The ACUPCC Summit, Risky Business & Higher Education Sust...
Last month Second Nature hosted the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) 2014 Climate Leadership Summit. More than 200 presidents, senior administrators, and sustainability champions from colleges and universities across the country attended. Among the highlights was a keynote address by Kate Gordon, Executive Director of the Risky Business project, which was spearheaded by Henry Paulson, Michael Bloomberg, and Tom Steyer. She clearly articulated what made this report unique and so important. First it was a bipartisan effort, that just focused on the facts in terms of what our best science is telling us we can expect in terms of climate impacts in various regions. To stay out of the political fray around climate change, they did not...
Fossil Fuels, Investments and the Public Good
Original posting by Terry Link on Possibilitator. Fossil Fuels, Investments and the Public Good | Possibilator by Terry Link, November 24, 2014
#GenerateChange for a Clean Energy Economy
The EPA Clean Power Plan proposes standards to cut carbon emissions from electric power plants - the single largest source of global warming pollution in the U.S. This plan is a crucial step toward a clean energy economy as it helps the nation become more efficient and gain international leverage while protecting the environment and health of its communities now and for future generations. Ceres is mobilizing hundreds businesses, investors, and individuals to support the rules before the end of the public comment period on December 1. Take action now! Sign the petition in support of the Clean Power Plan and join the #Generate Change campaign and help amplify the message that the Clean Power Plan will reduce carbon, create jobs and...
Passive Equity Strategies for the Low Carbon Investor Web...
The Investor Network on Climate Risk held the Passive Equity Strategies for the Low Carbon Investor Webinar on Thursday, November 13. This webinar featured Thomas Kuh, Executive Director for ESG Indices at MSCI Inc., Sarah Gillman, Chief Financial Officer at Natural Resources Defence Council, and Peter Solli, Parter at Aperio Group. These three panelists presented three different approaches to rules-based, index investing that are available to investors today. Click here for a recording of the webinar.
Boston Carbon Risk Forum a Big Success
The Boston Carbon Risk Forum at Harvard law School in Cambridge, MA on September 29, 2014 was an outstanding event attended by about 150 local and state government, senior academic, investment industry and NGO leaders. The presentations (available on the website) were among the most informative I have seen on several issues related to aligning endowment investments with creating a healthy, just and sustainable society. Bob Massie's keynote set the stage for a very engaging day by making the moral, political and financial case for the development of a new economy that is just and sustainable, the importance of government to take serious action climate disruption and how divestment of fossil fuels along with investing using ESG criteria is...
College & University Endowments and the Principles for Re...
We invite you to join an upcoming webinar to learn about the steps university endowments are taking to address sustainability issues in their investments, and how this fits with their roles as long-term investors. Signatories of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and other institutions with commitments to climate action and sustainability are increasingly confronting questions related to if and how to better align endowment investment practices with institutional mission, values, and goals. This webinar will provide an overview of the sustainable investing landscape and the spectrum of strategies available. It will highlight the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), and offer insights from university representatives who have experience with PRI. Date: September 16, 2014 Time: 8:30AM PT...
The Billion Dollar Green Challenge
The Billion Dollar Green Challenge -- an initiative of the Sustainable Endowment Institute that promotes green Revolving Funds (GRFs) on college and university campuses -- was featured on NPR's Marketplace this morning. In the interview, SEI Executive Director, Mark Orlowski, explains how endowments can invest in GRFs as part of their investment strategy without worry about donor restrictions on the funds. Done properly, these investments can help campuses avoid substantial costs by upgrading to more efficient technologies and improving design to lower demand for energy. Over the years, these savings can add up to significant returns on the original investments -- Harvard is saving $5 million a year as a result of their GRF projects. Listen to the 2 minute interview on Marketplace's...
2014 Global Investor Statement on Climate Change
Endowments have a timely opportunity to express their support for strong action on climate change by signing the 2014 Global Investor Statement on Climate Change. The Statement comes at a pivotal moment. As part of a global effort to mobilize action and ambition on climate change, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is inviting Heads of State and Government along with business, finance, civil society and local leaders to a Climate Summit in September 2014. The 2014 Global Investor Statement on Climate Change represents an important contribution by the global investment community to supporting the UN Climate Summit and encouraging strong domestic and international climate and clean energy policies. The Statement sets out steps that institutional investors (both asset owners and...
Why Pitzer College Said Good-bye to Fossil-Fuel Investments
Don Gould, trustee and chair of the investment committee at Pitzer College, published an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education the other day outlining their rationale for divesting from fossil fuels. He shares their responses to some of the most common concerns regarding divestment, including those related to: Fiduciary duty & financial performance Impact on fossil fuel companies Hypocrisy of continuing to use fossil fuels Sacrificing investment returns Commingled funds Politicizing the endowment Regardless of your views on divestment, the piece is well worth the read. It is available here.
The Fossil-Fuel-Free Portfolio (via State Street Global A...
Chris McKnett, Head of ESG Investments at State Street Global Advisors wrote the following article: The Fossil-Fuel-Free Portfolio (pdf), outlining a few of the options and scenarios investors might consider related to climate risk and fossil fuel divestment. This excerpt provides a review of climate policies around the world, the 'carbon budget' and stranded asset risk, and a spectrum of the carbon intensity of major energy sources.
The Fossil-Fuel-Free Portfolio (via State Street Global A...
Chris McKnett, Head of ESG Investments at State Street Global Advisors wrote the following article: The Fossil-Fuel-Free Portfolio (pdf), outlining a few of the options and scenarios investors might consider related to climate risk and fossil fuel divestment. This excerpt provides a review of climate policies around the world, the 'carbon budget' and stranded asset risk, and a spectrum of the carbon intensity of major energy sources.
Why Pitzer College Said Good-bye to Fossil-Fuel Investments
Don Gould, trustee and chair of the investment committee at Pitzer College, published an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education the other day outlining their rationale for divesting from fossil fuels. He shares their responses to some of the most common concerns regarding divestment, including those related to: Fiduciary duty & financial performance Impact on fossil fuel companies Hypocrisy of continuing to use fossil fuels Sacrificing investment returns Commingled funds Politicizing the endowment Regardless of your views on divestment, the piece is well worth the read. It is available here.
2014 Global Investor Statement on Climate Change
Endowments have a timely opportunity to express their support for strong action on climate change by signing the 2014 Global Investor Statement on Climate Change. The Statement comes at a pivotal moment. As part of a global effort to mobilize action and ambition on climate change, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is inviting Heads of State and Government along with business, finance, civil society and local leaders to a Climate Summit in September 2014. The 2014 Global Investor Statement on Climate Change represents an important contribution by the global investment community to supporting the UN Climate Summit and encouraging strong domestic and international climate and clean energy policies. The Statement sets out steps that institutional investors (both asset owners and...
The Billion Dollar Green Challenge
The Billion Dollar Green Challenge -- an initiative of the Sustainable Endowment Institute that promotes green Revolving Funds (GRFs) on college and university campuses -- was featured on NPR's Marketplace this morning. In the interview, SEI Executive Director, Mark Orlowski, explains how endowments can invest in GRFs as part of their investment strategy without worry about donor restrictions on the funds. Done properly, these investments can help campuses avoid substantial costs by upgrading to more efficient technologies and improving design to lower demand for energy. Over the years, these savings can add up to significant returns on the original investments -- Harvard is saving $5 million a year as a result of their GRF projects. Listen to the 2 minute interview on Marketplace's...
College & University Endowments and the Principles for Re...
We invite you to join an upcoming webinar to learn about the steps university endowments are taking to address sustainability issues in their investments, and how this fits with their roles as long-term investors. Signatories of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and other institutions with commitments to climate action and sustainability are increasingly confronting questions related to if and how to better align endowment investment practices with institutional mission, values, and goals. This webinar will provide an overview of the sustainable investing landscape and the spectrum of strategies available. It will highlight the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), and offer insights from university representatives who have experience with PRI. Date: September 16, 2014 Time: 8:30AM PT...
Boston Carbon Risk Forum a Big Success
The Boston Carbon Risk Forum at Harvard law School in Cambridge, MA on September 29, 2014 was an outstanding event attended by about 150 local and state government, senior academic, investment industry and NGO leaders. The presentations (available on the website) were among the most informative I have seen on several issues related to aligning endowment investments with creating a healthy, just and sustainable society. Bob Massie's keynote set the stage for a very engaging day by making the moral, political and financial case for the development of a new economy that is just and sustainable, the importance of government to take serious action climate disruption and how divestment of fossil fuels along with investing using ESG criteria is...
Passive Equity Strategies for the Low Carbon Investor Web...
The Investor Network on Climate Risk held the Passive Equity Strategies for the Low Carbon Investor Webinar on Thursday, November 13. This webinar featured Thomas Kuh, Executive Director for ESG Indices at MSCI Inc., Sarah Gillman, Chief Financial Officer at Natural Resources Defence Council, and Peter Solli, Parter at Aperio Group. These three panelists presented three different approaches to rules-based, index investing that are available to investors today. Click here for a recording of the webinar.
#GenerateChange for a Clean Energy Economy
The EPA Clean Power Plan proposes standards to cut carbon emissions from electric power plants - the single largest source of global warming pollution in the U.S. This plan is a crucial step toward a clean energy economy as it helps the nation become more efficient and gain international leverage while protecting the environment and health of its communities now and for future generations. Ceres is mobilizing hundreds businesses, investors, and individuals to support the rules before the end of the public comment period on December 1. Take action now! Sign the petition in support of the Clean Power Plan and join the #Generate Change campaign and help amplify the message that the Clean Power Plan will reduce carbon, create jobs and...
Fossil Fuels, Investments and the Public Good
Original posting by Terry Link on Possibilitator. Fossil Fuels, Investments and the Public Good | Possibilator by Terry Link, November 24, 2014
The ACUPCC Summit, Risky Business & Higher Education Sust...
Last month Second Nature hosted the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) 2014 Climate Leadership Summit. More than 200 presidents, senior administrators, and sustainability champions from colleges and universities across the country attended. Among the highlights was a keynote address by Kate Gordon, Executive Director of the Risky Business project, which was spearheaded by Henry Paulson, Michael Bloomberg, and Tom Steyer. She clearly articulated what made this report unique and so important. First it was a bipartisan effort, that just focused on the facts in terms of what our best science is telling us we can expect in terms of climate impacts in various regions. To stay out of the political fray around climate change, they did not...
#GenerateChange for a Clean Energy Economy
The EPA Clean Power Plan proposes standards to cut carbon emissions from electric power plants - the single largest source of global warming pollution in the U.S. This plan is a crucial step toward a clean energy economy as it helps the nation become more efficient and gain international leverage while protecting the environment and health of its communities now and for future generations. Ceres is mobilizing hundreds businesses, investors, and individuals to support the rules before the end of the public comment period on December 1. Take action now! Sign the petition in support of the Clean Power Plan and join the #Generate Change campaign and help amplify the message that the Clean Power Plan will reduce carbon, create jobs and...
2014 Global Investor Statement on Climate Change
Endowments have a timely opportunity to express their support for strong action on climate change by signing the 2014 Global Investor Statement on Climate Change. The Statement comes at a pivotal moment. As part of a global effort to mobilize action and ambition on climate change, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is inviting Heads of State and Government along with business, finance, civil society and local leaders to a Climate Summit in September 2014. The 2014 Global Investor Statement on Climate Change represents an important contribution by the global investment community to supporting the UN Climate Summit and encouraging strong domestic and international climate and clean energy policies. The Statement sets out steps that institutional investors (both asset owners and...
Boston Carbon Risk Forum a Big Success
The Boston Carbon Risk Forum at Harvard law School in Cambridge, MA on September 29, 2014 was an outstanding event attended by about 150 local and state government, senior academic, investment industry and NGO leaders. The presentations (available on the website) were among the most informative I have seen on several issues related to aligning endowment investments with creating a healthy, just and sustainable society. Bob Massie's keynote set the stage for a very engaging day by making the moral, political and financial case for the development of a new economy that is just and sustainable, the importance of government to take serious action climate disruption and how divestment of fossil fuels along with investing using ESG criteria is...
College & University Endowments and the Principles for Re...
We invite you to join an upcoming webinar to learn about the steps university endowments are taking to address sustainability issues in their investments, and how this fits with their roles as long-term investors. Signatories of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and other institutions with commitments to climate action and sustainability are increasingly confronting questions related to if and how to better align endowment investment practices with institutional mission, values, and goals. This webinar will provide an overview of the sustainable investing landscape and the spectrum of strategies available. It will highlight the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), and offer insights from university representatives who have experience with PRI. Date: September 16, 2014 Time: 8:30AM PT...
Fossil Fuels, Investments and the Public Good
Original posting by Terry Link on Possibilitator. Fossil Fuels, Investments and the Public Good | Possibilator by Terry Link, November 24, 2014
Passive Equity Strategies for the Low Carbon Investor Web...
The Investor Network on Climate Risk held the Passive Equity Strategies for the Low Carbon Investor Webinar on Thursday, November 13. This webinar featured Thomas Kuh, Executive Director for ESG Indices at MSCI Inc., Sarah Gillman, Chief Financial Officer at Natural Resources Defence Council, and Peter Solli, Parter at Aperio Group. These three panelists presented three different approaches to rules-based, index investing that are available to investors today. Click here for a recording of the webinar.
The ACUPCC Summit, Risky Business & Higher Education Sust...
Last month Second Nature hosted the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) 2014 Climate Leadership Summit. More than 200 presidents, senior administrators, and sustainability champions from colleges and universities across the country attended. Among the highlights was a keynote address by Kate Gordon, Executive Director of the Risky Business project, which was spearheaded by Henry Paulson, Michael Bloomberg, and Tom Steyer. She clearly articulated what made this report unique and so important. First it was a bipartisan effort, that just focused on the facts in terms of what our best science is telling us we can expect in terms of climate impacts in various regions. To stay out of the political fray around climate change, they did not...
The Billion Dollar Green Challenge
The Billion Dollar Green Challenge -- an initiative of the Sustainable Endowment Institute that promotes green Revolving Funds (GRFs) on college and university campuses -- was featured on NPR's Marketplace this morning. In the interview, SEI Executive Director, Mark Orlowski, explains how endowments can invest in GRFs as part of their investment strategy without worry about donor restrictions on the funds. Done properly, these investments can help campuses avoid substantial costs by upgrading to more efficient technologies and improving design to lower demand for energy. Over the years, these savings can add up to significant returns on the original investments -- Harvard is saving $5 million a year as a result of their GRF projects. Listen to the 2 minute interview on Marketplace's...
The Fossil-Fuel-Free Portfolio (via State Street Global A...
Chris McKnett, Head of ESG Investments at State Street Global Advisors wrote the following article: The Fossil-Fuel-Free Portfolio (pdf), outlining a few of the options and scenarios investors might consider related to climate risk and fossil fuel divestment. This excerpt provides a review of climate policies around the world, the 'carbon budget' and stranded asset risk, and a spectrum of the carbon intensity of major energy sources.
Why Pitzer College Said Good-bye to Fossil-Fuel Investments
Don Gould, trustee and chair of the investment committee at Pitzer College, published an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education the other day outlining their rationale for divesting from fossil fuels. He shares their responses to some of the most common concerns regarding divestment, including those related to: Fiduciary duty & financial performance Impact on fossil fuel companies Hypocrisy of continuing to use fossil fuels Sacrificing investment returns Commingled funds Politicizing the endowment Regardless of your views on divestment, the piece is well worth the read. It is available here.