Stephanie Leighton Testifies at MA State House in Favor of Environmental Infrastructure Bonds
On September 18, 2013, Stephanie Leighton, CFA testified at the Massachusetts State House in favor of House Bill 3332: “An Act Providing for the Preservation and Improvement of Land, Parks and Clean Energy in the Commonwealth”. Stephanie’s testimony is below: “Representative Gobi, Senator Pacheco and members of the committee: Good afternoon and thank you for giving me the opportunity to address the Committee today. My name is Stephanie Leighton. I am a Senior Vice President and portfolio manager at Trillium Asset Management, the oldest investment advisor devoted exclusively to sustainable and responsible investing. Trillium is based here in Boston and …
Trillium / Calvert Statement on Anglo American's Withdrawal from Pebble Mine Project
September 18, 2013 // BOSTON, MA: Anglo American plc (LON: AAL) has announced that it is withdrawing from the proposed Pebble Mine Project in Bristol Bay, Alaska. This action, which casts a cloud of deep uncertainty over the project’s future, follows years of widespread opposition to the proposed open pit mine from Native Alaskans, sport and commercial fishing groups, environmental organizations, and retail grocers, along with other businesses and investors. Anglo American’s withdrawal is a defining moment in this long running controversy which highlights the unique natural resource that is Bristol Bay. It is the home of the largest wild …
CNBC: How to extract fossil fuels from your investment portfolio
CNBC recently published a story about the growing movement toward fossil fuel free investing. Kelly Holland writes: “…Such an investment shift is feasible for a major institution or municipality with sophisticated, professional money managers, but what about for the rest of us? If you are not part of the wealth-management class and are interested in keeping your investments fossil fuel-free, your options are somewhat more limited. You have choices, however, from financial planners expert in socially responsible investing to mutual funds. And you don’t have to sacrifice performance. ‘There are no guarantees on anything, but there is evidence that you …
Stephanie Leighton Testifies in Support of Fossil Fuel Divestment in Massachusetts Public Pension Funds
On September 10, 2013, Stephanie Leighton, CFA testified before the Massachusetts Public Service Committee in support of a bill to begin the process of divestment from oil, coal and other fossil fuels in state public pension funds. Stephanie’s testimony is below: “Senator Brownsberger, Representative Michlewitz and members of the committee: Good afternoon and thank you for giving me the opportunity to address the Committee today. My name is Stephanie Leighton. I am a Senior Vice President and portfolio manager at Trillium Asset Management, the oldest independent investment advisor devoted exclusively to sustainable and responsible investing. Trillium is based in here …
'B Corp' Names Trillium as one of "Best for Workers" in the 'Small Companies' Category
Today, 79 companies across 39 industries and 6 countries were recognized for creating the most positive impact for their workers by the nonprofit B Lab, with the release of the ‘B Corp Best for the Workers List’, the third installment in its 2013 ‘B Corp Best for the World’ series. The ‘B Corp Best for Workers List’ honors businesses that earned an overall score in the top 10% of all Certified B Corporations for their positive impact on their workforce, as measured by the B Impact Assessment, a comprehensive assessment used by more than 10,000 businesses to measure their impact …
Compliance Week: Groups Keep Fighting Over Conflict Minerals and Mining Disclosure Rules
Joe Mont, a reporter for Compliance Week, writes: “Business groups and activists are not giving up on their fights over two controversial requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act. One of those demands, requiring the disclosure of “conflict minerals” from the Congo, has already been met with rulemaking finalized by the Securities and Exchange Commission and upheld in court, despite a legal challenge. The Commission, however, was not able to spare a separate rule, requiring the reporting of payments made to governments for mineral extraction rights, from being vacated by a District Court judge.” You can read the entire article here. …
US SIF Publishes New Report: The Impact of Sustainable and Responsible Investment
US SIF, The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment, has just published a new report: The Impact of Sustainable and Responsible Investment. The report gives detail to the many kinds of impact the sustainable and responsible investment industry has had, including: Changing the Investment Industry and Adding Options for Investors; Improving Companies Through Active Ownership and Engagement; Helping Communities and Individual; and Influencing Public Policy and Developing Global Standard-Setting Organizations. You can download the paper here. …
GREEN CENTURY FUNDS: Green Bonds in a Changing Market
Green Century Funds, which manages the Trillium sub-advised Green Century Balanced Fund, recently published an article on their thoughts on today’s bond market and how their green-investing strategy uses environmentally focused green bonds to seek to reduce volatility. “…Historically, it has not been easy to find fixed income investments that support large-scale environmental initiatives and address climate change. That’s why we were pleased that the World Bank issued its Green Bonds in 2008. These bonds promote environmental sustainability through its international development efforts. Cheryl I. Smith, Ph.D., CFA, a managing partner of Trillium Asset Management and a portfolio manager of the Green …
FactSet Updates Non-discrimination Policy Following Trillium’s Shareholder Engagement
On Friday, August 2, 2013, following dialogue with Trillium Asset Management (Trillium), financial information provider FactSet (NYSE: FDS) updated its employment and non-discrimination policies to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression. Trillium believes that companies and workers benefit from consistent, corporate-wide efforts to prevent discrimination, ensuring a respectful and supportive atmosphere for all employees. “Despite being named a Fortune 100 “Best Company to Work For” in 2013, FactSet had lagged its sector peers including Thomson Reuters and MSCI Inc. in providing protections for gender identity and expression in its non-discrimination policy,” said Susan Baker of …
DC District Court Upholds “Conflict Minerals Disclosure” Section of the Dodd Frank Act
Susan Baker, Vice President, Shareholder Advocacy and Corporate Engagement: July 2013 On July 23rd, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled to uphold the implementing rules for Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act, which relates to Conflict Minerals Disclosure. The Court also dismissed a lawsuit filed against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Business Roundtable; “[f]inding no problems with the SEC’s rulemaking and disagreeing that the ‘conflict minerals’ disclosure scheme transgresses the First Amendment, the Court concludes that Plaintiffs’ claims lack merit.” Section …
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