global enterprise holds the key to reducing poverty, reversing environmental destruction, and even counteracting terrorism.

NEWS STORY:
Ford HIV Report Exemplifies New Shareowner Action Strategy
Ford joins Coca-Cola, Cinergy, and others heeding shareowner resolutions requesting reporting on social and environmental issues, but it remains to be seen how far the strategy will extend.

NEWS STORY:
Gap-Verite Collaboration Exemplifies Award-Winning Practice on Social Responsibility
Verite wins a Social Capitalist Award for labor standards monitoring such as its work with the Gap, whose Social Responsibility Report earns a Social Reporting Award.

NEWS STORY:
Rating Corporate Sustainability: Behind the Scenes at Oekom Research
SocialFunds.com visits Oekom Research to get a more in-depth look at corporate social and environmental sustainability research.

NEWS STORY:
Integrating Sustainability at Xerox: A Talk with VP for Environment, Health, and Safety Jack Azar
In part two of this two-part interview, Mr. Azar discusses how Xerox integrates sustainability into its policies and practices.

NEWS STORY:
Zero Waste and Industrial Ecology: A Talk with Xerox VP for Environment, Health, and Safety Jack Azar
In part one of this two-part interview, Mr. Azar discusses the history of waste-free policies and practices at Xerox.

NEWS STORY:
European Utilities Top Oekom Sustainability Rankings, US Utilities Crowd the Bottom
Corporate sustainability rating firm Oekom Research rewards climate change mitigation and enhancing energy accessibility for the economically disadvantaged in its latest report.

NEWS STORY:
Are Electronic Components Producers Ready for Environmental Regulation?
A Citizens Advisors study surveys 26 electronics components companies, and projects that many of them will be unprepared for European Union laws taking effect in 2006.

NEWS STORY:
Shell and BP Top Innovest CSR Ratings of Integrated Oil and Gas Companies
Marathon and several companies operating in emerging markets sink to the bottom of the rankings of corporate social responsibility performers.

NEWS STORY:
Material Risks of Genetic Engineering Undisclosed by Food Companies, Report Says
A survey of the 35 largest food processors finds only two mentioning genetic engineering risks in their annual reports, and none analyzing these risks.

NEWS STORY:
Institutional Investors Can Now Hedge Climate Risk With New Investment Strategy
The strategy combines the investment algorithms of State Street Global Advisors with an environmental overlay from Innovest Strategic Value Advisors.

NEWS STORY:
Conference Promotes Sustainability Through Corporate Collaboration
The Society for Organizational Learning (SoL) Business Innovation for Sustainability Forum calls for cooperation amongst companies as well as with stakeholders.

NEWS STORY:
New Web Tool Identifies Climate Risk and Opportunity in 24 Biggest Mutual Funds
KLD Research & Analytics information reveals both positive and negative corporate performance on climate change, allowing retail investors to lobby their mutual funds.

NEWS STORY:
First Alternative Energy Index Spawns Exchange Traded Fund
The WilderHill Clean Energy Index, published by the American Stock Exchange, will serve as the basis for an exchange traded fund from PowerShares Capital Management.

NEWS STORY:
Got Water? Report Recommends Solutions for Businesses To Address Water Scarcity
A new Pacific Institute report outlines the impacts on business of water scarcity, and offers ten steps companies can take to help solve these problems.

NEWS STORY:
US Banks Criticized for Involvement in China State Bank Bonds
Nongovernmental organizations and socially responsible investing firms criticize US banks for selling Chinese bonds that fund socially and environmentally problematic projects.

NEWS STORY:
Climate Change a Nuisance? Nine State and City Attorneys General Bet a Lawsuit On It
The first climate change lawsuit against corporations, aimed at the top five US carbon dioxide emitters in the utility industry, cites federal common law on public nuisance.

NEWS STORY:
Stakeholder Engagement, Verification, and Transparency in ISO Social Responsibility Standards: An Interview with ISO Secretary-General
International Organization for Standardization Secretary-General Alan Bryden discusses these issues and more in the final installment of this three-part interview article.

NEWS STORY:
ISO and Social Responsibility--A Closer Fit Than You Might Think: An Interview with ISO Secretary-General
International Organization for Standardization Secretary-General Alan Bryden discusses divergences and convergences of ISO technical standards with social responsibility guidelines (part two of a three-part article).

NEWS STORY:
Keeping Score: The Mathematics and Linguistics of the World Bank Extractive Industries Review
World Bank Group management and socially responsible investors interpret EIR recommendations differently.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review--Raising the Bar: Creating Value with the United Nations Global Compact
Primarily a guidebook for companies to navigate Global Compact participation, the book also reports on a study suggesting a Global Compact market premium.

NEWS STORY:
Sell-Side Analysts Confirm the Materiality of Sustainability Issues in UN Report
A United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative report documents belief in the materiality of corporate social responsibility issues by 11 brokerage houses.

NEWS STORY:
Senate Calls on the SEC to Enforce Environmental Disclosure Regulations
A series of reports issued at a Senate symposium detail how insufficient disclosure of environmental liabilities results from lack of SEC enforcement.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review--Smart Alliance: How a Global Corporation and Environmental Activists Transformed a Tarnished Brand
The in-depth story of how the Rainforest Alliance partnered with Chiquita to improve the company’s social and environmental performance through certification.

NEWS STORY:
How Sustainable Is the Asia Pulp & Paper Sustainability Action Plan?
WWF Indonesia calls off its partnership with Asia Pulp & Paper after the company fails to implement commitments to end sourcing of illegal timber (part three of a three-part article.)

NEWS STORY:
Indonesian Forestry and International Finance Move Toward Sustainability
A profile of Asia Pulp and Paper and ABN AMRO focusing on their efforts to reverse environmental, social, and financial devastation through sustainable practices (part two of a three-part article).

NEWS STORY:
How Unsustainable Forestry Practices in Indonesia Impact Sustainable Practice in the US
Part one of a three-part article exploring the complex global relationship between sustainable and unsustainable forestry practices.

NEWS STORY:
The Emergence Story Behind Indigenous Peoples Rights Screens
Socially responsible investment firms also engage in shareowner action on indigenous peoples rights issues.

NEWS STORY:
Governance Overhaul: An Interview with Tyco Corporate Governance VP Eric Pillmore
Mr. Pillmore speaks candidly with SocialFunds.com about rebuilding reputation and trust, engaging stakeholders, and increasing transparency.

NEWS STORY:
Are the Equator Principles Sincere or Spin?
A report calls into question whether signatory banks are complying with the Equator Principles.

NEWS STORY:
ExxonMobil Mocks Climate Change, Maine Treasurer Finds It No Laughing Matter
Senior management remains resolute in its disbelief of climate change risk.

NEWS STORY:
New Bank of America Policy Sets Best Practice on Climate Change in US Bank Sector
Environmentalist organization Rainforest Action Network helps usher Bank of America into the vanguard of US banks improving their environmental responsibility.

NEWS STORY:
Carbon Disclosure Project Report and Greenhouse Gas Protocol Release Second Editions
Climate change initiatives get a significant boost this month with the release of two revised editions of a report and a protocol for addressing global warming.

NEWS STORY:
Shareowner Resolution Withdrawn as JP Morgan Chase Addresses Environmental Risks
A group of socially responsible investment advocates withdrew a shareowner resolution from JP Morgan Chase when the company established an office of environmental affairs.

NEWS STORY:
Dell First US Computer Company to Commit to a Global Recycling Goal
In its 2004 Sustainability Report, Dell commits to increase its fiscal year 2005 computer recycling 50 percent over fiscal year 2004 levels.

NEWS STORY:
ChevronTexaco Faces Class-Action Lawsuit in Ecuador Over Environmental Damage
A resolution asking ChevronTexaco to report on new initiatives to address its legacy of environmental damage in Ecuador gained nine percent support from shareowners.

NEWS STORY:
Three More Companies Address Climate Risk, So Shareowners Withdraw Resolutions
Shareowners withdrew climate change resolutions at Southern Company and TXU, which agreed to issue reports, and at Reliant, which agreed to expand disclosure.

NEWS STORY:
Jewish Institutional Investors Form Shareholder Engagement Network
The Jewish Shareholder Engagement Network is based on the notion that Jewish tradition supports such shareowner action as active proxy voting and dialogue with companies.

NEWS STORY:
Sustainability Report Awards Reward Disclosure on Environmental, Social Performance
Canada-based Suncor and Dofasco, Texas-based Dell and Kinko's, and Michigan-based Ford win sustainability reporting awards from CERES and ACCA.

NEWS STORY:
Forget Sit Ins: Student Activists Now Promote Socially Responsible Investment
Students and alumni from 22 prestigious colleges and universities launch the Responsible Endowment Coalition to urge schools to practice socially responsible investing.

NEWS STORY:
Tyco Recommends Vote in Favor of Shareowner Resolution, Joining Three Others
While companies routinely recommend voting against shareowner resolutions, four companies so far this proxy season have bucked this standard approach.

NEWS STORY:
Oekom Rates Food and Beverages Industry Average in Sustainability Performance
The example of Starbucks illustrates how Oekom Research rates food and beverage companies as average performers in social and environmental sustainability.

NEWS STORY:
Social and Environmental Best Practice Linked to Financial Outperformance in Electric Sector
Innovest releases another sector report correlating progressive social, environmental, and governance practices and policies with financial outperformance.

NEWS STORY:
Philips Extends Sustainability Expectations to Suppliers, Including Child Labor Ban
In its 2003 Sustainability Report, Philips Electronics introduced provisions requiring its 50,000 suppliers worldwide to practice social and environmental sustainability.

NEWS STORY:
Social Investors Urge World Bank to Adopt Extractive Industries Review Proposals
If adopted by the World Bank, EIR recommendations could serve as a social and environmental best practice benchmark for oil, gas, and mining companies.

NEWS STORY:
Starbucks Provides Loan Capital for Coffee Farmers
Starbucks is providing a $1 million loan to the Calvert Foundation to support microfinance to Latin American coffee farmers, and it answers critics of its Fair Trade commitment.

NEWS STORY:
Welcome to the Jungle: CSR Questionnaire Incompatibility Hampers Applicability
A Nordic Partnership report finds wide variance in questions posed in corporate social responsibility surveys, calling into question their comparability and applicability.

NEWS STORY:
Students Call for More Disclosure on University Hedge Fund Investments
Frustrated by the opacity of universities' hedge fund investments in terms of their social and environmental impacts, students request dialogue with hedge fund firm.

NEWS STORY:
Piper Jaffray Consulting Division Marries Best Asset Managers with Customized Social Screening
Socially responsible investment consultant can apply social screens to best asset managers, even if they do not usually practice SRI.

NEWS STORY:
Critics Challenge Christian Aid Report as Biased, Cynical, and Inaccurate
Part two of this two-part article considers defenses of corporate social responsibility against attack by a recent Christian Aid report.

NEWS STORY:
Report Favors International Regulation Over Voluntary Corporate Social Responsibility
A recent report by Christian Aid argues against the voluntary aspect of CSR and for international regulation. Part one of this two-part article discusses support for the report; part two presents criticism of the report.

NEWS STORY:
Five Companies Comply with Terms of Shareowner Resolutions in One Week
In less than seven days, Dover, Masco, Cinergy, AEP, and Bank of Montreal all abided by the requests of investors, a major achievement for shareowner action.

NEWS STORY:
California Treasurer Proposes Environmental Screening for State Pension Investments
California Treasurer Phil Angelides pitches the Green Wave Initiative to CalPERS and CalSTRS, the state's huge pension funds, asking them to support green investments.

NEWS STORY:
ExxonMobil Contributed Five Percent of Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Last 120 Years
Friends of the Earth releases two studies that attribute one twentieth of global climate change to ExxonMobil. The company questions these findings, as it questions climate change.

NEWS STORY:
The Rashomon Effect: Why Do Innovest and Oekom Rate Toyota's Environmental Performance So Differently?
A Japanese film may help investors understand the discrepancy between the environmental ratings of Toyota by Innovest and Oekom.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review--True to Our Roots: Fermenting a Business Revolution
Paul Dolan, president of Fetzer Vineyards, promotes sustainable business practices by relating his personal transformation committing to organic growing practices.

NEWS STORY:
Shareowner Resolution Calls Costco on Cultural Crimes in Mexican Site Development
Shareowners express concern that Costco, which demolished a culturally significant site in Mexico to build a store, may be demolishing its reputation in the process.

NEWS STORY:
Film Depicts Environmental and Social Reporting Disappearing in SEC Black Hole
A documentary film by environmental attorney Sanford Lewis reveals the SEC's failure to enforce its rules requiring companies to disclose environmental and social liabilities.

NEWS STORY:
Many Companies Cannot Verify Whether Their Palm Oil Is Produced Sustainably
An ISIS Asset Management report finds that few companies can trace the source of their palm oil up their supply chain to confirm whether or not it is produced sustainably.

NEWS STORY:
Underreporting of Material Environmental Liabilities Persists
Despite clear documentation of the problem, multiple solutions proposed, and petitioning to enhance enforcement, corporate underreporting of material environmental liabilities continues.

NEWS STORY:
Top Five Social Investing News Stories of 2003
The major social investing news stories of the year include SEC reforms, stock exchanges mandating social, environmental, and corporate governance practices, and climate risk assessment defined as a fiduciary duty.

NEWS STORY:
2003 Proxy Season Roundup: Shareowner Action Success Measured On and Off the Record
While the 2003 proxy season produced some impressive numbers, shareowner advocates also define success in ways that are not easily quantifiable (Part one of a two-part article.)

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review--How Does it Pay to Be Green?
An empirical study finds a positive relationship between environmental and economic performance when environmental strategies are factored into business decisions.

NEWS STORY:
Morgan Stanley Study Correlates Sustainability with Financial Outperformance
Morgan Stanley's joint study with Oekom Research finds that sustainability leaders in the MCSI World Index financially outperformed sustainability laggards over the past four years.

NEWS STORY:
UN Institutional Investor Summit Considers Opportunities of Addressing Climate Change
Institutional investors make the business case and investment case for assessing, reporting, and mitigating climate change in a summit at the UN (part two of a two-part article).

NEWS STORY:
Institutional Investors Send Wall Street Wake-Up Call to Address Climate Risk
At a UN Summit, state treasurers and other institutional investors issue a ten-point call for action for companies, investment analysts, and fiduciaries to address climate risk (part one of a two-part article).

NEWS STORY:
Carmakers and Carbon Constraints: Who Will Capitalize and Who Will Cave?
A new report assesses ten auto companies’ relative readiness for reduced carbon emissions and increased fuel efficiency regulations in Japan, the EU, and the US.

NEWS STORY:
Dow, GM, and Johnson & Johnson Lead the Charge to Green Power
The 12 members of the Green Power Market Development Group have purchased almost 100 megawatts of green power from renewable resources since last summer.

NEWS STORY:
Sustainable Computer Producers Perform Better than Less Sustainable Counterparts
Innovest adds social considerations to its environmental assessment in its recent computer industry report, and sustainability still outperforms business-as-usual.

NEWS STORY:
Boise's Plan to End Old Growth Harvesting: Trend-Setting or Too-Little, Too-Late?
Boise Cascade bans logging old growth forests in the US and deters it elsewhere, but other companies may not jump on this bandwagon if its time has already passed.

NEWS STORY:
Environmental Best Practice Tied to Financial Outperformance in Food Retail Industry
Innovest's latest report shows that environmental leaders in the global food and drug sector financially outperform the sector's environmental laggards.

NEWS STORY:
UN to Hold Corporations More Responsible for Human Rights and the Environment
A UN sub-commission adopted a resolution calling for transnational corporations to be held more accountable for human rights protection and environmental stewardship.

NEWS STORY:
Rio Tinto to Rehabilitate Uranium Mine
Environmental activists have long been advocating for restoration of the Jabiluka uranium mine, which is located in the Kakadu World Heritage Area in Northern Australia.

NEWS STORY:
Institutional Investor Practices SRI Through Shareowner Action
The Nathan Cummings Foundation prioritizes shareowner action by actively voting its proxies, filing shareowner resolutions, and dialoguing with companies on social issues.

NEWS STORY:
Will Ford's Transparency Affect Its Performance?
While lauding the transparency of Ford's 2002 Corporate Citizenship Report, analysts caution that it remains to be seen whether such reports and the Global Reporting Initiative reporting guidelines will help improve corporate performance (part two of a two-part article).

NEWS STORY:
Ford's Latest CSR Report Increases Transparency by Using GRI Guidelines
Ford's decision to base its 2002 Corporate Citizenship Report on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines will help analysts get a fuller picture of the company's performance (part one of a two-part article).

NEWS STORY:
Report Finds Oil Companies' Social and Environmental Practices Unsustainable
Oekom Research's report criticizes the oil industry's uneven progress in sustainable development, but those in the industry question the report's findings.

NEWS STORY:
Members of Congress Consider Social and Environmental Disclosure in SEC Filings
A group of Senators and Representatives summoned a symposium on the need for social and environmental disclosure by companies in their SEC filings.

NEWS STORY:
Report Connects the Dots Between Corporate Governance and Climate Change Risk
A report reveals the degree to which 20 major global companies use corporate governance to address climate change risks and opportunities.

NEWS STORY:
Sustainability Leaders in Food Sector Produce Healthy Returns
Innovest finds that global food products companies with higher sustainability ratings perform better financially than companies with weaker environmental performance.

NEWS STORY:
Two Environmental SRI Funds Generate Attractive Returns
In the midst of a stagnant economy, two SRI funds that invest in environmental best performers have generated year-to-date returns in the 20- to 35-percent range.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review: Eco-Service Development: Reinventing Supply and Demand in the European Union
A new book presents the business case for promoting sustainable development through "eco-services," or the switch from a product-oriented to a service-oriented culture.

NEWS STORY:
Will Equator Principles Deliver Social and Environmental Responsibility from Banks?
Social investors and NGOs question whether the Equator Principles will serve their stated purpose of increasing global banks' social and environmental responsibility.

NEWS STORY:
FedEx and UPS Green Up Their Fleets With Hybrid Electric and Fuel Cell Vehicles
FedEx introduces hybrid electric delivery vehicles, while UPS is investing in fuel cell technology.

NEWS STORY:
World's Largest Coffee Traders Agree to Sustainability, but How Committed Are They?
Rainforest Alliance's recent agreement on sustainability with the world's two largest coffee traders holds promise but the devil may be in the details.

NEWS STORY:
Religious Institutions Issue Benchmarks for Corporate Social Responsibility Performance
A global coalition of religious activists have published the third edition of a comprehensive set of guidelines for corporate social and environmental performance.

NEWS STORY:
Increasing Shareowner Action Fuels Record Proxy Season
Shareowners are increasingly recognizing and practicing their right to influence corporate practices and policies by filing and voting on shareowner resolutions.

NEWS STORY:
Report Asks When ExxonMobil Will Wake Up to Climate-Related Risks
For the second year in a row, a report tells ExxonMobil shareowners to beware of the significant risks the company faces in terms of how the oil giant addresses climate change.

NEWS STORY:
Innovest Report Identifies Business Risk of Genetic Engineering for Monsanto Investors
The controversy surrounding genetic engineering creates substantial risks to shareowner value at Monsanto, according to a new report from Innovest.

NEWS STORY:
Earth Day Founder Not the Only One to Link Climate Change and Investing
The voices of institutional investors representing public pension funds join those from the insurance industry to advance a business case for addressing climate change.

NEWS STORY:
Return to Sender: Dell Inches Toward a Computer Take-Back Recycling Program
Calvert-led coalition conducts shareowner action urging U.S. computer companies to implement take-back programs for recycling obsolete computers and components.

NEWS STORY:
When Lightning Strikes: Portfolio 21 Applies The Natural Step's Sustainability Theories
Portfolio 21 applies environmental screens based on the principles of the Natural Step, which promotes sustainability.

NEWS STORY:
PepsiCo Shareowners Will Address the Business Risks of Water Scarcity
The SEC is requiring PepsiCo's to allow its shareowners to vote on a resolution regarding the business risks of water scarcity.

NEWS STORY:
Tobacco-Free Investments Avoid an Industry of Smoke and Mirrors
As court cases related to deception by the tobacco industry mount, individual and institutional investors have options for avoiding exposure to tobacco stocks.

NEWS STORY:
CEOs Advocate Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability at Conference
The Forum for Corporate Conscience calls on CEOs and corporations to promote triple bottom line performance.

NEWS STORY:
Oekom Applauds Insurers Employing SRI but Chides Rest of Sector's Non-Transparency
Lack of transparency prevented the German corporate research firm from conducting corporate responsibility ratings on the majority of global insurance companies.

NEWS STORY:
New UK Index Rates Corporate Social Responsibility Performance
UK-based Business in the Community launches its Corporate Responsibility Index, which benchmarks corporate social responsibility performance.

NEWS STORY:
International Right to Know Campaign Promotes Disclosure of Global Corporate Impacts
In a recent report, the International Right to Know Campaign outlines the benefits of corporate disclosure of global environmental and social policies and practices.

NEWS STORY:
ExxonMobil Receives 23 Shareowner Resolutions on Issues Ranging from Climate Change to Corporate Governance
Concerted shareowner action this proxy season targets ExxonMobil over such issues as its refusal to address climate change and its coupling of CEO and Chairman of the Board.

NEWS STORY:
Carbon Disclosure Project Informs Investors of Climate Change Risks and Opportunities
A new report finds that companies stand to gain competitive advantage by addressing climate change.

NEWS STORY:
National Wildlife Federation and Amnesty International USA Embrace SRI
Two well-known advocacy organizations have made a commitment to lowering the wall between their program activities and their investments.

NEWS STORY:
Prince Albert of Monaco Helps Launch a New Sustainability Fund
Instead of investing directly in equities, this new "fund of funds" from Monaco invests in SRI and sustainability funds.

NEWS STORY:
Green Banking
Ten exemplary "green banking" enterprises were honored recently, highlighting the growth of environment-friendly community investing.

NEWS STORY:
ICCR Proxy Resolutions Book Gauges Shareowner Action Climate
In its new publication, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility rounds up the social and environmental shareowner resolutions to be voted on in the 2003 proxy season.

NEWS STORY:
Global Warming Shareowner Resolution Filed at "Filthy Five" Electric Companies
A coalition of institutional investors has filed a shareowner resolution calling on five electric power producers to report on the business risk of their greenhouse gas emissions.

NEWS STORY:
Sierra Club Launches SRI Mutual Funds
The Sierra Club is harnessing its name recognition and expertise on corporate environmental performance with its launching of an SRI equity mutual fund and an SRI balanced mutual fund.

NEWS STORY:
Social Investors Spur Social and Environmental Upgrades at Intel
Over the past five years, Intel Corporation's program of engagement with the social investment community has helped the company boost its competitive advantage.

NEWS STORY:
Humans' Overuse of Earth's Resources Exceeds Sustainability by 20 Percent
A new report on the ecological footprints of 146 nations documents unsustainable consumption, a phenomenon that, unchecked, will deplete the world's natural resources.

NEWS STORY:
BP Abandons Group Lobbying for Oil Drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
British oil company chooses to disengage from the Arctic Power lobby group and will only seek to drill in the ANWR if the people and the politicians endorse it.

NEWS STORY:
Canadian SRI Firms Call for Disclosure from Country's Top Banks
Two Canadian SRI firms filed shareowner resolutions at five major Canadian banks asking them to report on how they account for environmental, social, and ethical issues.

NEWS STORY:
Oekom Pans Telecoms' Social and Environmental Performance
A recent report from the German research firm concludes that only a handful of telecommunications companies have above average social and environmental practices.

NEWS STORY:
Eco-Efficient Real Estate and Retail Food Stocks Outperform Environmental Laggards
Two recent Innovest reports correlate strong energy management, particularly participation in the EPA ENERGY STAR program, with superior stock performance.

NEWS STORY:
WRI Promotes Sustainable Business in China
The World Resources Institute has launched a project that will support green business initiatives in China.

NEWS STORY:
Teamsters Union Joins Boycott of World Bank Bonds
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters joins six other international unions in refusing to invest in World Bank bonds.

NEWS STORY:
UNEP Advises Financial Sector on Threats and Opportunities Related to Climate Change
A recent United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative report outlines the financial sector's risks and opportunities regarding climate change.

NEWS STORY:
SRI Ratings Need Greater Independence and Standardization, Says New Dutch Guide
A new guide from Holland profiles 28 SRI rating agencies from around the world and recommends greater independence, standardization, and transparency in SRI research.

NEWS STORY:
SRI Community Reaps Success in Washington
Recent proposals from the SRI community enacted as public policy are creating momentum toward more potential legislation and regulations that support SRI goals.

NEWS STORY:
Hazardous Waste as Fuel: Conservation or Corporate Irresponsibility?
The cement industry calls the use of hazardous waste to fuel cement kilns recycling while critics of the practice call it dangerous.

NEWS STORY:
Using Portfolio Theory to Manage Biodiversity More Prudently
A recent report proposes to improve biodiversity management by applying the portfolio method, which values diversification.

NEWS STORY:
Rio + 10 Series: U.S. Company Receives World Summit Award for Sustainable Development Partnerships
ForesTrade, which markets organic spices and fair trade coffee, was the sole U.S. company to win a Sustainable Development Partnerships Award at the Johannesburg Summit.

NEWS STORY:
Shifting the Sustainability Dialogue from Values to Value
A recent Ecos Corporation discussion paper advocates integrating the social and environmental considerations of sustainability into the financial bottom line.

NEWS STORY:
Rio + 10 Series: The Johannesburg Summit Differs from Its Predecessor
Five days into the World Summit on Sustainable Development, participants remark how the conference is different than the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.

NEWS STORY:
Four New Indexes Track Best Practice Companies
The Ethibel Sustainability Indexes apply positive screens for sustainable development and stakeholder involvement.

NEWS STORY:
Rio + 10 Series: The Rhetoric of the World Summit on Sustainable Development
Sustainable development's amorphous definition may prove a difficult hurdle to gaining consensus on concrete action plans at the Johannesburg Summit.

NEWS STORY:
SRI Income Funds Yield Competitive Dividends
Often overlooked, SRI income funds allow social investors to diversify their portfolios.

NEWS STORY:
SEC Urged to Strengthen Rules Governing Corporate Disclosure of Environmental Risks
The Rose Foundation is petitioning the SEC to require more comprehensive disclosure of environmental liabilities, allowing investors to assess the potential effect on shareowner value.

NEWS STORY:
New Tool Quantifies Corporate Environmental Performance
London-based TruCost launched a single-framework rating tool that allows for a quantitative comparison of companies' environmental performance.

NEWS STORY:
Rio + 10 Series: Business Action Addressing Biodiversity is a Rare Species
The Center for Environmental Leadership in Business’ Energy and Biodiversity Initiative represents one of very few business actions that support biodiversity conservation.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review: The Ecology of the New Economy
A collection of essays identifies how the new digital economy both upgrades and downgrades the environment without predicting which trend will prevail.

NEWS STORY:
Matrix Plots Business Cases for Sustainability in Emerging Markets
SustainAbility recently released a report that identifies the business benefits of practicing sustainability in emerging markets.

NEWS STORY:
Rio + 10 Series: The Sustainability of the World Summit on Sustainable Development
Organizers are working to reduce the environmental impacts of the Johannesburg Summit.

NEWS STORY:
Computer Sector's Social and Environmental Performance Needs Upgrade
A recent report from Oekom Research identifies shortcomings in the corporate responsibility performance of IT and computer companies, particularly concerning social issues.

NEWS STORY:
Oil and Gas Company Environmental Risk Should Concern Investors
Innovest and the World Resources Institute released reports this week that illustrate how environmental risk can affect the shareowner value of oil and gas companies.

NEWS STORY:
Rio + 10 Series: Two UNEP Reports Chart Past, Present, and Future Course of Sustainable Development
Assessments of the progress since the Rio Summit guide the blueprints for the Johannesburg Summit.

NEWS STORY:
Investment Partnership Has SRI Mandate
The Global Environment Fund Group manages four funds and is a majority owner of a South Africa-based forestry company.

NEWS STORY:
Cement Companies Churn Out Action Plan to Promote Sustainable Development
The Cement Sustainability Initiative, a consortium of ten global cement companies, recently released a report outlining specific steps to achieve sustainable development.

NEWS STORY:
Rio + 10 Series: Progress and Regress--Energy Sectors Report on Their Efforts Toward Sustainability
Three industry sectors that supply energy--oil and gas, coal, and electricity--reported on their improvements and shortcomings in sustainable development since the Rio Summit.

NEWS STORY:
Eco-Efficient Pharmaceutical Companies Have Higher Share Value
Innovest's recent report on the global pharmaceutical sector notes a correlation between strong environmental performance and better stock performance, with some exceptions.

NEWS STORY:
Rio + 10 Series: Book Review--Building Partnerships
A new book outlines the benefits and challenges of cooperation between the private sector and the United Nations.

NEWS STORY:
Rio + 10 Series: How the Private Sector Can Help Solve Global Water Problems
Solving the world's water problems may depend on properly regulated water privatization and corporate initiatives that introduce new technologies and reduce water consumption.

NEWS STORY:
Rio + 10 Series: A Brief History of the Earth Summits--From Rio to Johannesburg
SocialFunds.com presents a historical snapshot of the Rio Summit and surveys some significant developments leading up to the Johannesburg Summit. (the second in a series of articles leading up to the Johannesburg Summit)

NEWS STORY:
Aquatic Cellulose Uses Robotic Technology to Harvest Trees Underwater
Canadian company offers an environment-friendly alternative to traditional forestry and a socially responsible alternative to other forms of underwater tree harvesting.

NEWS STORY:
Rio + 10 Series: A Brief History of the Earth Summits--From Stockholm to Rio
SocialFunds.com examines the significant events, theories, and people that contributed to the first two global summits on human interaction with the environment. (the first in a series of articles leading up to the Johannesburg Summit.)

NEWS STORY:
Electronics and Appliances Sector Rated Highly for Environmental Performance
German research firm also finds, however, that there is much room for improvement in the sector's social performance.

NEWS STORY:
Annual Meeting Focuses Pressure on ExxonMobil
Some shareowners and NGOs claim that ExxonMobil's environmental and social practices are hurting the company's profitability.

NEWS STORY:
CERES Calls on Institutional Investors and Corporate Directors to Address Global Climate Change Risk
A new report from CERES advises institutional investors and corporate directors on the financial risks of global climate change.

NEWS STORY:
WILD Awards Reward Socially and Environmentally Responsible Advertising
The Third Annual WILD Awards recognized companies, ad agencies, and individuals that support wild animals and nature in their marketing.

NEWS STORY:
Nordic Partnership Signs Sustainability Manifesto in Preparation for Rio + 10 Summit
A group of companies from the four Nordic countries convened recently to report on their progress in generating a model for sustainable business development.

NEWS STORY:
Activists Lobby Shareowners to Stop Housing Development in Southern California
A coalition group held a rally at Washington Mutual's annual meeting to raise concern about that company's planned housing development in the Santa Monica Mountains.

NEWS STORY:
Companies Skirt Disclosure of Environmental Liabilities
New study echoes social investors' call for the SEC to strengthen its rules regarding corporate disclosure of environmental liabilities.

NEWS STORY:
Survey Holds Money Managers Accountable
A recent AFL-CIO survey may prod money managers to examine their proxy voting on labor issues, but some in the social investment community note that the interests of organized labor and social investors sometimes diverge.

NEWS STORY:
Mining and Minerals Sector Trying to Clean Up Its Act
Large international mining companies, in an effort to improve their image with investors, are working on a project to define how the industry can best contribute to global sustainable development.

NEWS STORY:
Verdict Still Out on Costa Rica Offshore Drilling
Although American companies Harken Energy and MKL-Xplorations purchased the rights to drill for oil off the coast of Costa Rica in 1998, drilling has not started as local organizations voice concerns.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review: Eco-Economy
Pioneering environmentalist Lester R. Brown fuses ecological consciousness into economics to create "eco-economy," an economic system that would preserve natural resources while continuing to generate wealth.

NEWS STORY:
Spreading the Word about Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development
A new report assesses the role of the media in the growth of corporate social responsibility and sustainable development.

NEWS STORY:
Swiss Insurance Company Invests in Sustainability
The reinsurance giant Swiss Re supports sustainability not only in its business practices but also in its investments, and has one portfolio committed exclusively to sustainability.

NEWS STORY:
UK Bank Offers Green Mortgages
Financial institution efforts to be more environment-friendly are proving popular with customers.

NEWS STORY:
Consulting Firm Promotes Online Reporting of Triple Bottom Line
SustainAbility, a British research and consultancy firm, recently released a report on how companies, their stakeholders and customers use the Internet to communicate about sustainable development.

NEWS STORY:
SBI Promotes Responsible Business Practices Alongside Profits
The Sustainable Business Institute is working to spread its vision of sustainability to business leaders and the public.

NEWS STORY:
GEMI Elevates Environmental Consciousness from the Bottom to the Top Line
The Global Environmental Management Initiative releases a new report promoting environment-friendly methods of enhancing corporate performance.

NEWS STORY:
Dutch Banks Act to Save Tropical Rainforest
Three major Dutch banks have announced they will restrict loans for palm oil plantation development in Indonesia that results in tropical rainforest destruction.

NEWS STORY:
Environmentalists Attempt to Dam Hydroelectric Project
Canadian energy supplier Fortis, Inc. faces strong opposition from environmentalists over its proposed hydroelectric dam on the Macal River in Belize.

NEWS STORY:
Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative Creates Global Emissions Standards
An international consortium of government agencies, NGOs, and businesses creates its own set of standards for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in advance of the Kyoto Protocol.

NEWS STORY:
Businesses Convey Interest in Sustainable Mobility
Report on the challenges of achieving long-term sustainable transportation offers multinational automotive and energy companies, as well as governments, food for thought.

NEWS STORY:
EPA Program Recognizes Better Corporate Environmental Performance
Performance Track motivates and rewards businesses that exceed EPA's environmental standards.

NEWS STORY:
Reducing Greenhouse Gases by Making Fizz
An innovative venture enables a Shell subsidiary to sell excess carbon dioxide for soft drink manufacturing, but social investors should know that the company is still miles away from being socially responsible.

NEWS STORY:
Mirant Commits $50 Million to Climate Change Solutions
Energy company's plans include a more robust and transparent environmental policy.

NEWS STORY:
Scandinavian Companies Work toward Sustainable Business Model
A group of large Nordic companies are participating in an unusual partnership to create their view of a future sustainable company.

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review: The Civil Corporation
The New Economy brings increased competition, faster dissemination of information and the rise of corporate citizenship.

NEWS STORY:
EPA Partners with Businesses to Promote Green Power
Voluntary program has enlisted companies, cities, universities and others with the aim of boosting the market for renewable energy.

NEWS STORY:
Political Contributions Bring Oil Drills Closer to ANWR
U.S. PIRG finds unsurprising correlation between oil company political donations and House members that voted to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

NEWS STORY:
Turning Waste Streams into Products
The largest manufacturer of recycled plastic lumber in the U.S. is looking to position itself for a more profitable 2001.

NEWS STORY:
Green Room and Board
Fairmont Hotels and Resorts has created a valuable resource for hotels that want to lesson their environmental impact.

NEWS STORY:
Labor Standards Resolutions Garner Support in 2001 Proxy Season
Ten international labor and human rights proposals that came to vote this year received 10 percent or more support from shareowners.

NEWS STORY:
Shareowners Push Companies on Gene-engineered Food
This proxy season, shareowner resolutions continue to ask manufacturers and retailers to disclose information about or phase out the sale of gene-engineered food products.

NEWS STORY:
Placer Dome's Efforts at Sustainability: Sincere or Greenwash?
Contentious issues surrounding its Porgera mine operations reveal the difficulty in assessing corporate social and environmental performance.

NEWS STORY:
Placer Dome Mine Strikes Resentment in Papua New Guinea
Inaction on improving the environmental performance of the Porgera mine is drawing criticism from within Papua New Guinea as well as Australia, Canada and the U.S.

NEWS STORY:
Companies Using NAFTA to Undermine Legitimate Regulations
New report explains how the U.S., Canadian and Mexican governments' ability to regulate in the public interest is being eroded by NAFTA's Chapter 11.

NEWS STORY:
EarthShell Serves Environment-Friendly Food Packaging
Container manufacturer beginning to see fruit of research and development with expanding in-market product tests.

NEWS STORY:
Telecommunications Industry Calls for Sustainability
Some of the world's largest information and communications technology companies form an alliance to promote sustainable development.

NEWS STORY:
Study Finds More Than One in Four Polluters Seriously Violate Clean Water Act
U.S. PIRG report says polluters keep polluting because the government is not doing its job.

NEWS STORY:
Magazine Industry Is Wasting Forests
New study finds magazines use almost no recycled paper and publishers have an incentive to overproduce wastefully.

NEWS STORY:
ExxonMobil Feeling Heat on Both Sides of the Atlantic
Shareholder resolutions and boycotts put pressure on oil giant to change its stance on global warming and embrace clean energy.

NEWS STORY:
Winslow Launches New Green Mutual Fund
The Winslow Green Growth Fund will seek small- and mid-cap companies with superior environmental performance.

NEWS STORY:
Coke Takes Small Step Toward Recycling; Pepsi Drags Its Heels
At recent annual meetings, Coke announces recycling targets while Pepsi says it will talk.

NEWS STORY:
SAM Sees Future Profits in Energy
New European investment company will invest in companies with innovative technologies and services that realize more efficient and environment-friendly energy use.

NEWS STORY:
Business Group Supports Sustainability Via the Market Economy
New report identifies seven factors companies must address in order to realize sustainable practices.

NEWS STORY:
Major UK Fund Manager to Require Environmental Reporting
Institutional investors are increasingly seeing the need for environmental disclosure.

NEWS STORY:
Environmental Groups Endorse Shareholder Resolutions
Environmental advocates ask for support for pro-environmental resolutions at a wide range of companies.

NEWS STORY:
Shopping for Responsibility
Internet site is helping consumers base shopping decisions on values.

NEWS STORY:
Top Ten Wood Product Companies Could Help Make Global Sustainable Forestry a Reality
A new World Wildlife Fund report states that the largest wood processors and buyers could tip the balance toward sustainable management of the world's forests.

NEWS STORY:
Smithfield Sued for Letting Pig Manure Out of the Poke
Environmental group says litigation is needed to stop hog producers from polluting waterways.

NEWS STORY:
New International Society Marries Technology and Ecology
Representatives of AT&T and Motorola join researchers, policy makers and environmental advocates to launch the International Society of Industrial Ecology.

NEWS STORY:
Turning Hotels Green with Demand
Various stakeholders are working together to catalyze the supply and demand of environmentally responsible hotels and conference facilities.

NEWS STORY:
Ford Adopts CERES Principles at National Conference
The national conference of the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) was the backdrop for Ford Motor's historic endorsement.

NEWS STORY:
Earth Day 2000 Marks Threshold in Green Investing
On the 30th anniversary of the national ecological celebration, Portfolio 21 is pioneering environmental sustainability as a pocketbook issue.

NEWS STORY:
Your Company May Have Already Won...the Greenwash Sweepstakes
With Earth Day 2000 around the bend, Corporate Watch draws the attention of consumers and investors to corporate "greenwash."

BOOK REVIEW:
Book Review: Natural Capitalism
Three visionaries give practical steps toward the next industrial revolution, where business is NOT as usual.

NEWS STORY:
New Ventures Rewards Start-up Environmental Businesses in Latin America
Environmental companies in six sectors compete for venture capital, professional consulting, and $100,000 cash.

NEWS STORY:
NGOs Author
Groups monitoring the World Economic Forum meeting seek UN leadership in corporate behavior addressing environmental protection and human rights.

NEWS STORY:
Five Businesses Considered Leaders in Environmentally Sound Paper Practices
A report by the Alliance for Environmental Innovation profiles five leading businesses that look good on paper.

NEWS STORY:
Putting the Environment on the Ledger
Accounting for the Environment has moved the world's most powerful international organizations toward weighing environmental costs along with other expenses. When will the U.S. budge?

NEWS STORY:
Ford Has Greener Ideas
Ford Motor Company's recent announcement that it was quitting the Global Climate Coalition could signal a final cooling of the global warming debate.

NEWS STORY:
Vermont's Finest Ice Cream Faces Homogenization
Ben & Jerry's teeters between its home-grown, socially responsible past and the larger corporate culture in its future.

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