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Green Century Wins the Outstanding Achievement BENNY Award

Contact: Leslie Samuelrich, Green Century Capital Management, 617-482-0800, lsamuelrich@greencentury.com

December 24, 2014:

Last week, Green Century Capital Management (Green Century) won a 2014 BENNY award, sponsored by Corporate Ethics International for its “outstanding organizational achievement” on the International Palm Oil Campaign. This campaign successfully pushed major palm oil consumer companies including Kellogg’s,* Nestle,* Unilever,* Procter & Gamble,* and others to adopt Zero Deforestation policies, putting pressure on suppliers like Wilmar* and Cargill* to do the same. The BENNY Awards, which are in their 10th year, recognize outstanding individual and organizational achievement for campaigns to make companies more socially and environmentally responsible. This is the third BENNY in five years that Green Century has won.

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The BENNY trophy

“Green Century’s advocacy is designed to produce tangible results – and changing the palm oil production and supply chain is measurably reducing carbon pollution, protecting endangered species and preserving rainforests,” stated Leslie Samuelrich, President, Green Century Capital Management.  “We are honored to receive this award alongside many effective organizations and look forward to pressing other companies to reduce carbon pollution in their other commodity supply chains.”  Green Century has led the investor arm of the International Palm Oil Campaign since 2012 when it pressured Starbucks* to adopt a policy to only buy palm oil that was grown without burning down rainforests. In the last year, Green Century pressed Kellogg’s and ConAgra* to establish the high bar of a no-deforestation policy with a 2015 deadline.

Green Century, working with other investment advisory firms, also played a critical role in pressing the world’s largest palm oil supplier, Wilmar, to implement a policy that covers palm oil and other commodities such as soy. Wilmar’s policy will keep 1.2 gigatons of carbon pollution out of the air, the equivalent of the carbon pollution produced by Central and South America from December 2013 through December 2020. “Green Century didn’t just launch the issue of deforestation onto Wilmar’s agenda; it helped seal the deal too. Green Century is able to get forest protection on the agenda of Fortune 500 CEOs like no one else,” stated Glenn Hurowitz, Lead negotiator with Wilmar and Campaign Director, Climate Advisors.

Green Century shares the award with many groups including Catapult Campaigns, the UN Secretary General’s Climate Summit 2014 – Parties to the New York Declaration on Forests Action Statement and Action Plans, Greenpeace, the Union of Concerned Scientists and others.

Green Century has been proud to work with the New York State Pension Fund and other investors who have secured zero deforestation palm oil commitments from other companies including Dunkin’ Donuts,* Safeway,* Mondelez,* General Mills,* and J.M. Smuckers.*

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Green Century Capital Management is the investment advisory firm to the Green Century Funds and offers two environmentally and socially responsible funds, the Green Century Equity Fund and the Green Century Balanced Fund. Green Century works to curb climate change through fossil fuel free investing, reinvestment in sustainable companies reducing reliance on dirty energy and advocating with companies to improve their environmental policies and supply chain.  Green Century also is the only U.S. mutual fund company owned by environmental non-profits, the Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs).

*As of September 30, 2014, Kellogg’s, Unilever, Starbucks, Procter & Gamble, Safeway, Mondelez, General Mills, and The JM Smucker Company comprised 0.00% and 0.26%, and 1.14% and 0.00%, 0.02% and 0.84%, 0.00% and 3.15%, 0.00% and 0.12%, 0.00% and 0.95%, 0.01% and 0.49%, and 1.24% and 0.16% of the Green Century Balanced Fund and Green Century Equity Fund, respectively. Other securities mentioned were not held in the portfolios as of September 30, 2014. References to specific securities, which will change due to ongoing management of the Funds, should not be construed as a recommendation by the Funds, their administrator, or their distributor.

Stocks will fluctuate in response to factors that may affect a single company, industry, sector, or the market as a whole and may perform worse than the market. Bonds are subject to risks including interest rate, credit, and inflation. The Funds’ environmental criteria limit the investments available to the Funds compared to mutual funds that do not use environmental criteria.

You should carefully consider the Funds’ investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses before investing. To obtain a Prospectus that contains this and other information about the Funds, please click here, email info@greencentury.com, or call 1-800-93-GREEN. Please read the Prospectus before investing.

This information has been prepared from sources believed to be reliable. The views expressed are as of the date of this writing and are those of the Advisor to the Green Century Funds.

The Green Century Funds are distributed by UMB Distribution Services, LLC. 12/14

 

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