Sea change SRI now beginning to drive corporate change!

A recent article stated: "Investors today have now become as concerned about corporate ethics as they are with how profits have been earned. Following this trend, industry surveys by organisations such as KPMG and Business in the Community (BITC) confirm that more than half of the world's 250 largest companies now issue separate Corporate Social Responsibility reports as standard."

This is consistent with my experience - last year at the SRI in the Rockie's conference a friend who runs Progressive Investment Management. He shared with me that he is getting calls from corporations who want to know the changes that are needed to be made in order for my friend's company to include them in his Portfolio 21 mutual fund.

This represents a sea change - that investment managers' concerns are driving corporations to make changes in the way that they behave.

LOHAS Conference, good news about Bees, and questions on the media.

I attended my fourth LOHAS Conference this week, and kudos to the organizers for improving the event over last year! Although the conference was full of all the "late and great" thinking in the sustainability space, it still didn't feel that it was the "latest and greatest" - like other conferences I have attended like Bioneers, and Green Business Conference.

Even so, it is people and ideas that inspire me to attend as many such conferences as I can. As I was quaffing some an Acai Martini I mentioned what has been known in green circles as "the bee situation" with a fellow green business enthusiast.

We were discussing the recent reports in the media that beekeepers in 24 states are experiencing record losses of honeybees. Some states have reported up to 70% disappearances of commercial bee populations. Researchers are struggling to find the causes of this mysterious collapse.

My fellow organic quaffer shared with me a story he heard citing good news - the catastrophic bee colony collapse is not affecting organic hives.

I read this same account morning on an email from the organic consumer association that a blog on Guerilla News Network revealed a crucial element of this story, missing from reports in the mainstream media. They found that organic beekeepers across North America are not experiencing colony collapses.

OCA writes: "The millions of dying bees are hyper-bred varieties whose hives are regularly fumigated with toxic pesticides by conventional beekeepers attempting to ward off mites. In contrast, organic beekeepers avoid pesticides and toxic chemicals and strive to use techniques that closely emulate the ecology of bees in the wild. Researchers are beginning to link the mass deaths of non-organic bees to pesticide exposure, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and the common practice of moving conventional bee hives over long distances."
Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/bees.cfm

On a separate, yet related note - why is this news about organic bees not being reported in the mainstream media?

That is the question which comes to mind for me!

We are best served not only by seeking the correct answers, but to ensure that we ask the correct questions. Anais Nin's comment "We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are."

Meanwhile, as we collective cogitate on all things bees, I am heartened that Nature has revealed a pathway for us to continue feeding ourselves - with a strong message: "GO ORGANIC!"

For further reading on media, I recommend Thomas de Zengotita' book "Mediated" .

GOOD NEWS: 120 countries agree on Climate Action. Why does the US still sound ridiculous?

Today, I read in the International Herald Tribune that delegates from 120 countries came together.

Here's the first paragraph:
"BANGKOK, Thailand: Delegates from 120 countries endorsed a report outlining urgent steps needed to avert some of the most catastrophic results of climate change, but the United States warned that strict emission caps could cause a global recession."
read on here

Now, this is really good news! The absolute insanity that I hear, however is the last line: "the US warned that strict emmission caps could cause a global recession."

Please let me translate the entire paragraph:

"Delegates representing the leadership of the entire planet agreed that we need to take significant, life changing action now to stop climate change before we lose civilization as we know it, but the United States whined that they would not make as much money if we started doing something right away."

Hmmm... does this sound ridiculous to you too?

Also, I read in Forbes the following paragraph on the matter:

"But US officials defended nuclear energy as an important option for reducing dependence on fossil fuels that produce greenhouse gases, saying scientists would develop technology to deal safely with radioactive waste." More here.

Yes, nuclear power has no emmissions... Yet Helen Caldicott just wrote her latest book "Nuclear Power is Not the Answer."

She just stated in a recent interview on Democracy Now:

"DR. HELEN CALDICOTT: Well, I have just discovered from the Department of Energy's data, that the enrichment of uranium produces 93% per year of the C.F.C. gas in this country, which is currently banned under the Montreal Protocol because it produces destruction of the ozone layer. In Australia, we've got an epidemic of skin cancer because the ozone is so thin. C.F.C. gas, which is the refrigerant gas banned, is up to 20 times more potent global warmer than carbon dioxide, which accounts for 15% of global warming. But also, to enrich uranium, they use 2 two 1,000 megawatt coal power plants to enrich the uranium itself for nuclear power. Massive quantities of carbon dioxide are produced in that very process but also in building the reactors, storing the radioactive waste for hundreds of thousands of years. The other thing is that nuclear power releases millions of Curies of unregulated radiation into the air every year of noble gases and of Tritium, which is very biologically dangerous and very carcinogenic. And it also creates massive quantities of radioactive waste, which lasts for up to half a million years, which inevitably will leak into the Ecosphere, bioconcentrate in each step of the food chain--the algae, the crustaceans, the little fish, the big fish. We can't taste the radiation, we can't smell it, we can't see it. Cancer takes years to evolve. If I sneeze on you, you're sneezing in two days because the incubation time for a cold is two days. But for cancer, when you've been exposed to radiation, its anytime from 5 to 60 years. Cancer doesn't wear a little flag saying what it was caused by years ago. What is predicted medically because of the nuclear wastes from nuclear power is epidemics of particularly childhood cancer, because they're very sensitive to radiation, leukemia, and genetic disease for the rest of time. And we're not the only species that have genes and get cancer. All other species do as well. So, a nuclear power is extraordinarily biologically dangerous. It produces filthy air with radioactive isotopes, carbon dioxide, and C.F.C. gas. The nuclear industry has been lying in its advertisements, being put out consistently on N.P.R. and P.B.S. and the like. You mustn't lie when you're talking about medical and environmental conditions. That's scientifically inappropriate and unethical to lie.

JUAN GONZALEZ: Scott Peterson, your response and also, given the fact that in the United States there hasn't been a new nuclear plant started to be built in decades, why would you expect the American public to suddenly want to change their perspective on the dangers of nuclear power?

SCOTT PETERSON: The American public's perspective on nuclear energy has actually been supportive for many years now, because they recognize the benefits that they get from nuclear energy, and they also recognize the safety of our plants, particularly over the last decade. 64% of the U.S. Public believes that we should build more nuclear plants, and we are now setting the stage in this country, working both with industry and government to begin building advanced reactors that have even better safety features. They're going to be more cost effective to build so the consumer electricity rates are going to be lower. They're also going to be built in a manner they're takes advantage of existing nuclear power plants so we're building them at the same sites, and actually, using less land, and taking advantage of the land and the transmission systems that we already have. So, we're taking a number of steps to make sure that we can meet consumer electricity demands as they continue to rise in the future. But meet them in a way that also protects the environment, and recognizes that we need to make changes in how we look at our air quality and how we combine the imperatives of having electricity and also protecting our environment. If you took the nuclear plants that we have today out of the electricity-

JUAN GONZALEZ: But if I can interrupt you for one second. What about the other part of my question, which is your response to Helen Caldicott's claims of the actual polluting nature of nuclear plants?

SCOTT PETERSON: I wouldn't know where to begin with some of the claims, because a lot of them are just not factually correct.

DR. HELEN CALDICOTT: But they are you see, because I have the data from the Department of Energy--They're correct. "

More here.

So, how does nuclear power address global warming?

U.S. Department of State to Host 2008 Washington International Renewable Energy Conference

U.S. Department of State to Host 2008 Washington International Renewable Energy Conference

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced today that the State Department will host the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC 2008) March 2008.

WIREC 2008 is the third global ministerial level event on renewable energy. It will be an important opportunity for world ministers to show their commitment to renewable energy. The ministers will discuss how renewable energy advances our shared goals for climate, sustainable development and energy security. The Secretary noted that, "Diversifying our energy supplies is a key foreign policy objective of this Administration," and that, "Renewable energy sources can go a long way toward breaking the 'addiction to oil' that President Bush cited in his 2006 State of the Union Address."

WIREC 2008 goals include:

* - Advancing energy security, climate change, air quality, and sustainable development goals, including agriculture and rural development;

* - Demonstrating global leadership in renewable energy research, policy development, technology innovation, commercialization and deployment; and

* - Fostering industry and government collaboration to help solve global energy challenges.

The U.S. Department of State will host this event, assisted by other relevant Departments and agencies including; the: U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of Interior, and the U.S. Department of Commerce. The intergovernmental team welcomes the strong support of the American Council On Renewable Energy and looks forward to cooperating with REN-21 and other relevant stakeholders.

For more information about the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference 2008, please contact William Armbruster at (202) 647-1247.

2007/360
Released on May 1, 2007

Heart of the Rainforest Speaks at OXY Shareholder Meeting in Santa Monica

This Friday morning, at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, leaders of the deeply affected Achuar people will speak at the Occidental Petroleum shareholder meeting. They will be joined by activists in a press conference and rally to demand that LA Based OXY clean up their home, the Peruvian Amazon - "the Heart of the World" as described by Atossa Soltani, Executive Director of Amazon Watch.

Despite the corporation's announcement in December 2006 to pull out of the Amazon, a report released by Amazon Watch today reveals that for over 30 years OXY ignored industry standards and employed out-of-date practices for over 30 years. Briefly, they conducted drilling practices which are illegal here in the US - dumping over 850,000 barrels per day of toxic oil by products directly into rivers and streams resulting in severe cadmium and lead poisoning among the communities of the Amazon.

Andres Sandi Mucushua, President of the Federation of Native Communities of the Corrientes River said "We have seen our rivers, farms and animals sicken and we have become ill and died from the contanimation. We have opposed oil drilling in our territory. It is important that Oxy shareholders are told what Oxy has done and continues to do in the Peruvian Amazon."

Meanwhile, as they backpedal on their agreements with the forest, the Executives of the company, living in our LA neighborhoods, are making extraordinary amounts of money. The CEO made over $400 Million last year - at the very direct expense of the people, plants and animals in a forest critical in the life-support of every one of us on the planet.

This reminds me of the "non-locality" of every issue. As I get in my car and drove home from the event last night, I wondered how much of the gas in my car came from the Amazon, and the wood in my home, the food in my fridge, etc. etc.

We as shareholders, and purchasers of goods, play a direct role, and have a direct responsibility, since we are truly connected to everything that is going on on the planet.

So, I decided to head down to the corner of Wilshire and Ocean this Friday morning and speak with the Heart of the Earth at Oxy's Shareholder meeting. Maybe you'll join me?

$8 Trillion Dollars moving the right direction!

Globalpensions.com just reported that the United-Nations-Developed standard for investments called "Principals for Responsible Investing" have been adopted by investment groups worldwide representing over $8 Trillion dollars in capital.

The PRI was assembled by the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative and the UN Global Compact last year.

That's a very good start!

The article quotes an executive involved with the effort: “We believe the PRI has an extremely important role to play in encouraging major asset owners and mainstream asset managers to fully integrate ESG issues into their investments. We are proud to announce the publication of our first annual report on responsible investment.”

Last year when the intiative was brought about the UN Press release stated the following:

"In joining with institutional investors to develop the Principles, the United Nations collaborated with some of the world’s most influential institutions -– many of them public pension funds -– involved in investment activities worldwide. It is estimated that pension funds alone -– public and private –- account for up to 35 per cent of total global investment.

More than 20 pension funds, foundations and special government funds, backed by a group of 70 experts from around the world, held meetings in Paris, New York, Toronto, London, and Boston over an eight-month period to craft the Principles.

“We are proud to endorse the Principles, which recognize that social and environmental issues can be material to the financial outlook of a company and therefore to the value of our shares in that company”, said Denise Nappier, Treasurer of the State of Connecticut, who is the principal fiduciary of $23 billion in pension fund assets. “Financial markets tend to focus too heavily on short-term results at the expense of long-term and non-traditional financial fitness factors that could affect a company’s bottom line. For many institutional investors it is the long-term that matters and in this context environmental, social and governance issues take on new meaning.”

The six overarching Principles, which are voluntary, are underpinned by a set of 35 possible actions that institutional investors can take to integrate environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) considerations into their investment activities. These actions relate to a variety of issues, including investment decision-making, active ownership, transparency, collaboration and gaining wider support for these practices from the whole financial services industry.

“We manage assets for future generations and acknowledge the link between long-term return and the governance of companies, markets and economies”, said Knut N. Kjaer, Executive Director of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund, which holds assets of more than $250 billion. “We engaged in developing these Principles to help broaden the understanding of what drives long-term fund performance. Investors must collaborate to support well-regulated markets and sustainable development” Kjaer said."