Subscribe to Free weekly SRI News Alerts Keyword Search Find SRI News Articles Related To: Select a News Category Mutual Funds Shareholder Activism Community Investing Education Business Ethics Corporate Community Economic Dev Corporate Governance Environment Human Rights Workplace Volunteerism & Philanthropy Stock Indexes Reporting Complete List of Articles by Category What is RSS?

Mutual Funds 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 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. NEWS BRIEF: PERSONAL FINANCE, MUTUAL FUNDS Sentinel Investments Creates Two New Sustainable Funds With the acquisition of Citizens Funds, Sentinel Funds reorganizes existing Citizens Funds to launch Sentinel’s first sustainable products. NEWS STORY: MUTUAL FUNDS, GREEN INVESTING New Fund Invests in Tomorrow's Green Stars ThinkCapital launches a green growth fund that focuses on sustainable companies. NEWS BRIEF: MUTUAL FUNDS, SUSTAINABILITY New Northern Trust Sustainability Mutual Fund The KLD Global Sustainability Index provides the universe for a new mutual fund. NEWS STORY: PERSONAL FINANCE, MUTUAL FUNDS Three New SRI Funds from Pax World Sustainable investing pioneer Pax World adds Global Green, International, and Small Cap Funds to its SRI family of funds. NEWS BRIEF: PERSONAL FINANCE, MUTUAL FUNDS New Pax Products on the Way Investors can look forward to fresh products from Pax World who has licensed the KLD Sustainability Indexes. NEWS STORY: PERSONAL FINANCE,SCREENING EarthFolio Screens the Big SRI Picture New investment site offers fully managed SRI portfolios for every type of investor, from timid to tenacious. NEWS STORY: SCREENING,SHAREHOLDER ACTIVISM,COMMUNITY INVESTING SRI Assets Surge Ahead New socially responsible investing study reports one dollar out of every nine dollars under professional management is invested responsibly. INTERVIEW: SHAREHOLDER ADVOCACY: HUMAN RIGHTS Shareholder Activists Try New Tactic in Divestment Campaign Activists are bringing resolutions to shareholder meetings of mutual funds in a bid to widen pressure on companies doing business with the Sudanese government. NEWS STORY: SHAREHOLDER ACTIVISM Supreme Court Rules on Naming Secondary Actors in Fraud Cases In a ruling last week, the Supreme Court laid out what businesses can be held liable under current securities fraud laws. NEWS STORY: PERSONAL FINANCE; MUTUAL FUNDS Social Investment Options on the Rise A flurry of new socially responsible mutual funds and products makes it easier then ever to invest in a double bottom line. 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: SHAREOWNER ADVOCACY SEC Sacrifices Shareholder Rights to Achieve Temporary Certainty Instead of reaffirming shareholder rights to file resolutions to nominate directors, the SEC cites uncertainty as a rationale for stripping these rights. 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: Environment Growing Up Green: Winslow Offers New Mid-Cap Green Mutual Fund As the green market place expands, Winslow launches a mutual fund to capitalize on middle-sized growth companies that offer green solutions. 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: New Pax World Value Fund Follows "Contrarian Value" Strategy Pax World's new Fund travels the globe looking for sustainable, yet undervalued companies. NEWS STORY: Canada is Coming Clean: First Canadian Global Clean Energy Fund Launched Criterion Investments has announced its Global Energy Fund, reflecting a growing enthusiasm for clean energy by investors, companies and governments. 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: Proxy Advisors Come Out Clean A report from the Government Accountability Office finds that the largest proxy advisor ISS and other advisor firms disclose potential conflicts of interest. NEWS STORY: SEC Chair Cox Votes For Two Opposing Proxy Access Proposals--Both May Curtail Shareowner Rights Republican commissioners support a proposal barring shareowners from nominating directors; Democrats support one allowing it, though it introduced other reductions in shareowner power. NEWS STORY: Selling As A Clear Message: Investors Rid Their Portfolios Of Companies With Ties To Sudan Claymore/KLD offers the First Sudan Free ETF for retail investors while the SEC's new list of companies operating in "States of Terrorism" is seen by some as too broad. NEWS STORY: Seeing Retirement Investment Through Green-colored Glasses A new report shows that Americans have more SRI retirement choices than ever before, but it remains to be seen if people chose to put their savings in socially and environmentally screened funds. NEWS STORY: Forget Fossil Fuels, Calvert Now Offers Global Alternative Energy Fund Calvert releases a survey of US investors on climate change and expands its family of funds with an alternative energy fund. NEWS STORY: MMA Now Offers Small Cap and Growth Index Funds Leading faith-based investment company MMA Praxis Mutual grows its offerings with two new screened funds. NEWS STORY: Gabelli Launches New Value-Oriented SRI Fund Gabelli Funds offers its first open SRI Fund, backed up by years of SRI experience working with institutional investors. NEWS STORY: Calvert's New Growth Fund Has Global Focus American SRI pioneer Calvert launches the Calvert International Opportunities Fund, a small and mid-cap fund with UK-based F&C Management as sub-advisor. NEWS STORY: Innovative Fund Looks to Johnny Appleseed for Inspiration The Appleseed Fund offers social investors a fresh venue for investing in undervalued companies selected for their social and environmental records. NEWS STORY: Fidelity Divests Large Chunk of Sudan-Related Holdings Despite similar pressure from Sudan divestment activists, Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway retain holdings in PetroChina, which is linked to genocide in Darfur. NEWS STORY: Proven Community Investment Fund Now Open to All Access Capital Strategies changes the structure of its Community Investing Fund to allow individuals and small institutions to invest in the Fund. NEWS STORY: Opening Up Pandora's Box: SEC Proxy Roundtable Questions Role of Non-Binding Resolutions SEC officers and panelists discuss the possibility of removing non-binding resolutions from the proxy and replacing them with online communications between shareowners and companies. 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: Over the Hedge: New Green Hedge Fund of Funds Kenmar plans to launch socially responsible hedge fund of funds for institutional investors. NEWS STORY: Spectra Green Fund Offers a Different Shade of Green The Spectra Green Fund, from Fred Alger Management, broadens approach to selecting sustainable and environmentally conscious companies. NEWS STORY: Canadian SRI Assets Leap to More Than $500 Billion Canadian A new survey from the Social Investment Organization shows Canadian SRI assets ballooning thanks to increased institutional interest and new methodology. 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: ABN AMRO Asset Management Launches First Indian SRI Mutual Fund New fund focuses on companies screened by Indian research and ratings company CRISIL. NEWS STORY: Ruggie Report Says Voluntary Human Rights Initiatives Set Stage for Binding Global Standards While the report finds significant flaws with voluntary collaborations between corporations and civil society, they currently fill the gap created by nation-states failing to protect human rights. NEWS STORY: Carrying the Shield for Responsible Investing in Canada Corporate Knights magazine names top Canadian SRI mutual funds and releases survey that finds SRI funds mirror market performance. 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: Shareholders Ask Companies for Transparency on Corporate Political Giving With 43 companies facing shareholder resolutions on political accountability this proxy season, a handful of companies have already reached agreements with filers on this issue. NEWS STORY: Social(k) Catalyzes SRI Retirement Opportunities for Employees Social(k)’s online retirement platform expands companies’ retirement options by offering over 100 SRI funds. 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: MicroVest Secures Mutual Fund Investor Meritas Jantzi Social Index Fund Invests with MicroVest NEWS STORY: New Domini Funds Invest in the World Domini charts new territory with the creation of the Domini PacAsia Social Equity Fund and the Domini EuroPacific Social Equity Fund. 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: 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: Retailers Improve on Keeping Violent Video Games Out of the Hands of Children An Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility report also identifies several areas where the seven companies examined stand to improve performance--predominantly on disclosure. 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: Marriott Combats Child Sexual Exploitation Shareowner engagement by Boston Common Asset Management and the First Swedish National Pension Fund prompts Marriott to explicitly address child sex tourism in its human rights policy. 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: New Exchange Traded Fund Tracks Domini 400 Social Index Barclays Global Investors launches the iShares KLD 400 Social Index ETF. 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: 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: Pax World Drops Zero Tolerance Screens on Alcohol and Gambling SocialFunds.com speaks with Pax World CEO Joe Keefe about changes approved today, including the addition of governance, climate change, and human rights screens. 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: Votes for Social and Environmental Resolutions Rising, But Proxy Firm Support Still Lagging Over a quarter of social and environmental resolutions topped 15 percent support this proxy season, but proxy advisory firm recommendations supporting such proposals remain low. NEWS STORY: Blue Funds to Invest in Companies that Support Democrats The two new funds seek to capitalize on research that finds that Democrat-supporting companies significantly outperform Republican-supporting companies. NEWS STORY: New Socially Responsible Investing Portfolios Offer Alternatives to SRI Mutual Funds Investment advisors can now offer retail clients separate accounts tracking seven different indexes, and a new index is geared toward high net worth individuals with Catholic values. 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: Academic Joins Shareowners in Advocating Corporate Lobbying Reform Yale University Professor Bob Repetto issues paper calling for companies to rapidly adopt best practice on corporate lobbying, including oversight and approval by independent directors. NEWS STORY: Barclays Files for Permission to Launch iShares ETF Tracking the Domini Social Index The exchange-traded fund will likely have a low expense ratio, but will not conduct shareowner engagement like the other fund tracking the DSI, the Green Century Equity Fund, does. NEWS STORY: Pax World and Citizens Announce Engagement The marriage would consolidate two leading socially responsible investing firms with primarily complementary offerings. NEWS STORY: Green Century Equity Fund Seeks Shareowner Okay to Continue Tracking Domini Social Index Green Century also announced its intention to lower the expense ratio for the fund with aim of enlarging the fund's investor base. NEWS STORY: Domini Shareowners Approve Shift from Index Tracking to Active Management The transition carries implications for investors, such as capital gains taxes, which Domini is strategically mitigating. NEWS STORY: Alternative Energy Revolution Fueled by New Fund Launches Despite Sector Downturn The launch of the Guinness Atkinson Alternative Energy Fund testifies to optimism about the sub-sector echoed by the launch of the first renewable energy hedge fund by Ardsley Partners. 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: First Socially Responsible Investing Portfolio Devoted to Diversity Launched Minority-owned Creative Investment Research conceived of the portfolio to promote corporate diversity while targeting women and minority investors for economic empowerment. 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: 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: 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. 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: Stratfor Analysis Says Rise in Support for Shareowner Activism is Hitting a Plateau The analysis suggests that corporate executives are building up a tolerance to higher resolution votes; mutual fund proxy voting transparency represents the next frontier for shareowner activists to boost votes. NEWS STORY: Canadian SRI Funds Perform On Par with Mainstream Funds A survey of Canadian socially responsible investing funds finds a broad range of rigorousness in assessing corporate social and environmental sustainability. 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: 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: Bank of China International Investment Managers Launches First SRI Fund in China The fund combines quantitative screening with qualitative assessment on issues such as corporate governance and social responsibility, but it is unclear how it will handle human rights. NEWS STORY: Domini Fund to Shift from Indexing to Active Management Domini Social Investments proposes shifting the Domini Social Equity Fund from tracking the Domini 400 Social Index to being actively managed by Wellington Management. 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: Amgen Recommends Support for Political Donations Resolution, Bolstering Broader Campaign The Center for Political Accountability, which coordinates the political contributions campaign, released a report on trade association contributions that previews its 2007 proxy season strategy. NEWS STORY: Digging for More than Gold: SRI Letter Asks Newmont to Address Western Shoshone Concerns The letter cites a recent decision by the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to support Western Shoshone claims. NEWS STORY: Student-Managed Socially Responsible Investing Fund Outperforms the Market The faculty advisor to the Arnone-Lerer SRI Fund at Villanova University attributes a quarter of the outperformance to environmental, social, and governance factors. NEWS STORY: Investor Environmental Health Network Addresses Product Toxicity Through Safer Alternatives The network is coordinating 11 shareowner resolutions addressing product toxicity at companies such as Avon, Becton-Dickinson, CVS, Dow, DuPont, and Whole Foods Market, among others. 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: Bush Administration Proposes Axing Equal Opportunity Survey The survey gathers tenure-track and compensation information by gender and race that is unavailable elsewhere, prompting socially responsible investors and others to oppose the move. NEWS STORY: Amana Funds Continue Strong Performance The Amana Funds' Islamic principles coincide with sound investment strategies that have helped fuel strong financial performance over the past three years. 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. 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: In the Year of the Oil Boom, Some SRI Funds Look Elsewhere for Strong Performance in 2005 The top-performing socially responsible investing funds compared to their category peers (SRI and non-SRI alike) drew strong performance from pharma, tech, and financials. 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: New Domini Funds Invest in the World Domini charts new territory with the creation of the Domini PacAsia Social Equity Fund and the Domini EuroPacific Social Equity Fund. 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: 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: SRI Community Releases Retailer Guidelines to Avoid Violent Video Game Sales to Kids The Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility guidelines address underage exposure to graphic violence, strong sexual content, and racist themes, as well as impact on shareholder value. 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: MorningStar analyst comments on Citizens Value Fund Value-oriented SRI fans should check out Citizens Value NEWS STORY: PROXY Governance Diversifies Proxy Advisory Choice The new proxy advisory firm expands options for fiduciaries. 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: 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: Counting Stars: Top Morningstar Ratings Bespeak Strong Performance for SRI Funds Of the 60-odd broadly-screened socially responsible investing funds tracked by SocialFunds.com, three earn 5-star ratings and 12 earn 4-star ratings from Morningstar. 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: Institutional Investors Drive Research on Mainstreaming of SRI by Investment Managers A new line of research at Mercer Investment Consulting rates proxy voting, shareholder engagement, and analysis of environmental, social, and governance issues by mainstream investment managers. 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: SRI Utilities Fund Flicks Switch to Power Strong Returns The Flex-funds Total Return Utilities Fund uses environmental and social screening in addition to fundamental analysis to identify sustainable utilities. NEWS STORY: Changing of the Guard: Vanguard Pulls a Switcheroo on SRI Index Providers Vanguard is swapping the benchmark for its socially responsible investing index fund from the Calvert Social Index to the FTSE4Good US Select Index. 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: Domini Goes Abroad with New European Fund The fund allows US social investors to diversify their portfolios into a region with attractive investment opportunities and corporations with strong sustainability commitments. 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: 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: 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: Shareowner Resolution Asks Monsanto to Create Ethics Oversight Committee The company stonewalls inquiries related to the resolution, which springs from a $1.5 million settlement with the SEC and DOJ earlier this year regarding a bribe Monstanto paid in Indonesia. NEWS STORY: CalSTRS Follows Calvert Blueprint to Capitalize on Money Manager Diversity Both CalSTRS and Calvert see efforts to identify emerging money managers as smart business and socially responsible as well. 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. 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: TIAA-CREF Creates New Director of Social Investing Post But Refrains From Some SRI Strategies TIAA-CREF enhances its proxy voting and practices some community investment, but finds obstacles to supporting community development financial institutions and SRI venture capital. NEWS STORY: Panning for Gold: Principle Profits Applies Socially Responsible Investing to Microcaps Massachusetts firm examines financial, social, and environmental performance to identify future winners. 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: Gabelli Asset Management Launches SRI Hedge Fund Focused on Catholic Values The fund uses short-selling and merger arbitrage strategies, and screens out companies involved in abortion, contraception, stem cells, and pornography, as well as the top 50 defense contractors. 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: Catching a Rising Knife: Sophia Collier Manages the Citizens Value Fund Whereas former portfolio manager Shelly Meyers tried to catch falling knives, Ms. Collier shifted to a more conservative strategy that has generated much better returns. NEWS STORY: Ethical Funds Hires Manning & Napier to Manage Its North American Equity Fund Former portfolio manager Alliance Capital Management got the boot due to poor performance and a lack of diverse strategies to navigate market cycles. 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: Report Asserts Shareholders Have The Right To Know More About DuPont PFOA Liabilities The report documents information on perfluorooctanoic acid, a Teflon ingredient associated with human health hazards, which DuPont withheld from federal regulators and investors alike. NEWS STORY: Newly-Launched Funds Advance the Maturation of Socially Responsible Investment Calvert launches two fund of funds comprised of existing Calvert funds across a range of asset classes; Domini releases load-share clone of flagship fund for use by commission-based brokers. 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: Parnassus Workplace Fund Launches Today, Along With New Small- and Mid-Cap SRI Funds While many socially responsible investment funds assess workplace criteria, the Parnassus fund is the first to lead with this issue. 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: SRI Funds Vote Proxies More Conscientiously Than Conventional Funds on Corporate Governance A study on proxy voting by socially responsible investment and conventional funds finds SRI funds voting against management more often on social, environmental, and governance issues. 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: New SRI Managed Account Uses Options to Capitalize on Market Ups-and-Downs The socially responsible investment team at Piper Jaffray screens the new Redwood Account, which applies the covered options strategy of Kelmoore Investment Company. NEWS STORY: Coffee, Tea, or . . . Liqueur? Pax World Alcohol Screen Forces Reluctant Divestment from Starbucks While Pax World applies a zero tolerance alcohol screen, other socially responsible investment firms set thresholds for retailers based on the percentage of revenues derived from alcohol sales. 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: Not Just for Corporations: Six Microfinance Banks on Three Continents Use GRI Guidelines Microfinance institutions in Africa, Asia, and South America are issuing sustainability reports using Global Reporting Initiative guidelines, as are other non-corporate entities such as GRI itself. NEWS STORY: A Mainstream Investment Strategist Comes Home to Socially Responsible Investment Adam Seitchik views his move from Deutsche Asset Management, where his team managed $60 billion in assets, to Trillium Asset Management, which manages around $1 billion, as upward mobility. NEWS STORY: Biting the Hand That Feeds: Mutual Fund Ties to Corporate Clients Can Affect Proxy Voting Study reveals that individual mutual fund firms do not alter proxy voting whether companies are clients or non-clients, but fund firms with more clients tend to vote and adopt voting policies favoring management. 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: Carrots and Sweets: Tying Executive Remuneration to Extra-Financial Performance Indicators A report from Henderson Global Investors and Universities Superannuation Scheme finds incentives for extra-financial performance tied to short-term instead of long-term indicators. NEWS STORY: MMA Praxis International Fund Buoyed by Strong Performance in Global Markets Growth is concentrated in sectors and companies that are excluded by social and environmental screens. NEWS STORY: Binding Resolutions and Coordination Circumvent Structural Limitations of Shareowner Action A preview of the 2005 proxy season reveals tactics that challenge the systemic imbalance of power favoring corporate management and directors over shareowners. NEWS STORY: Speaking From Both Sides of the Mouth: The Art and Science of Corporate Tax Avoidance Three reports--by a US tax watchdog, a pair of US academics, and a UK socially responsible investment firm--find troubling trends in corporate tax strategies. NEWS STORY: Pax World Tells Its Shareowners That Market Timers Hit Its High Yield Fund in 2003 In a letter to shareowners, Pax said it believes the market timing differed from the abusive forms associated with the mutual funds scandal and that shareowners did not suffer any material losses. NEWS STORY: 2004 Socially Responsible Investment Fund Performance Of the broadly-screened SRI mutual fund tracked by SocialFunds.com, two earned over 20 percent returns, and six others joined them in outperforming more than 80 percent of their SRI and non-SRI peer funds. 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: Calvert First SRI Firm to Issue Global Reporting Initiative-Based Sustainability Report While many small-to-medium-sized enterprises consider sustainability reporting prohibitive, Calvert finds value in doing what it asks publicly traded companies to do. NEWS STORY: Dell and Starbucks First Companies to Endorse Calvert Women's Principles The two companies publicly commit to implement the code in their business practices, setting a precedent for other companies to follow in promoting parity for women in business. NEWS STORY: Corporations Fight to Keep Political Contributions in the Closet The Center for Political Accountability expands its campaign by advancing shareowner resolutions asking companies to disclose political donations and to provide a business rationale for them. NEWS STORY: Two Reports Reveal Proxy Votes Rubber-Stamp Management Recommendations One finds the majority of top US mutual funds voting against climate change resolutions, the other finds contradictory proxy by Canadian pension fund managers. 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: European Socially Responsible Investment Firms Let the Sun Shine In The European Social Investment Forum releases transparency guidelines covering seventeen socially responsible investment practitioners. NEWS STORY: Paul Hawken Critiques Socially Responsible Investment: Is He On Target or Off Base? A Natural Capital Institute report criticizes SRI for lack of standards and transparency on screening and holdings for shareowner action. NEWS STORY: Graphing Graft: Transparency International Finds Rampant Corruption in 60 Countries The tenth annual Corruption Perceptions Index highlights the acute problem of corruption in oil-rich countries. NEWS STORY: Moskowitz Prize Study Removes Doubt Over Link Between Strong Corporate Social and Financial Performance The study analyzes over 50 published studies on corporate social performance and corporate financial performance, and finds an unambiguous positive relationship. NEWS STORY: Socially Responsible Investment Assets On the Up and Up Down Under The Ethical Investment Association in Australia reports that SRI assets have doubled in the three years it has been producing benchmarking surveys. 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: Abortion, Sexual Orientation Reveal Diversity of Socially Responsible Investment The umbrella of socially responsible investment encompasses a wide diversity of values, running the gamut from social progressivism to cultural conservatism. NEWS STORY: Calvert Fills Gap in Small- and Mid-Cap SRI Value Categories With Two New Funds The two new funds add diversification options to the socially responsible investment (SRI) palate. NEWS STORY: Morningstar Grades Mutual Fund Governance, SRI Funds Rate Well Morningstar Fiduciary Grades find relatively few areas of weak performance for those socially responsible investment mutual funds rated. NEWS STORY: Memo From: SRI Analysts To: Companies--Use GRI Sustainability Reporting Platform! A coalition of 17 socially responsible investment firms recommends that companies disclose social and environmental data using the Global Reporting Initiative. 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: About Face: Cintas Settles Lawsuit and Supports Vendor Standards Resolution In his apology, Tim Smith of Walden Asset Management highlights the need for accurate information, which Cintas promises to supply in the report requested by the resolution. 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: Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes Add General Electric and Drop Electrolux The annual change in the DJSI is based on recent assessment of corporate economic, environmental and social performance. NEWS STORY: As Mutual Funds Prepare to Reveal Proxy Votes, Guideline Disclosure Acts as Acid Test Investor-friendly website accessibility to mutual funds' proxy voting guidelines may signal proxy voting record accessibility and investor-friendly proxy voting. 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: How Do SRI Firms Walk Their Talk When It Comes to Corporate Social Responsibility? Socially responsible investment firms take particulars such as scale and sector into account in their CSR expectations at the companies they own and in their own operations. NEWS STORY: Accuracy of Dow Chemical Statements and SEC Filings Questioned On behalf of two socially responsible investment firms, an environmental attorney asks the SEC to probe the factuality of public statements and filings made by Dow Chemical. NEWS STORY: The Value of Transformation: The Catholic Equity Fund After transforming itself from three actively managed funds into one index fund, the Catholic Equity Fund works to transform corporate practice through shareowner advocacy. NEWS STORY: CRAFund Goes Retail Formerly available only to institutional investors, the Community Reinvestment Act Qualified Investment Fund is now available to individuals through Charles Schwab. NEWS STORY: Microcredit Development Fund Helps Transform Household Scraps into Sustainable Entrepreneurship The Deutsche Bank Microcredit Development Fund seeks to alleviate poverty worldwide by helping microfinance institutions grow to scale and achieve sustainability. NEWS STORY: Can Corporate Social Responsibility Put the Brakes on HIV in Africa? A field report from Africa by Dan Rosan of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility. 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. NEWS STORY: Two Socially Responsible Investing Funds Generate Double-Digit Year-to-Date Returns The Ariel Fund and the Pax World Growth Fund perform well in the first half of this year. 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. NEWS STORY: Rule Proposal Requires Canadian Mutual Funds To Disclose Proxy Votes and Guidelines New Canadian Securities Administrators rule closely resembles the US Securities and Exchange rule. 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: Sarona Supports Microfinance To Help Alleviate Poverty in Developing Regions The Sarona Global Investment Fund finances starch processing in Paraguay, a foundation supporting small enterprises in Romania, and a savings and loan cooperative in Haiti. 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: Companies Ignore Majority Votes on Shareowner Resolutions Some high-profile companies are taking advantage of the non-binding nature of shareowner resolutions. 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: Daiwa Launches Japan's Newest Socially Responsible Investment Fund The new Daiwa SRI Fund will focus not only social and environmental issues, but also corporate integrity, ethics compliance, and transparency. NEWS STORY: Avon Shareowners Withdraw Two Resolutions Before Annual Meeting Avon agreed to hold annual board of director elections and to phase out phthalates from its products, prompting shareowners to withdraw their resolutions on these two issues. 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: First-Year Resolution on HIV/AIDS Garners Significant Support at Pharmaceuticals The HIV/AIDS pandemic threatens human life and shareowner value, according to a shareowner resolution filed at companies in the pharmaceutical, oil, and beverage sectors. 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: Socially Responsible Investment Runs the Gamut on Animal Welfare and Testing Investors who prioritize respect for animals have a range of options, from funds that use shareowner action alone to specialty SRI firms with stringent animal welfare screens. NEWS STORY: Into Africa: The Paradox of Socially Responsible Investing in the Developing Continent To support sustainability in Africa, social investors can invest directly outside the SRI community, or else they can pursue community investment and shareowner action. 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: Occidental To Adopt Formal Human Rights Policy, Shareowners Withdraw Resolution Successful shareholder action results in steps towards Occidental formalizing its human rights policy. NEWS STORY: Socially Responsible Index Funds: Passive Management Means Less Expense SRI index funds offer competitive performance with lower expense compared to actively managed SRI funds. 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: 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: CRA Fund Helps Transform Environmental Liabilities Into Social Assets The CRA Fund supports environmental remediation of brownfield sites, helping transform them into socially beneficial projects. NEWS STORY: Cintas Defamation Suit Challenges Shareowner Free Speech Rights Cintas files a defamation lawsuit against Tim Smith of Walden Asset Management for alleging that the company uses sweatshop labor in Haiti. NEWS STORY: Meritas Launches First Canadian SRI Rebalancing Fund of Funds The Meritas Balanced Portfolio Fund uses Modern Portfolio Theory to build a single fund that balances asset allocations between its five existing funds. 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: French SRI Assets and Funds Grow in 2003 Novethic documents growth in the number of socially responsible investing funds available in France, as well as the amount of SRI assets under management. NEWS STORY: Gazing in the Crystal Ball: 2004 Preview of Socially Responsible Investing Performance An overview of the trends that may affect SRI performance in the year ahead, among other issues to mull over when considering socially responsible investment. NEWS STORY: SRI Domestic Equity Funds Edged Out By Their Non-SRI Counterparts in 2003 Socially responsible investment domestic equity mutual funds slightly lagged their non-SRI counterparts, while the Calvert Social Index outpaced the S&P 500 for the year. 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: ‘Tis the Season to Bar Sexual Orientation Discrimination The New York City Employees Retirement System files a shareowner resolution asking 11 Fortune 500 companies to explicitly bar sexual orientation discrimination. 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: 2004 Proxy Season Glimpse: HIV/AIDS Shareowner Campaign Shifts from Conflict to Collaboration The 2004 proxy season has commenced with an instance of cooperation between a company and its shareowners (Part two of a two-part article.) 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.) NEWS STORY: Women Sit in Less Than a Seventh of Fortune 500 Board of Director Seats According to a new Catalyst report, women will inhabit less than a quarter of Fortune 500 board director seats by 2023, though regulations and shareowner action may change this. NEWS STORY: Watchdog Fund Established to Take a Bite Out of Corporate Governance Malfeasance The new investment vehicle is part mutual fund, part shareowner advocate, and part hedge fund. NEWS STORY: Two New Real Assets Funds Attract $25 Million in Their First Two Months The Real Assets Social Leaders Fund and Social Impact Balanced Fund are off to a flying start, re-invigorating social investing in Canada. 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: Australian SRI Funds Outperform Their Benchmark Over the Short- and Long-Term A new AMP Henderson report finds Australian socially responsible investing outperforms the S&P/ASX 200 over one-, two-, three-, and five-year periods. NEWS STORY: Social Investment Forum’s Trends Report Tracks Rises and Falls in SRI Assets in screened portfolios grew since 2001, while overall assets in socially responsible investments fell during the same time period, according to SIF’s 2003 Trends Report. NEWS STORY: Moskowitz Prize-Winning Study Correlates Lower Corruption With Higher Shareowner Value The Social Investment Forum awards its annual Moskowitz Prize to a study that correlates lower political corruption with higher corporate value in international markets. NEWS STORY: SRI Short Selling: an Oxymoron, or Mutually Reinforcing Strategies? Socially responsible investing strategies rarely include short selling, though this tactic may in fact eclipse other SRI strategies in its ability to effect change. NEWS STORY: Vanguard Fund Generates Strong Returns by Replicating the Calvert Social Index The Vanguard Calvert Social Index Fund outperformed more than four-fifths of its peers in the overall US mutual fund universe with similar investment styles over the past year. NEWS STORY: Resolutions Ask TIAA-CREF to Practice the Good Corporate Governance It Preaches TIAA-CREF faces several resolutions asking it to reconcile its strong corporate governance advocacy with what filers describe as its own weak governance policies. NEWS STORY: Socially Responsible Investment Through 401k Plans Comes of Age Since the late 1990s, there has been a boom in socially responsible investment through 401k retirement plans. NEWS STORY: Social Investors Recommend Best Practice for Coalbed Methane Extraction A shareowner action campaign proactively asks companies to practice environmental and social responsibility in extracting coalbed methane. NEWS STORY: Walden Asks Companies to Allow Shareowners to Ratify Auditors Walden Asset Management wrote letters to 45 companies asking them to allow shareowners to ratify the board's choice of auditor, a procedure that is routine. NEWS STORY: ISIS Product Offers Shareowner Action without Portfolio Management Institutional investors can use ISIS's Responsible Engagement Overlay to promote better social and environmental performance at companies through dialogue, proxy voting, shareowner resolution filing, and research. NEWS STORY: SRI Money Market Accounts Earn Competitive Financial Returns In addition to offering social and environmental returns, socially responsible investing money market accounts generate competitive financial returns compared to their non-SRI counterparts. NEWS STORY: Shareowner Action Prompts Procter & Gamble to Sell Fair Trade Coffee In response to a shareowner action campaign, Procter & Gamble launched a Fair Trade Certified coffee; critics challenge the company to commit more fully to sustainability. NEWS STORY: Ave Maria Funds Promote Catholic Values Through Morally Responsible Investing Ave Maria Mutual Funds, which screen abortion, pornography, non-marital partner benefits, and Planned Parenthood contributors, represent another side of SRI. NEWS STORY: Domini Social Bond Fund Supports Community Development Financial Institutions The Domini Social Bond Fund allocates almost seven percent of its assets to CDFIs while also performing like a classic intermediate-term bond fund. NEWS STORY: Critics Find Study of SRI Underperformance Fundamentally Flawed A recent Wharton School study that finds underperformance by socially responsible investment mutual funds is based on an unsound research design, according to critics. NEWS STORY: A High Flyer and a Smooth Sailer Top SRI Equity Funds Two socially responsible investment equity funds place in the first and second percentiles of their peer funds over a five-year period. NEWS STORY: The ABCs of SRI Mutual Fund Share Classes The complexities of different share classes, or fund loads, can confuse investors--brokers and finance writers can either help clarify and further obfuscate. NEWS STORY: Survey Finds SRI Fund Managers See Bright Future in Europe A recent survey of fund managers conducted by UK Social Investment Forum and Thomson Extel reveals high expectations for significant SRI growth in Europe. Those surveyed also ranked top SRI firms and analysts. NEWS STORY: SEC Report on Shareowner Nomination of Directors Opens Some Doors, But May Close Others A recent SEC report recommends several solutions for allowing shareowners access to director nominations, but social investors worry it may not solve some problems. NEWS STORY: Eurosif Releases Transparency Guidelines for European SRI Funds Eurosif asks socially responsible investment firms to disclose their policies and procedures around SRI issues. NEWS STORY: Pension Funds and Mutual Funds Influence Their Holdings Differently Academic studies discern between how pension funds and mutual funds wield influence as institutional shareowners, but the studies lack methods sophisticated enough to evaluate the effects of SRI. NEWS STORY: McDonald's Phases Out Animal Growth Promotion Antibiotics from Global Supply Chain McDonald's, which is often the first in its sector to introduce sustainable practices, will end use of animal growth promotion antibiotics, but does this make the company socially responsible? NEWS STORY: The Sun is Rising on SRI in Japan A major Tokyo public pension fund commits to socially responsible investing, an indication of Japan's growing interest in SRI (part one of a two-part article.) 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. NEWS STORY: Catholic Institutional Investors Launch an SRI Fund of Funds Hedge Fund In order to fill a market niche, five Catholic healthcare organizations joined forces to launch an SRI fund of funds hedge fund that is available to other institutional investors. NEWS STORY: Blacklisting, Voicetracking, and Payola: Clear Channel and the Effects of Media Consolidation Shareowner activists ask Clear Channel to ban blacklisting, while musicians and other activists oppose FCC plans to deregulate media industries. NEWS STORY: TIAA-CREF Adds Positive Screens and Replicates Russell 3000 Performance TIAA-CREF constitutes its Social Choice Equity Fund based on the KLD Broad Market Social Index to track the returns of its new benchmark, the Russell 3000 Index. NEWS STORY: Shareowners Press Avon to Walk the Walk Shareowners vote overwhelmingly for board independence at Avon while questions about potential carcinogens in its products linger. NEWS STORY: Canadian Greenhouse Gas and Toxic Emissions Resolution Garners Near Record Support A near majority of IPSCO shareowners voted in favor of a resolution asking the company to report on its greenhouse gas and toxic emissions. NEWS STORY: The Switch to Socially Responsible Investing Affords Choice and Confers Power The continuation of one investor's story of how he chose SRI mutual funds, and his reflections on the power of socially responsible investing (part two of a two-part article). NEWS STORY: The Benefits and Obstacles of Switching to Socially Responsible Investing One investor's story of the process of shifting mainstream investments into socially responsible investment mutual funds (part one of a two-part article). NEWS STORY: Simulated Institutional SRI Portfolios Continue to Outperform Benchmarks Institutional investors take note: four out of five mock portfolios in the Triple Bottom Line Simulation performed better than their benchmarks over the last three quarters NEWS STORY: Will Dover Heed Shareowners' Loud Call for Sexual Orientation Nondiscrimination? Almost half of Dover shareowners want the company to explicitly add sexual orientation to its nondiscrimination policy, but the company has yet to commit to such a decision. NEWS STORY: The Answer to the Coffee Crisis? Farmers Want Fair Price, Kraft Says Increase Demand Calls for fair prices and Fair Trade Certified coffee by social investors, coffee farmers, and Oxfam go unheeded by Kraft. NEWS STORY: The Effects of 9/11 and the Iraq War on Islamic SRI Funds Socially responsible investment funds that reflect Islamic values shed light on the issue of anti-Islam sentiment, which has run rampant after 9/11 and through the Iraq War. NEWS STORY: Healthy Living Sector Produces Healthy Returns Two SRI funds find common ground in their success from investing in the healthy living sector. 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: Mutual Fund Industry Takes Last Stab at Blocking Proxy Voting Disclosure The Investment Company Institute, the mutual fund industry trade group, continues to lobby against new SEC rules that require disclosure of proxy voting policies and records. NEWS STORY: The Black and White and Gray Areas of Military and Weapons Screening Most social investors screen out companies that derive revenue from military-related products and services or weapons manufacturing. However, a zero tolerance screen is unusual. 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: Meritas Launches Four New SRI Funds for Canadian Group Pension Plans A mainstream group pension plan provider in Canada contracted Meritas Financial to create and manage four new SRI mutual funds for retirement plan investors. NEWS STORY: Three-Year Mutual Fund Performance Bodes Well for SRI Mutual Fund Firms Huge net inflows at several SRI mutual fund firms result in overall net inflow for all SRI mutual funds. NEWS STORY: SRI Investors Find Managers Funds Meets Current Income Requirements The mortgage-backed securities in the Managers Funds Short Duration Government Fund help it achieve solid financial performance. NEWS STORY: SEC Tells Mutual Funds To Disclose Their Proxy Votes The Securities and Exchange Commission voted in favor of rule changes that require mutual fund companies to disclose their proxy voting policies and their actual proxy votes. 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: 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: Top Five Social Investing News Stories of 2002 The major social investing news stories of the year include significant corporate governance reforms and the success of community investment. NEWS STORY: Presbyterian Funds Honor Their History in SRI by Performing Well in the Present New Covenant Funds, which trace its SRI roots back well beyond its 1999 inception date, offers several mutual funds that have been performing better than their peers. NEWS STORY: Record Shareowner Vote Prompts Cracker Barrel to Bar Sexual Orientation Discrimination Reversing more than a decade of opposition, Cracker Barrel's parent company bars sexual orientation discrimination in it Equal Employment Opportunity policy. NEWS STORY: Citizens Funds Launches Two New SRI Mutual Funds Major SRI mutual fund firm marks 20 years in the business by adding two new SRI funds to its family. 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: SRI Mutual Funds Go Low-Tech SRI mutual funds that invest in large-capitalization companies weather the bear market by avoiding sagging technology holdings. NEWS STORY: SRI Index Fund Uses Overweighting and Underweighting to Fully Replicate S&P 500 Instead of screening companies in or out of the Total Social Impact Fund, this enhanced index fund concentrates its holdings in positive social and environmental performers. NEWS STORY: Seven New SRI Mutual Funds Launched by Seminal Canadian Investment Firm Ethical Funds recently introduced seven new SRI mutual funds in response to investor requests and a poll that shows overwhelming support for shareowner action in Canada. NEWS STORY: Screening the Gambling Sector from High Yield Investments Can Be Tricky Screening out gaming sector investments from high yield portfolios presents challenges, including identifying private gaming companies and controlling tracking errors. NEWS STORY: Hong Kong Investment Firm Launches New Asian SRI Fund The Kingsway SRI Asia Fund will apply both negative and positive screens to investments throughout the non-Japanese Asian markets. NEWS STORY: Utilities: They're Not Just for Widows and Orphans Anymore Utilities may represent a wise investment in this bear market, especially for socially responsible investors seeking to capitalize on companies that have the best environmental records. NEWS STORY: Innovative Community Investment Fund Attracts Institutional Investors The CRA Qualified Investment Fund, originally established to help banks fulfill a federal mandate for community investment, now appeals to a broader range of institutional investors. NEWS STORY: Oxfam Launches Coffee Rescue Plan Oxfam International's new effort to promote the fair trade of coffee garners immediate support from Domini Social Investments. NEWS STORY: Large Canadian Firm Launches Four SRI Mutual Funds Phillips, Hager and North will unveil four Community Values Funds, which apply socially responsible investment strategies. NEWS STORY: SEC Proposal Would Require Mutual Fund Companies to Disclose Proxy Voting The Securities and Exchange Commission proposed rules requiring all mutual fund companies and investment advisers to disclose proxy voting guidelines and votes. NEWS STORY: Institutional Investors Are Slow to Apply SRI to Fixed Income While many institutional investors apply SRI strategies to the equity portion of their portfolios, they are leaving their income investments relatively untouched. NEWS STORY: SRI Mutual Funds Continue and Enhance Corporate Governance Screening While the SRI industry has long screened for corporate governance criteria, the recent accounting scandals have prompted the development of more comprehensive corporate governance screens. NEWS STORY: SRI Income Funds Yield Competitive Dividends Often overlooked, SRI income funds allow social investors to diversify their portfolios. NEWS STORY: Investors Continue to Put Money into SRI Mutual Funds While U.S. diversified mutual funds are experiencing significant net outflows in response to the corporate scandals, SRI mutual funds are experiencing net inflows. NEWS STORY: Conference to Consider the Business Case for SRI Institutional investors will discuss SRI at the Green Mountain SRI Summit, to be held in Stowe, Vermont in September. NEWS STORY: SRI Mutual Funds Will Endure the Crisis in Confidence Socially responsible mutual funds are different from other mutual funds, and those differences help SRI mutual funds achieve competitive returns over the long term. NEWS STORY: South African Community Growth Fund Celebrates Tenth Anniversary The Community Growth Fund invests in South African companies committed to sustainable development and triple bottom line reporting. NEWS STORY: Shareowner Vote Keeps Pension Plan an Issue with AT&T A resolution calling for employee choice in selecting pension plans can be resubmitted next year, and a resolution seeking to strike sexual orientation from AT&T's nondiscrimination policy is soundly defeated. NEWS STORY: Shareowner Support for Resolutions Increases Significantly This Proxy Season Support for proposals concerning corporate governance as well as social and environmental issues in the 2002 proxy season is reaching record levels. NEWS STORY: SRI Simulations Beat Benchmarks The Triple Bottom Line Simulation demonstrates to institutional investors how socially responsible investing generates positive financial, social, and environmental returns. NEWS STORY: Two Large-Cap Funds Outperform the S&P 500 The Calvert Social Equity Fund and the Neuberger Berman Socially Responsive Fund are outperforming their benchmark over the short and mid term. NEWS STORY: Two More Social Mutual Funds Top the Billion-Dollar Mark in Assets The Ariel Fund and the Ariel Appreciation Fund reap the rewards of consistent performance. NEWS STORY: EMC Shareowners Vote for a More Independent and Diverse Board At the recent EMC annual meeting, a board independence resolution received majority support, while a board diversity resolution easily surpassed the SEC threshold for resubmission. NEWS STORY: Fund Applies Socially Responsible Investing Principles to South African Markets Fraters Earth Equity Fund promotes positive corporate governance by engaging with the South African companies in which it invests. NEWS STORY: South African Fund Applies Socially Responsible Investing Principles Fraters Earth Equity Fund promotes positive corporate governance by engaging with the South African companies in which it invests. NEWS STORY: Debate Continues Over Effects of CalPERS' Divestment from Emerging Market Countries Although CalPERS may reverse its decision to divest from the Philippines, the question of how other emerging markets will be affected by divestment remains unanswered. NEWS STORY: Mutual Fund Reports on Environmental and Social Returns Norway-based Storebrand reports on the environmental and social performance of companies in its international mutual fund. NEWS STORY: Two Balanced Social Funds Outperform Over the Longer Term The Pax World Balanced Fund and The Green Century Balanced Fund beat over 90 percent of their peers over a five-year period. NEWS STORY: SEC Chair Calls Proxy Voting a Fiduciary Duty In a February letter, the SEC Chair acknowledged that proxy voting is a fiduciary responsibility for all fund managers NEWS STORY: Social Index Funds Mirror Their Benchmarks Social index funds had a difficult year as benchmarks fell. NEWS STORY: Second State Offers Socially Responsible College Savings Plan Funds Pennsylvania offers socially responsible options for its 529 College Savings Plan. NEWS STORY: Institutional Investors Try Their Hand at Socially Responsible Investing The Triple Bottom Line Simulation tracks hypothetical investments to demonstrate socially responsible investment performance. NEWS STORY: New Canadian Social Fund Focuses on Positive Screening A Vancouver investment firm recently introduced a social fund that exclusively employs positive screening. NEWS STORY: Two Equity Funds Illustrate Diverse Definitions of Success in This Unstable Market The Women's Equity Mutual Fund and the Parnassus Equity Income Fund both performed well over the past year, though each attributes success to different factors. NEWS STORY: Two International Social Funds Weather Turbulent 2001 International mutual funds lost money last year, but two socially responsible international funds held their ground within the broader world equity fund market. NEWS STORY: EMC Maintains Firewall on Its Board Diversity Efforts The computer hard drive giant continues to resist sharing its board diversity initiatives with investors, and now is petitioning the SEC to omit socially responsible shareowner resolutions from its proxy. NEWS STORY: Top Five Social Investing News Stories of 2001 Among the major social investing news stories of the year, social mutual funds continued to bust poor performance myths, and governments and shareowners pushed companies on sustainability and corporate social responsibility issues. NEWS STORY: Value Funds Enhance Their Value Valuation-oriented social funds perform well amidst mixed financial markets after the exuberance of the last two years. NEWS STORY: Domini Urges SEC to Require Proxy Voting Disclosure In a letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, Domini Social Investments outlines the benefits of mutual fund managers disclosing their proxy voting practices to their investors. NEWS STORY: Tomato Pickers Boycott Taco Bell for Higher Wages Borrowing a tactic from anti-sweatshop campaigns, tomato pickers seek a sustainable living wage by appealing to Taco Bell, the primary purchaser of the tomatoes they pick. NEWS STORY: SIF Reports on Socially Responsible Investment Growth in the U.S. In its biennial report, the Social Investment Forum documents modest gains in socially responsible investments. NEWS STORY: Bond Funds Thrive in the Bear Market The Calvert Social Bond fund and the Aquinas Fixed Income fund perform well both in the short and long term, stabilizing portfolios in this unstable market. NEWS STORY: Socially Responsive Fund Looks Worldwide for Corporate Responsibility Enterprise Global Socially Responsive Fund uses both positive and negative screening in targeting companies both inside and outside the U.S. NEWS STORY: Calvert Foundation Launches Donor Advised Fund With a $5,000 minimum, the Calvert Giving Fund enables many investors to reap the multiple benefits of having a donor advised fund. NEWS STORY: New Survey Indicates Potential Growth for Faith-based Investing The survey, sponsored by MMA Praxis, found that over half of U.S. investors would be inclined to consider religious or other values in making investment decisions. NEWS STORY: Seasoned Fund Stays Innovative The Dreyfus Premier Third Century Fund uses best-of-class screening to assess the environmental performance of companies in certain industrial sectors. NEWS STORY: Some Funds Take More of the Rise Than the Fall Three socially responsible equity funds deliver peer-beating performance over a three-year period. NEWS STORY: Social Fund Assets in the U.S. May Top a Quarter of a Trillion Dollars in Ten Years Study marking Pax World Funds' 30th anniversary also pegs current assets of U.S. socially responsible mutual funds at $103 billion. NEWS STORY: All-SRI 401(k) Plan Debuts Seventeen social mutual funds compose a new, diversified plan that can also be customized to client needs. NEWS STORY: Innovest Stretches Across the Atlantic and Pacific Social investment research firm tapped to provide services for a Dutch public pension fund and a T. Rowe Price mutual fund targeted at the Japanese market. NEWS STORY: Large- and Medium-cap Social Mutual Funds Are Beating Their Peers One large-cap and two medium-cap socially responsible funds are near the head of the pack when compared to similar funds for one-year performance. NEWS STORY: Morgan Stanley Dips Toe into Social Investing Morgan Stanley introduces the Morgan Stanley KLD Social Index Fund, which will track KLD's Large Cap Social Index. NEWS STORY: Citizens Acquires Meyers Pride Value Fund Meyers Pride assets to become part of the new Citizens Value Fund. NEWS STORY: Domini Social Equity Fund Turns Ten Nation's first screened index fund now can boast a decade of making a difference and making money. NEWS STORY: Top Tenners - Social Mutual Funds that Sing Four social mutual funds are in the top ten percent for financial performance for a one-year period when compared to similar funds. NEWS STORY: Catholic Values-based Investment Products Rise in Number Introduction of faith-based screened indexes highlights recent growth in Catholic values-based investing. 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: Citigroup Shareowner Resolutions Yield Mixed Results Three of five resolutions achieve thresholds for resubmission next year. NEWS STORY: Four New Funds Floated The ARK Funds offers four new funds that will have exclusionary screens aimed at religious institutional investors. NEWS STORY: Socially Responsive Fund Beats its Peers in First Quarter Neuberger Berman's sole social offering does better than most in a down market. NEWS STORY: MMA Praxis to Offer New Social Index Fund First socially responsible value index fund will expand MMA Praxis’ fund family to four. NEWS STORY: Looking at the Longer Term in a Volatile Market Three social funds shine in their performance over the last three and five years. NEWS STORY: New Family of Social Funds Launched in Canada Number of socially responsible investment options expands by five. NEWS STORY: Two Africa-focused Funds Merge Calvert's New Africa Fund and The RISA Fund are merged to create the Calvert South Africa Fund. NEWS STORY: The Ariel Fund Finds Value in a Down Market Success of small- and mid-cap fund comes from identifying high-quality, undervalued companies. NEWS STORY: Mutual Fund Breaks New Ground in Community Investment The CRA Qualified Investment Mutual Fund now allows investors to direct their money to specific communities. NEWS STORY: Profile: Smith Barney Asset Management's Private Portfolio Group The investment strategy of their Social Awareness Investment arm integrates fundamental financial assessment with research on socio-cultural trends and issues. NEWS STORY: Major Canadian Retailers Receive Resolutions on Sweatshops Shareholders ask for verifiable commitment to better working conditions for supplier and subcontractor employees. NEWS STORY: Calvert Family Grows By Two The nation's largest family of social funds adds a technology fund and a large-cap growth fund. NEWS STORY: Calvert Group Gains Bridgeway Fund Two firms announce plans to merge Bridgeway Social Responsibility Portfolio into new Calvert product. NEWS STORY: Calvert Group Focuses on Technology A leading provider of socially screened mutual funds plans to launch the first technology sector fund in the industry. NEWS STORY: Citizens Funds Makes Gains on Board Diversity Three shareholder resolutions meet with success, highlighting Citizens efforts to create fairer representation in corporate boardrooms. NEWS STORY: Pax Goes Public with Proxy Voting Results The first socially responsible fund becomes the second to publicize the results of their proxy voting activities. NEWS STORY: Aquinas Funds Makes Social Investing a Matter of Faith The leading Catholic family of mutual funds finds common ground with socially responsible investors, and leads the way in shareholder dialogue. NEWS STORY: Vanguard Introduces Social Index Fund In a giant stride into the mainstream, a socially screened mutual fund is offered by one of the largest fund families in the U.S. NEWS STORY: Calvert Launches New Social Index The Calvert Social Index provides a valuable benchmark for social investors using the broad-based screens of a veteran fund family. NEWS STORY: Ohio Fund Finds Room for Children to Grow Ohio Community Development Finance Fund promotes the social benefits of adequate childcare facilities across the state. NEWS STORY: Pax World Funds Brings Computer Trash Out of the Closet A leading socially responsible fund family makes computer recycling a high-profile issue for social investors. 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: Religious Investors Find New Frontiers at MMA Praxis The Mennonite mutual fund family leads the way to more complete program of socially responsible investing. NEWS STORY: Winslow Management Has a Green Thumb for Investments An interview with Winslow president Jack Robinson reveals how his unique blend of financial and gardening background has resulted in a successful investment style. NEWS STORY: Friends Ivory & Sime Spans the Atlantic with Two New Funds The London-based firm announces a fund invested in the U.S. and one in Europe, both for the U.S. market. NEWS STORY: Social Index Funds Show the Way Almost nine years from its launch, Domini Social Equity Fund still leads the pack in terms of performance and raising investor awareness. NEWS STORY: Business Ethics Announces Six Social Investment Award Winners Mutual funds and community investment firms gain high honors for both performance and social activism. NEWS STORY: Friends of the Earth Launches On-line Guide to Shareholder Activism A web-based handbook from the national environmental group provides strategy and resources for shareholder activists. NEWS STORY: SIF Reports on Mutual Fund Performance in 1999 The Social Investment Forum finds strong performance among social investment funds last year, adding credibility to the notion that you can do well while doing good. NEWS STORY: SEC Commissioner Speaks Out on Mutual Fund Proxy Voting Commissioner Paul Carey brings the shareholder voting priorities of mutual fund investment advisers to light. NEWS STORY: New Alternatives Fund Invests in a Greener Future The first environmental mutual fund remains optimistic about the future economic opportunities of alternative energy. NEWS STORY: New Fund Smoothes the Fur of Animal Lovers Salomon Brothers collaborates with the Humane Society to launch a mutual fund with an animal-friendly bent. NEWS STORY: Meyers Pride Value Fund Is Bullish on Open Workplaces Fund managers assert that companies with progressive policies toward gays and lesbians will be leaders in the 21st century. NEWS STORY: New Mutual Fund Finds Promise in South Africa Reinvest In South Africa brings social investing back to its roots in the aftermath of Apartheid. NEWS STORY: New Citizens Fund Says Small Is Beautiful One of the premier socially responsible mutual fund families welcomes a new Small Cap Index Fund into the world. NEWS STORY: Green Century Co-sponsors Resolution Against ARCO Environmental advocates re-file shareholder resolution calling on oil giant to cancel drilling plans in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. NEWS STORY: The Five Biggest Social Investing Stories of 1999 In the growing field of socially responsible investing, here's five news items that topped the charts and made 1999 a year to remember. NEWS STORY: IPS Millennium Fund Looks Toward the High Technology Future An interview with Portfolio Manager Robert Loest reveals a mutual fund with personality and futuristic market savvy. NEWS STORY: Calvert Brings Vanguard into Socially Responsible Arena A new socially screened index will be the benchmark for the Vanguard Calvert Social Index Fund, not to mention 14 million potential new clients. NEWS STORY: Labrador Mutual Fund Bounds Into Second Year Which socially responsible growth and income mutual fund has big brown eyes and fetches high returns? NEWS STORY: TIAA-CREF Stands Firmly Against Positive Screening Despite a three-year campaign by the same participants that brought about the Social Choice Account, TIAA-CREF asserts, "it ain't broken, so why fix it." :

Mutual Funds | Community Investing | News | Sustainability Reports | Corporate Research | Shareowner Actions | Financial Services | Conferences Home | Login | Contact | Support This Site | Terms of Use | Privacy Statement | Reprints © 1998-2009 SRI World Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Created and maintained by