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This is a busy year for shareholder resolutions according to a report released by the Investor Responsibility Research Center (IRRC) and the Social Investment Forum (SIF), “Towards a Shared Agenda: Emerging Corporate Governance and Social Issue Trends for the 2002 Proxy Season and 2001 Issues Review.” More than half (428) of the 712 shareholder resolutions filed thus far in 2002 focus on corporate governance issues a la Enron. Corporations seem to be more willing to negotiate and take action on resolutions this year due to heightened investor concern regarding disclosure and accounting. 32 proposals relate to auditing and another 35 relate to the independence of directors on key committees. 15 proposals ask companies to strengthen the link between executive compensation and performance, and/ or measures of corporate social responsibility. 261 resolutions address corporate responsibility; companies’ involvement in climate change is the fastest-growing category (18 resolutions this year, 7 last year). The campaign to persuade companies to improve, monitor, or report on their global labor practices is another high-profile proxy battle, with 45 global labor standards proposals filed. A key area to watch: how will investors and managements respond to the 31 proposals filed by U.S. labor union pension funds asking […]
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The new U.S. Organic Standards go into effect this October 21st. From that day on, agricultural products (production and handling facilities) can only be labeled “organic” in the U.S. if they meet national certification standards. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) accredited certifying agents are now posted on the USDA website – a major milestone toward full implementation of national organic standards.The USDA will oversee and enforce the entry of only qualified organic food products into the United States, thus providing shoppers with the assurance that all organic food products sold in the United States meet stringent standards. Four certification agencies from outside the United States are among those accredited by USDA.The new national organic standards will allow four different labeling options based on the percentage of organic ingredients in a product. 100 percent organic Organic (contains at least 95 percent organic ingredients by weight, excluding water and salt) Made with organic (contains between 70 to 95 percent organic ingredients) Products with less than 70 percent organic ingredients will list the organic items in the ingredient panel.The sample cereal boxes to the right illustrate the four labeling categories. From left: cereal with 100 percent organic ingredients; cereal with 95-100 percent organic […]
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By Rona Fried, Ph.D.Steel, often thought of as the symbol of the Industrial Revolution, now carries a recycling symbol. More than half the steel produced today is made from scrap. Paper mills are moving from the forest to the cities, as they hone in on the source of abundant feedstocks – scrap paper. In New Jersey, a state with little forest cover or iron ore, 13 paper mills run only on waste paper and eight steel mills manufacture steel largely from scrap. Why is this? Natural resources are increasingly scarce and thus more expensive; waste is plentiful and increasingly, abundant. The blueprint for how business is conducted is shifting from Industrial Age operating assumptions of “take, make and throw away” to fit the situation society faces today. It makes sense to use scare natural resources sparingly, and keep them circulating in the system. Society, in its instinctual desire to survive, is tightening the screws on companies that refuse to play by the new rules. The authors of Interface Inc.’s 1997 Sustainability Report say, “We believe institutions that continuously violate these [natural] principles will suffer economically. The walls of the funnel will continue to impose themselves in the form of environmentally […]
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Visions of growth have to be smart and clean, instead of dumb and dirty, exhorts Murray Hogarth in this month's Ecos Insight Column.
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Business Partners for Development Tri-Sector Partnering is a new management tool that harnesses the strengths of the private sector, civil society and government.
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After Steve Strong, president of Solar Design Associates, showed IBEW Local 332’s building committee and the membership how quickly solar is expanding in Europe and Japan, and in the U.S., the membership voted overwhelmingly to install PV on their building. The IBEW sees the importance of distributed on-site electricity generation using renewable energy sources, and the jobs associated with them as an important part of their future. Their new headquarters building in San Jose, California now features the largest commercial solar power installation west of the Mississippi. Designated as a Green Building model by the City of San Jose, the PV system generates 55 kilowatts of power, enough to provide for 70-80 percent of the building’s total electrical needs. The use of PV cuts the facility’s utility bill in half and sends power back to the utility grid. The building is located in the heart of Silicon Valley, home to high tech businesses, R & D labs, microchip manufacturers and biotech facilities. IBEW conducts tours of the building to architects, engineers, contractors, students and others interested in learning how to use solar energy in new or renovated commercial buildings. Most importantly, IBEW members installed the solar arrays themselves as part […]
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Dry cleaners are the single largest users of Perchloroethylene (Perc) – an organic solvent of known human toxicity and suspected carcinogen. It can cause short-term health effects such as respiratory distress and sore throats, and is a precursor to ground level ozone (smog). Once PERC enters the body it is stored in fat tissue. It is usually released into the air, but makes its way into groundwater. There are 25,000 – 35,000 dry cleaners in the U.S. using Perc. Most are small businesses owned by people for whom English may be a second language. They often have technical difficulty understanding our environmental regulations. Virtually every garment labeled “dry clean only” can be cleaned with Perc substitutes such as “wet” cleaning or “recyclable carbon dioxide.” The Professional Wetcleaning Network is a new trade association that promotes environmentally sensitive alternatives to Perc. Visit their website for a list of wet cleaners in your state. There are a half dozen or so in Canada too. And don’t forget to return your hangers! Some wet cleaners will also take your plastic.www.tpwn.net
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Many states are filling in the gap left from weak federal incentives for energy efficiency investment. States offer sales tax waivers or income tax credits for purchases of energy-efficient equipment, for example. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s new report, Opportunities for State Action: Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency in the Private Sector, is a state-by-state analysis of tax incentives.Stressing the diversity of state approaches, co-author Harvey Sachs commented, “States have shown remarkable savvy in tailoring programs to meet the needs of their citizens and businesses. These programs address everything from green buildings and alternative fuel vehicles to better appliances.” The report analyzes vehicle efficiency programs in Arizona, Maryland, and Oregon, and building-related programs in Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Oregon. The report also notes common features of effective state tax incentive programs. They stimulate market acceptance of advanced technologies by establishing appropriate criteria and allow enough time for credits to affect the market. The programs are flexible with respect to who receives the credits and complement other policy initiatives (state public benefit charges, federal, and municipal programs).Opportunities for State Action: Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency in the Private Sector is available online: www.aceee.org/pubs/e021full.pdf
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The Hockerton Housing Project is the UK’s first earth-sheltered, self-sufficient ecological housing development. The group now offers services to help people create their own communities, based on the Hockerton experience. They offer tours, presentations, and the publication, The Sustainable Community – A Practical Guide. Setting up a sustainable community involves challenges related to planning, legal and financial issues, as well as new building techniques and technologies. Living in a sustainable community involves many other attributes including new skills and ways of relating to others. The 52-page guide is designed to help others plan and set up their own sustainable projects. The main sections include: * Key Issues: it identifies 28 key issues, including community, legal, financial, planning and design subjects. For each issue, the guide presents an explanation of the main considerations, tips, and details of how they managed the issue. * Directory of contacts of organizations linked to key issues.* Directory of useful resources* General information about sustainable communities and key barriers to developing them.[sorry this link is no longer available][sorry this link is no longer available]
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Many marketing trends favor sustainable businesses: wellness, comfort, partnership with customers, and a surge in consumer idealism and loyalty for companies with sincere passion and integrity.
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