Business
Commerce is a central part of any civilization. For an ecological civilization to emerge, we must structure business in a way that promotes the flourishing of life in all its forms. Great work is being done on this front. Here are some examples:
Donald P Gould
Don Gould is the president and chief investment officer of Gould Asset Management. He is also a trustee of Pitzer College, one of the five prestigious Claremont Colleges. Working together with other trustees, Mr. Gould played an important role in the recent board decision to divest Pitzer’s portfolio of fossil fuel stocks. In this interview, Mr. Gould describes the board and community process that led to the divestment decision, and the deeper values that motivated him to play a leadership role in this process.
Pitzer College and BlackRock Launch First Ever ESG-Focused, Fossil Fuel-Free Global Equity Index Fund
Pitzer College and investment firm BlackRock, Inc. announce the first ever global equity index fund that is both Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)-focused and fossil fuel-free. The fund is designed to help endowments, foundations and other nonprofit organizations meet their Responsible Investment goals.
To read the complete announcement, please click here.
Dan Gould was recently interviewed by Lawrence Biemiller in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Below is an excerpt.
How One College Decided to Invest More Responsibly
“Pitzer College is not big, or old, or rich. But students and trustees alike want the liberal-arts college’s modest endowment — $135 million — to be invested in ways that align with its longtime interests in the environment and social responsibility.
So the 54-year-old college took an unusual step that could be pivotal for other colleges and nonprofits with similar values: It pioneered a new global-equity-index fund that avoids stocks in fossil-fuel companies and chooses other investments based on how companies act toward employees, communities, the environment, and shareholders. Using sophisticated financial engineering tools to choose stocks, the fund’s managers expect it will perform as well as those that don’t pay such attention to environmental and human impacts.”
To read the complete article and interview, please click here.
Green Business Network at Green America
The Green Business Network connects thoughtful businesses with thoughtful consumers, supporting a cultural shift towards ecological civilization in the business sector and beyond through creating environmental and justice standards for businesses.
Businesses that meet the standards laid out by the Green Business Network for their given industry can apply for certification as a green business and, in return, be connected with conscious consumers. Reflecting the values of EcoCiv, the Green Business Network is committed to moving towards ecological civilization through just methods: “In all of our work, “green” means social and economic justice, community and environmental health.” The Green Business Network is a project of Green America, a non-profit organization that embodies the values of EcoCiv through utilizing strategic economic action to create a society that is more just and sustainable.
In conjunction with EcoVentures International and The Association for Enterprise Opportunity, The Green Business Network published the Big Green Opportunity Report, which makes a compelling case for businesses to go green.
To learn more, visit their website: http://www.greenbusinessnetwork.org/
Interview with Denise Hamler, Director and Co-Founder of the Green Business Network:
Axion Structural Innovations
Axion Structural Innovations is setting the bar for the production of sustainable building materials using 100% recycled products. Using recycled materials keeps waste out of dumps results in decreased use of virgin materials- so rather than asking more from the earth Axion uses what people have already taken and repurposes it in big ways. Even more, their building products are recyclable, so when a structure is taken down or needs to be replaced, the material can be recycled again which keeps plastics out of landfills long-term.
By providing sustainable materials for the way societal structures are built, “Not only is AXION Structural Innovations committed to changing the world in which we live, but we intend to leave it a cleaner and better world than it is today.” Axion Structural Innovations is paving the way for a sustainable future by transforming current building practices. At EcoCiv, we recognize that moving towards an Ecological Civilization will require transformation across sectors and AXION Structural Innovations is creating change for ecological sustainability by creating sustainable material for use in a multitude of industries.
To learn more, visit their website: http://www.axih.com/