It Seems to Me: How Far We Have Come, How Far We Have To Go
Milton Moskowitz Investing For a Better World: Spring 2013 I feel a little bit like Philip Roth who announced this year, at age 80, that he had written his last novel. Roth was immediately feted by his hometown, Newark, New Jersey, where many of his 27 novels are set. I find myself at 85 wondering whether it’s time for me to curb the avalanche of words, many of them set in the context of corporate social responsibility. My column has appeared in these pages for 30 years. Beyond that, I wrote a three-times-a-week column that ran for 18 years in …
Spotlight on Small/Mid Cap Stocks
Investing For a Better World: Spring 2013 Big companies tend to grab most of the business headlines, but smaller, more obscure firms often provide attractive investment opportunities while being the most innovative agents of social change. Trillium’s Small/Mid Cap Core Composite was created on January 1, 2007. As of March 31, 2013, the portfolio contained 68 stocks and had produced annualized gross returns that are 81 basis point greater than the S&P 1000 returns since the inception of the composite [1]. We asked Trillium’s analyst team to name their favorite small companies (defined here as companies with a market capitalization …
The Hidden Climate Impact of Natural Gas
Investing For a Better World – Spring 2013 Energy is big business in the U.S. and is also—by far—the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. In the hunt for lower-carbon energy investments, investors have flocked to natural gas. And why not? It’s half as carbon intensive as coal, which has traditionally been the fuel of choice in the electric power sector. But a closer look at natural gas reveals a hidden and heavy carbon footprint from “fugitive” emissions. The primary component of natural gas is methane, the simple hydrocarbon compound you learned about in chemistry class. What you may not …
Sierra Club Foundation: Why We Choose SRI
Ginny Quick, Chief Financial Officer The Sierra Club Foundation Investing For a Better World: Spring 2013 The Sierra Club Foundation is a public 501(c)(3) charity whose mission is to help educate, inspire, and empower humanity to preserve the natural and human environment. We achieve this mission by raising funds for tax-exempt charitable purposes and by managing these funds so that future generations will inherit a healthy planet with wild places left to explore. The Sierra Club Foundation does not manage its own programs, but rather provides financial support for programs that protect and restore the environment, primarily by serving as …
Led by CalSTRS and Oregon Treasurer, 22 U.S. Investors Sign Climate Declaration, Joining Call to Action on Climate Policy
BOSTON, MA / / June 11, 2013: On the eve of the inaugural Global Investor Forum on Climate Change on June 13-14 in Hong Kong, a total of 22 American investment firms with approximately $240 billion in assets under management, led by the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) and the Oregon State Treasurer’s office, have signed the Climate Declaration, calling on U.S. policymakers to seize the American economic opportunity of addressing climate change. These financial leaders join more than 150 other American businesses, including industry icons General Motors Co., Intel and Nike and more than 100 ski areas, in …
Investors Urge North American Companies to Adopt Bangladesh Accord; A Common Framework for Industry
New York, Thursday, June 6, 2013: A global coalition of over 200 institutional investors representing $2 trillion has issued a public call for apparel brands and retailers to endorse the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. Separately, investors sent a letter to five North American apparel trade associations urging them to support this critical initiative. The Accord represents a multi-stakeholder approach to resolving worker safety issues and includes the participation of both unions and civil society organizations advocating on behalf of workers. Over 40 global brands and retailers have already adopted and begun work on the Accord. Acknowledging …
On-Demand Webinar: Is It Really Possible to Have a Fossil Fuel Free Investment Portfolio?
On June 4, 2013, Trillium Asset Management (Trillium), along with 350.org and Green Century Capital Management, hosted a webinar: Is It Really Possible to Have a Fossil Fuel Free Investment Portfolio? While traditional investment firms are just now grappling with the concept of Fossil Fuel Free investment, Sustainable and Responsible Investing (SRI) pioneers like Trillium and Green Century have been on the forefront of clean energy and environmental investing for decades.Trillium is the sub-advisor for Green Century Balanced Fund (Ticker: GCBLX). 350.org is an international campaign dedicated to the climate solutions that science and justice demand. 350 is named after …
New Report Outlines Institutional Pathways to Fossil Fuel Divestment
Report shows divestment can lead to higher and less-risky financial returns TELLUS INSTITUTE – BOSTON, MA: — Colleges and universities, philanthropic foundations, and other endowed institutional investors could see better financial returns and lower their portfolio risk by divesting from fossil fuels, according to a new report released this morning by the Tellus Institute, the Responsible Endowments Coalition, Sustainable Endowments Institute, and 350.org. A copy of the report can be found here: http://gofossilfree.org/files/2013/05/Institutional-Pathways-to-Fossil-Free-Investing.pdf “Based on the real-world experiences of numerous endowments and institutional asset managers running fossil-free portfolios, we have identified multiple pathways to divesting from fossil fuel companies,” said …
Daily Gazette: Groups Push for More Female Board Members
The Daily Gazette, which is based in Schenectady, NY, recently published an article about Trillium’s corporate engagement with Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW) around the issue of board diversity. Marlene Kennedy writes: “[Trillium’s] resolution asked Lowe’s to publicly commit to seeking out female candidates for ‘every board search’ and to publish a report card on its efforts by November. Last month, though, Trillium withdrew the resolution, citing ‘successful engagement’ with the company. Susan Baker, Trillium’s vice president for shareholder advocacy, said that in exchange for the withdrawal, Lowe’s agreed to revise corporate governance documents to make gender and race part of its …
350.org, Green Century & Trillium to Host Webinar on Fossil Fuel Free Investing
Is It Really Possible to Have a Fossil Fuel Free Investment Portfolio? Boston, MA // May 30, 2013: On June 4, 2013, 350.org, Green Century Capital Management & Trillium Asset Management will host a webinar: Is It Really Possible to Have a Fossil Fuel Free Investment Portfolio? While traditional investment firms are just now grappling with the concept of Fossil Fuel Free investment, Sustainable and Responsible Investing (SRI) pioneers like Trillium and Green Century have been on the forefront of clean energy and environmental investing for decades. 350.org is an international campaign dedicated to the climate solutions that science and …
Recent Comments