Plastic isn’t just in the obvious places like cheap toys and disposable cups. We’ve even discovered recent research findings that salt and honey contain microplastics. Our plastic addiction has come full circle and has begun to affect even our own bodies alongside the multitudes of marine animals that are also affected.
Read MoreAlarm bells have long been ringing about the controversial process of hydraulic fracturing or “fracking”. Opposition has focused on community health impacts from air and water emissions as well as climate change impacts from leaking methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Read More -->
Read MoreThe SEC is not meant to protect ExxonMobil from important shareholder questions. Rather, the proposal process is intended to allow an open discussion between shareholders and their company.
Read MoreStarbucks, once a bold leader in greening its packaging and source reduction policies, is now falling behind. On March 21, actor, filmmaker and UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador Adrian Grenier will present As You Sow’s shareholder resolution at Starbucks’ annual general meeting asking ...
Read MoreAlbert Camus once wrote that “the absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world.” The silence of the world has been broken on exorbitant pay packages for CEOs, and the truth is indeed absurd.
Read MoreWhen positive change doesn’t come from the federal government, or from corporations, who can we rely on? More than ever, it is clear that investors who use their voices as a powerful force for positive change can make a difference at companies that want to thrive and survive in the future.
Read MoreThe financial sector plays a role funneling billions of dollars to companies that make the weapons used in mass shootings, and these banks and lenders are increasingly acknowledging a moral responsibility to shun these weapon companies, even if legislators won’t.
Read MoreAlthough many corporations still pollute waterways and finance shadowy lobbying groups, it’s getting harder for companies to outright deny scientific consensus. It’s only going to get harder for Sanderson Farms, making now the perfect time to face reality.
Read MoreThat which we call cocoa, by any other name would smell as sweet, but the same can’t be said for lead and cadmium. While dark chocolate is often marketed as healthful because it contains antioxidants, it also frequently contains lead and cadmium, an attribute not marketed to consumers. You’d be amazed at what a little sugar can cover up.
Read MoreYesterday, Andrew Ross Sorkin of the NYT published a story on BlackRock CEO Larry Fink’s letter to major corporations in which he states, “Society is demanding that companies, both public and private, serve a social purpose…to prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society.”
Read MoreTransition or trial? Response or responsibility? Fossil fuel companies must face these choices head on as they increasingly find themselves in the cross hairs of climate-related litigation. The harms of a warming climate are no longer theoretical — or in someone else’s backyard...
Read MoreThe discussion of how much leaders should be paid in comparison to their workers is an old one, as pointed out by former compensation consultant Graef Crystal, “Plato told Aristotle no one should make more than five times the pay of the lowest member of society. J.P. Morgan said 20 times. Jesus advocated a negative differential — that’s why they killed him.”
Read MoreMore than 30 institutional investors with combined assets of $50 billion are asking three leading U.S. carpet manufacturers to make good on previous promises to recycle a substantial amount of discarded carpet. A letter from As You Sow on behalf of 33 investor firms and groups asks Mohawk Industries, Interface Inc., and Shaw Industries Group to redesign carpet...
Read MoreVanguard is one of the world’s largest asset managers, handling the retirement savings of millions of Americans. Its mission is to help people save for the future. At the same time, it’s playing a major role directing billions in funding to carbon polluters — companies maintaining and expanding the fossil fuel infrastructure that threatens to make the future uninhabitable.
Read MorePlastic pollution on land and water has risen in prominence dramatically as an environmental issue in the last two years as new science-based studies showed far higher rates of plastic ending up in oceans than previously believed, and institution issued blueprints for stemming that flow.
Read MoreBeyond physics, Merriam-Webster describes inertia as, “indisposition to motion, exertion, or change.” We all know that if you’ve been doing anything a certain way for a long time, it can be hard to let go. But at some point, outside forces can become strong enough to alter a course, and the earlier that new course is accepted, the easier a transition can be.
Read MoreThe oil and gas industry has an opportunity. As climate change related destruction grows, it is clear that we must quickly reduce greenhouse gas emissions or face increasing destruction of our lives, the economy, and the environment. Acknowledging this, 196 nations have signed the Paris Agreement and put plans in place to begin decarbonizing the economy.
Read MoreThe United Nations is holding its annual climate change conference in Bonn this week, but the tone this year is different. Driven by a growing litany of harms associated with a warming planet, global governments are getting down to the brass tacks of implementing the Paris Climate Accord. Even the two long-time holdouts, Syria and Nicaragua, have finally pledged to join the Accord. In fact, the U.S. stands alone in threatening to withdraw and ignoring reality while doubling down on fossil fuels.
Read MoreHaving spent my college years at Rice University, Houston will always hold a special place in my heart. I also remember experiencing my first hurricane there freshman year — the winds and rain were scary, but we hunkered down indoors and were fortunate to not suffer serious impacts. Watching Harvey approach from afar in August 2017, I again hoped for the best, but then the horror sunk in as friends posted photos and videos of unprecedented destruction. The National Weather Service had to develop new colors for its coding to account for the rain and floods caused by Harvey. The storm caused an estimated $190 billion worth of damage, disrupting industries and destroying homes. Only 20% of those hardest hit had flood insurance.
Read MoreAs millennial-aged employees now represent the majority of the U.S. workforce, it is increasingly important that corporate management finds ways to engage them in the company. Creating 401(k) plans which connect to their core values — like solving human, social and environmental problems through their work and investments — can be a huge advantage to the company as a whopping 85% of millennials surveyed in the 2016 US Trust study said they consider their investment decisions as “a way to express their social, political, and environmental values.” This attracts the best talent, spurs employee engagement, extends retention, and sparks innovation.
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