It was great to see everyone there. What a wonderful group of people! Robert sends his special thanks for all your help and understanding. Although he could not be there physically, he was there in spirit and looks forward to greeting you all in the flesh this November in Paris. Extra kudos to all of the volunteers. Your help was immeasurable and we could not have done it without you. A full and updated attendance list will be posted on our website shortly.You can view the conference program by clicking here.

If your organisation is currently offering or building a sustainable investment profile in Asia or Europe, then the TBLI Conference provides you with one of the few opportunities to reach the largest annual gathering of sustainable investment professionals in these regions.  Conference sponsorship provides many benefits and provides excellent opportunities to profile your organization’s leadership in this rapidly growing market for sustainable investment. Click here to find out more about sponsorship opportunities for our upcoming conference in Paris scheduled for 15-16 November. Please contact us for more information.

Do you have cutting edge research to communicate or experience in sustainaible investment that you would like to share? We are now accepting proposals for the upcoming TBLI Conference in Paris. If you or your organization would like to submit a presentation, please go to our conference page for more details.  REGISTRATION FOR TBLI EUROPE IS NOW OPEN. Please click here to register with an early bird discount of 25%.

Financing Environmental Technologies: FUNDETEC Project

Brooklyn Bridge is a member of a team of organizations currently working to map and analyze the current status and gaps for financing environmental and clean technologies in the European Union.  Please click here to find out more about this project and how you can participate.  Please click here for the latest project newsletter.

'The former V.P. and his partner in an investment-management firm argue that sustainability investing is essential to creating long-term shareholder value.  As McKinsey research indicates, executives around the world increasingly recognize that the creation of long-term shareholder value depends on a corporation’s ability to understand and respond to increasingly intense demands from society.1 No surprise, then, that the topic of socially responsible investing has been gaining ground as investors seek to incorporate concepts like sustainability and responsible corporate behavior into their assessments of a company’s long-term value.'

Growing Opportunity:  Entrepreneurial Solutions to Intractable Problems

by SustainAbility

'The report attempts to assess the current state of social entrepreneurship — the possibilities presented by new mindsets, the challenges entrepreneurs face in scaling their organizations and the opportunities for greater collaboration with corporations and others.'  Free download with registration.
Click here to read the whole article.


Feature articles focus on current trends and investment opportunities in the field of SRI, TBLI and Corporate Governance, offering a source of new information and insights.

Do you have an idea for an article, or would like to submit an article for publication? Please send a letter to the editor.

In February I had a toothache that I disregarded, until I finally gave in and went to see a dentist. He found that the root of one of my teeth broke off and was infected. He removed the tooth and the broken parts of the root. I figured you get older and things wear down and eventually give up. Little did I realize, what started as a minor problem with simple straightforward solution, would lead to longer lasting consequences.  Three and a half months later, I am in the hospital.

The original toothache and the ensuing infection had spread, and eventually reached the aorta of my heart. During that period, I thought I had a flu that wouldn't get better. Many others seemed to suffering from this problem at the time. Tired, coughing, no energy, no appetite, etc. Anyway, it seemed to be a problem with no resolution. Finally, after various evaluations, doctors, medicine, and tests, I was told that I needed to be admitted to the cardiology department of the hospital, immediately. This was the Friday 2 weeks before TBLI Asia.
With the TBLI Asia conference coming up, this was a shock for me.  The shock became even larger, when I was admitted. The cardiologist said, be prepared for a long hospital stay of at least 6 weeks. If we have to operate and replace the valve, it could be longer. For someone who has never been ill, this came as an ice shower. At first, all the thoughts of how can I manage, this has to be done, that meeting needs to be postponed, that project is ongoing, etc. The are now a thousand things that I cannot carry out. Then, after reflection, phone calls to friends, and discussion with staff, all the problems disappeared. All was under control, and you see how blessed you are with friends who have no second thoughts as to supporting you, in any way possible.

It was hard the first day, having anti-biotic I.V. drips put into your body 7 times a day. All you want to do is sleep. Then the medicine starts to kick in and for the first time in 3 months, you actually feel good. My energy, appetite, color were all coming back. I thought carefully, and was trying to see how could this be a positive experience, apart from getting back to good health. Well, I would have a lot of time to read, start writing that book that I have been putting off, catch up on odds and ends, and most important, rest. This will be my sabbatical leave: a period for rest and reflection.
Don't get me wrong! It is still incredible boring to lie around waiting for a four-hour cycle of I.V. drugs. I became determined to make this into a positive experience, and come out much stronger and centered than before. The best part was all the support that we were receiving from friends, and colleagues. I am extremely grateful to Giulio, Jonathan, Carolyn, Silas, and the many others who have offered their support. Thank you. Many of you have asked what can you do to help. Help us make TBLI Europe this November 15-16 in Paris the best event we ever held. If you were planning on coming, you can register this week and inform your colleagues about the upcoming event

Thank you for your generosity and concern. I look forward to greeting you all shortly.

Normally, the Angel of the Month should not be employees of Brooklyn Bridge, or related. At least, that is how the unofficial rules work. I would like to make an exception. During this difficult period the one solid, reliable, supportive person has been my wife Rieki (pronounced Ricky, at least that is how I pronounce it).

With my lack of energy, constantly being ill, and thus unable to do anything, nearly everything fell on her shoulders. She has taken on the home, family, dog, children, holidays, work, doctors, and a multitude of problems to be resolved.

When we heard that I wouldn't be going to TBLI Asia, she had to mobilize support for the conference, to take over my chores. Manning the phone and arranging everything in a few hours, preparing the hospital stay, sneaking decent food into the hospital, dealing with a family crisis, Rieki has sorted everything out. Throughout it all she has remained centered and playful. I am blessed for knowing her. We have grown closer as friends and partners over the years. This episode of vulnerability has strengthened our relationship, reinforced our feelings, increased the bond we have and has showed me that Rieki is the one constant in a changing world. She is one of the few people that I know that actually gets my jokes. She is my twin flame, significant other, and dearest friend.  Most important, I can't think of anyone who more richly deserves the Angel of the Month.

To my most beautiful of angels, Rieki Crins.

Congratulations.

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. Inclusion of a link in this newsletter does not imply an endorsement of the ideas or the opinions expressed.   Some sites require registration and links may go stale over time.  Please let us know if there is a story we should include in next month's newsletter.

What is in a name and what does that name imply in terms of ownership, strategy, politics and ideology? Thomas L. Friedman,  author of the book about globalization, 'The World is Flat', considers clean technology and green consumerism within a wider political and strategic context.  For many working in the sustainable finance arena, this is old news.  However, beyond providing a summary of these familiar and obvious issues, the article also provides a glimpse into the stauts of the mainstreaming of sustainability and environmental investments.  Free registration required to read the article online, or a PDF version can be downloaded here.

Growing Opportunity:  Entrepreneurial Solutions to Intractable Problems

by SustainAbility

'The report attempts to assess the current state of social entrepreneurship — the possibilities presented by new mindsets, the challenges entrepreneurs face in scaling their organizations and the opportunities for greater collaboration with corporations and others.'  Free download with registration.

As an economic system based on values other than pure monetary gain, Islamic finance tends to parallel its natural benchmark, the Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) and Sustainability industry. But the relationship between the two sectors has not yet reached its full potential. It is time to reflect on the achievements of each and start learning from each other in order to compete for the greater good.  More information available at:
Michael Gassner Consultancy Ltd.

'Beyond Grey Pinstripes is a biennial survey and ranking of business schools. Our mission is to spotlight innovative full-time MBA programs that are integrating issues of social and environmental stewardship into curricula and research.' Definitely some surprises this year in terms of newcomers and schools no longer listed in the top.  Does the survey match your experiences with these MBA programs?

'A study of the relative economics of different approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions offers surprising insights for policy makers and business leaders.'

The outlook for sustainable investment is promising, but tenuous.  The growth of the past decade is poised to continue as long as investors, financial professionals, and corporate managers can maintain the momentum of recent trends.

This study provides an essential tool for investment analysts and policy-makers to evaluate the relative financial returns on the use of environmental capital between sectors and companies.

REGISTER NOW with and EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT of 25%.

TBLI EUROPE SPONSORS

If you would like to post a job opening, email jobs@tbli.org. Please be sure to include an Internet link that can be posted so that interested applicants can obtain more information.

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