An Investor's Note on Hope

Like so many other Americans, we at Trillium are excited and inspired by the possibilities for change brought by President-elect Obama and the new Congress. 
 
As social investors, we are particularly motivated by the possibility of new opportunities to invest in advancing social justice, protecting the environment, and building sustainable commerce.  There are clear opportunities to harness in President-elect Obama’s agenda: investments in clean tech and renewable energy; in companies that support infrastructure, provide affordable healthcare, or expand access to education; and in companies that have prepared for a carbon-constrained economy better than others. 
 
Moreover, we are excited about new opportunities for change-making advocacy work. In recent years, our ability to influence public policy has been limited, and so we’ve focused our energy on advocacy at the company engagement level, with good success. We’ve forged strong agreements with corporations on issues ranging from climate change, water scarcity and bank lending practices, to workplace equality and human rights in developing economies.  Our solutions-oriented approach has demonstrated our foresight and earned us legitimacy that we hope to leverage into a leadership role in setting policy on the national level.  We see great possibilities for social investors to collaborate with the new administration and Congress to address issues like regulatory and infrastructure reform in the capital markets, requiring increased transparency in financial reporting, and in setting legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
 
For nearly 30 years, and in some challenging conditions, we’ve remained true to our mission and vision of investing for a better world. Looking forward, we’re inspired by the hope of a new transformational era, and by the words of President-elect Obama: “Now is our time.”