Commentary
How Green Century Does Shareholder Advocacy – Engaging Indonesian and Malaysian Palm Oil Producers
Green Century has been working to end the needless deforestation caused by unsustainable palm oil production since 2012 – and we’ve had a lot of success. We’ve helped secure zero-deforestation commitments from key purchasers. Engaging producers directly about the expectations of international markets is another way to put pressure on producers to adopt No Deforestation, No Peat, and No Exploitation (NDPE) practices.
Read MoreIs a Green Century IRA Right For You?
In the past, individuals concerned about climate change and environmental degradation may have shied away from IRAs, believing that green IRAs didn’t exist.
But they do! A Green Century IRA could help you achieve your retirement goals, in an environmentally-responsible way.
Read MoreGreen Century Joins Fray to Defend Shareholder Rights Under Siege By Corporate Interests
For several years, a number of corporate front-groups have been attempting to make it appreciably more difficult for shareholders to engage with the publicly traded companies in which they’re invested. To stop this attack, Green Century recently sent a letter to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton.
Read MoreIs ESG Hot Air Contributing to Climate Change?
It was only a matter of time. As more and more financial institutions claim to be green or responsible or sustainable, eventually someone was going to ask them to prove it.
Recently, eight U.S. senators did just that. The senators sent letters to the heads of eleven investment firms, asking how they managed the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks related to tropical deforestation.
Green Century applauds these senators for asking appropriate questions about firms’ deforestation-linked investments. It’s equally important that individual investors start asking tough questions, too.
Read MoreA Letter from Green Century President Leslie Samuelrich
We are only a few days into 2019, but we already have a front-runner for word of the year: volatility. I know volatility can be a bit unsettling for investors, so I wanted to offer some reassuring thoughts: Remember why you invest with Green Century. You invest to save for your future and to make an impact. The market may be unpredictable but the environmental impact of your Green Century investment remains steadfast.
Read MoreAramark Commits to Protect Tropical Forests, After Green Century Engagement
Aramark* serves two billion meals a year in schools, hospitals, sports stadiums and more, so the environmental ramifications of Green Century’s recent engagement with the company will be substantial.
Following a meeting in Green Century’s office in Boston, Aramark agreed to develop and fully implement a no-deforestation commitment within six years. Consequently, Green Century withdrew the shareholder resolution it had filed with the company.
Read MoreWe Hear You Loud and Clear: Verizon* Sends Strong Signal to Renewables Industry
After Green Century filed a shareholder resolution with the company in November, Verizon announced a new commitment to source 50% of its entire electricity usage from renewable energy sources by 2025, a significant increase for one of the country’s largest energy consumers.
Read MoreBloomberg Names Green Century Equity Fund One of the Top 10 Socially Conscious Funds
Sustainable, responsible and impact (SRI) investing assets now account for one in four dollars in total assets under professional management in the United States, so it’s no surprise that new SRI investment vehicles have been proliferating. In fact, more than 140 environmental, social, and governance (ESG) funds launched in just the last year.
The sheer number of ESG firms makes it even more impressive that the Green Century Equity Fund recently was named one of the Top 10 Socially Conscious Funds in the U.S. by Bloomberg.
Read MoreThe Best of 2018
As the year comes to a close, I wanted to share some of Green Century’s 2018 highlights with you. It’s been an eventful and impactful year. Onto the list!
Read MoreMcDonald’s* Moo-ves on from Routine Antibiotic Use in Beef
McDonald’s made its meals happier this week by announcing the formal adoption of a policy to restrict medically important antibiotic use in its beef supply chain. McDonald’s will begin by monitoring antibiotic use in its top ten beef sourcing markets across the globe and use that data to set reduction targets for reducing on-farm medically important antibiotic use by the end of 2020.
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