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The current administration is trying to erase 200 words from the nation’s vocabulary. Those words – and the concepts they embody – are the basis of our work.
The 200 words and phrases the government is eliminating from its websites and documents include advocacy, anti-racism, clean energy, climate science, DEI, diversity, environmental quality, female, gender, inclusion, injustice, LGBTQ, mental health, minorities, oppression, pollution, race, racism, victim, and women.
In this newsletter we have highlighted these words that are no longer allowed in red, to demonstrate their power and how they define our work.
Do they think that by eliminating these “radical” words, they can erase the concepts and the progress we’ve made?
That is not going to happen.
We will not allow these words, or the concepts behind them, to be disappeared.
By standing firm, by standing together – shareholders, investors, everyone with a retirement account – we can do this. Shareholder advocates are ensuring basic ideas like climate and equity drive the conversations that determine corporate policy.
Corporations are continuing to make the positive changes shareholders are calling for, even today. From big-dollar institutional investors to anyone with a retirement account, if we keep the pressure on, together we can protect progress toward a safe, just, sustainable, and prosperous world for all.
No matter how loudly the administration works to erase these words, climate risk is still business risk, the clean energy transition still brings enormous opportunity, and workforce diversity still correlates to better financial results. We’re here as shareholder advocates to remind corporations and investors of that fundamental truth.
In 2018 Florida eliminated the words "climate change" from the state’s vocabulary – as if that would erase the state’s climate-fueled hurricane catastrophes. The words disappeared from Florida’s official vocabulary but the state can’t erase the ~$200 billion in damages and ~200 deaths from mega- hurricanes Michael (2018), Sally (2020), Ian (2022), Idalia (2022), Frankie (2024), and Milton (2024).
Shareholders are standing up for justice
Shareholders standing up for DEI: Despite headlines, companies aren’t caving under pressure
Over 98% of shareholders at 24 companies including Costco, Apple, Deere, Disney, Levi’s, Goldman Sachs, Coca-Cola, Bristol Meyers, Berkshire Hathaway and others recently voted to continue management policies geared toward creating and maintaining a diverse workforce. Shareholders understand the financial data. As Deere stated publicly, “We believe our employees’ unique backgrounds and experiences contribute to innovation and our ability to create value for our customers. Our data reinforces that a diverse workforce leads to financial outperformance.”
As You Sow analyzed 1,641 companies over five years and found a statistically significant correlation linking diverse management teams to financial outperformance on eight key metrics.
Shareholders are voting aligned with justice and a livable planet
More than 100 million people in the U.S. have over $10 trillion dollars invested in corporate retirement plans and about $5 trillion invested directly in stocks. Most shareholders are unaware their portfolios hold companies causing environmental destruction and systemic injustice – and they’ve handed their shareholder power—their proxy vote—to financial advisors that nearly always vote with management to maintain the status quo. That’s why we launched My Money My Vote for 401(k) and 403(b) participants and individual investors. Already, nearly 700 individual investors have joined our program, with over 130,000 ballot items voted!
The board reports to you. Take back your power – it’s simple and it’s free, at mymoneymyvote.org
Recent wins
First Solar pledges not to use deep seabed mined minerals
In response to As You Sow’s shareholder resolutions – the first ever filed on deep-sea mining – First Solar pledged to exclude minerals mined from the deep sea until and unless studies show it is safe. Deep-sea mining trawls the seabed for minerals, destroying the fragile ecosystems in its path and releasing sediment plumes that kill fish and other marine life for hundreds of miles from the mining site. While the current administration tries to open deep-sea mining through executive order, over 30 governments and 60 companies have signed a Global Moratorium on Deep-Sea Mining, including Apple, Google, and Samsung.
Building a circular economy for minerals can alleviate pressure for mineral extraction, rendering deep-sea mining unnecessary while laying the foundation for more sustainable clean energy systems.
Carbon Clean 200 companies once again outperform
These 200 companies generated $2.5 trillion in revenue from services and products that reduce demand for fossil fuels and water, while offering investors more than double the returns of the fossil-fuel-heavy MSCI ACWI Energy Index. They also beat the global benchmark MSCI ACWI by 30% July 2016 – January 2025.
Are your retirement savings fueling private prisons?
The current administration is furiously ratcheting up its mass deportation scheme, imprisoning immigrants in private prisons run by companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group. Is your retirement savings or 401(k) plan invested in the despair of brutal immigration crackdowns?
A donation to As You Sow helps inform and empower action.
As You Sow’s free, intuitive Prison Free Funds platform shows whether your retirement savings are invested in companies benefiting from today’s ruthless mass deportation and incarceration of immigrants.
With your gift, you help make sure every investor – including you – can choose a prison-free mutual fund or ETF that avoids profiting from the cruelty.