Do you ever feel that sometimes the burden of sustainable investment that we are all pushing up the hill seems very heavy?  Like Sisyphus, who pushes the boulder up the hill every day only to have it roll back down, I often get disillusioned and tired of this burden.

I have discovered a wonderful way to get focused and motivated again. Read a blog, or tabloid, or one of the websites devoted to blocking progress in sustainable investment. The alternative becomes a very loud wake up call. It's like having that rock roll over your big toe on its way back down the hill.

When you look at the focus of these types of publications, it becomes clear that idealizing unnecessary over-consumption, propagating the idea of CSR and SRI as a threat, blatant superficiality, and toxicity of spirit are not healthy life choices. Allowing these voices to be the only ones heard makes matters worse. It is diverting and sometimes even entertaining to glance at the words that are being put out by the current "backlash,” but I find it this destructive criticism an excellent reminder of why we do what we do.  As we have learned over the past few years, the backlash has a way of becoming the status quo if left unchecked by the continuing hard work of reasonable people.

Why bother with all the heavy lifting and struggles in what seems like a Sisyphean battle? That thought does come up, especially when the criticism is baseless and it is being yelled at me. However, when I look at the “backlash” and the noise being produced to drown us out, the sounds of sanity, health, restoration, and ultimately, sustainability are re-invigorated.

Just keep a positive space in your thoughts, focus, and rest regularly. After all, the alternative presented by the “backlash” is not an alternative - it is nihilism.  Don't get discouraged, don't take the yelling too seriously, and continue your good work.  One of these days we'll get that boulder to the top, and perhaps, then, it will roll down the other side.

I met Amber Nystrom last year at the Digital Dividends conference in San Francisco. She left a lasting impression, and struck me immediately as a dedicated, intelligent, talented person who was fully committed to her mission: Social Fusion is an incubator for entrepreneurs to grow for-profit and nonprofit businesses that produce sustainable social and environmental impact.

Amber has proven to be an excellent partner who is always willing to assist, share, stimulate discussion, and give more than 100%. Whether it is the preparation for chairing a TBLI session or just chatting on the phone to motivate another. She is very organized, sharing and works tirelessly to achieve her dreams and helps others with theirs.

When I think of Amber, her sense of humor, generosity, and commitment come to mind. I am extremely glad and privileged to have met her, and we should all be grateful for all her hard work. Congratulations on being our Angel of the Month.

We select a variety of current news items hosted at third-party websites that cover a broad range of issues from different perspectives around sustainable finance and asset management, corporate social responsibility, climate change, and corporate governance. Please let us know if there is a story we should include in next month's newsletter.

Do you have a comment or reaction on any of the material presented in the Newsletter? Send a letter to the editor.

David Vogel strives to provide a balanced perspective on Corporate Social Responsibility in his latest book.  In most ways, he is successful.  Not only is CSR usually misunderstood and poorly implemented, but it is improperly vilified by one side and improperly deified by the other.  With illustrative cases and systematic analysis, Vogel provides a useful and insightful account of the current potential and drawbacks of CSR.

The State of Corporate Citizenship in the U.S.: Business Perspectives in 2005

by Barbara Dyer, Stephen Jordan, Steven A. Rochlin, and Sapna Shah (PDF Download)
"This second in a biennial series delves into the corporate citizenship motivations, challenges, priorities and investments of 1,189 small, medium, and large businesses across the U.S. Responses representing a breadth of industry sectors and geographic regions provide a unique insight into the state of corporate citizenship from a national perspective."

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