| COLUMN
Is it just me or does everything seem to be moving
so rapidly, that it seems nearly impossible to manage everything?
The desk gets pilled up with more and more items that are pending.
We can't seem to respond to the emails within a reasonable period
of time, and many email requests are just forgotten. The pile of
work we take home, if we still work somewhere else, keeps getting
higher. Help!!!
Are the demands increasing, the work load getting
unbearable, the speed of communications too fast? Are we slowing
down, breaking down, or breaking through? I think we are
being confronted more and more with choices. Is our present work,
carreer, occupation providing us with fulfillment? Are we being
inspired to greatness? I think most people want inspiration, or
fullfillment, or pleasure - unfortunately, it seems that so few
of us are experiencing this. When that occurs, all the other details
of daily work become overwhelming. In the past, we would call and
chat, send an anecdote, and take time. Now, there seems to be no
time, but just more to do. More deadlines to meet. We often feel
like oranges that have been completely squeezed, and we are still
trying to get those few drops out.
I think it would be wiser and more productive to spend a bit more
time exploring our humanity and sharing funny anecdotes....or simply
demand better leadership to change the way we work. Until we fundamentally
change the game of business, the best we can do is work more efficiently
and laugh a lot more.
On that note, if you have a good joke, I would love to hear from
you.
Brooklyn
Bridge-Angel of the Month
Mizue Tsukushi, founder and CEO of Good Bankers, is our choice for
Angel of the Month. Mizue has worked tirelessly in a predominantly
male culture to make SRI part of the Japanese financial landscape.
With a singular focus and a iron determination, she pushed SRI into
the mainstream. During this time, she has always remained supportive
and generous.
Once, a colleague helped her get a
client from Europe. She gave that person 10% of the yearly sales
generated from that client without being required, or even asked,
to do so. Wouldn't that be nice if we all were so generous with
our recognition, without a written contract?
Quote
If you want to build
a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't
assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the
endless immensity of the sea"
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery
FEATURE ARTICLES
Learning
from China (Online Link)
Why the Western Economic Model Will not Work for the World
by Lester R. Brown, Earth Policy Institute
Could
the American dream in China become a nightmare for the world? For
China's 1.3 billion people, the American dream is fast becoming the Chinese dream. Already millions of Chinese are living like Americans--eating
more meat, driving cars, traveling abroad, and otherwise spending
their fast-rising incomes much as Americans do. Although these U.S.-style
consumers are only a small fraction of the population, China's claims
on the earth's resources are already becoming highly visible.
Global
Ageing and the Implications for Business
by Jonathan Hills, CSR Asia
The global
transformation from high birth rates and death rates to low fertility
and mortality is one of the greatest sociological revolutions in
history. How is this shift going to impact businesses, investment
and the economy in Asia? Moreover, how does CSR fit into this shift?
Jonathan Hills explores these issues and looks at potential solutions.
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. If you have an idea for an article,
or would like to submit an article for publication that meets this
criteria, please send a letter
to the editor.
NEWS
SOCIALLY
RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT
The New Colossus:
The New Politics of Capital
Dutch
Criticised for Ethical Failings
Rating
Socially Responsible Mutual Funds With The NIS Social Rating
Equator Banks
Attacked by NGO's
Wanted:
Socially Responsible Real Estate Investments
Exchange-Traded
Fund Based on Clean Energy to Debut Thursday
Take
Energy Tech Back From the Day Traders
Numbers
Don't Lie: Vice Fund Has Its Virtues
A
Fish Story: New Fund Backed by Packard Foundation
SCREENING & REPORTING
Six
Microfinance Banks on Three Continents Use GRI Guidelines
Sharing Aims in Divesting Controversy
German
Regulator Misses Out in EU Directive
Micro-Finance
Institutions will report using the GRI Guidelines
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
SupplyManagement.com:
The Time for Excuses is Over
UK
Sets Out Its Goals For International Corporate Social Responsibility
The
Bottom Line That Doesn't Pay
Global
Corporate Responsibility in the Twenty-First Century
Thug
Radio: Beef and Bullets in Rap's Corporate Ratings War
The
View from the Boardroom (Survey by McKinsey)
COPORATE GOVERNANCE
Good
Governance and Corporate Sin
Newly
Vigilant Boards Force Change at the Top
Corporate
Responsibility and Corporate Governance
How
to Fix China's Banking System
Investors
Turn Focus to Political Contributions: Resolutions (Reg Req’d)
CLIMATE CHANGE
Running on Empty: Oil Companies Almost Tapped Out (registration
req’d)
Ascent
of Peak Oil
Commission Consults Europeans on Climate Change Impact of Airplanes
UK's
Brown Freezes Climate Change Levy, Buys Into Sequestration
ChevronTexaco
Launches First Hydrogen Fueling Station
Companies
Feel Heat: Record-High Shareholder Resolutions on Climate Change
American Cities Show
Solidarity with Kyoto Signatories
MISCELLANEOUS
Ethics
Still Not Influencing UK Consumers
What's
a Gift, What's a Bribe?
PBS
Debuts First TV Show on Responsible Business and Investing
Ethical
Careers - Stay True to Your Roots
Participate
in the EU Survey on Aviation and Climate Change
The
Middle of Nowhere (Audio from This American Life – requires
RMP)
An audio narrative documenting the ecological
and economic collapse of the island country of Nauru and an extreme
example of the inhuman aspects of customer service call centers.
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 TBLI Newsletter? Send a letter to the editor.
CONFERENCES
Cleantech
Venture Forum VII
17-19 May 2005
Paris InterContinental Hotel
Cleantech
Venture is offering the premier event of the clean technology industry
for the first time in Europe.
Cleantech
Venture Network connects investors with "clean technology"
entrepreneurs through information products, online services and
the Cleantech Venture Forum series of events. Each Forum offers
a highly-engineered program of 20 select investment opportunities
– from solar energy to water purification, along with receptions,
breakouts and discussions on cutting edge themes. CleanTech Venture
Forums have attracted more than 1500 VCs, institutional LPs and
corporate and private investors, as well as top entrepreneurs and
service providers from Europe and around the world. Serving over
500 affiliate investor firms, they have tracked more than €3
billion invested in cleantech ventures, of which over €250
million has been raised by Forum-presenting companies.
For more information visit www.cleantech.com
or call (+1) 517-223-9607.
Ceres 2005 Conference: Building Equity, Reducing Risk
13-14 April 2005, Boston MA, USA
Sustainable
Investment 2005 Conference
April 13th-14th, 2005, Frankfurt, Germany
Conference on Responsible Competitiveness
19 April 2005, Brussels
Business Ethics
Summit
21 April 2005, New York Helmsley Hotel, New York, NY USA
OECD FORUM 2005
Fuelling the Future: Security, Stability, Development
2-3 May, Centre de Conférences Internationals, Paris
Responsible Management in an
Uncertain World
4-7 May 2005, Munich, Germany
MHCi CSR and Law
Masterclass
25 May 2005, London, UK
Ethical
Corporation 2005: Key Challenges for Business in Society
1-2 June, London
International
Conference on Business Performance & CSR
22 June 2005, National Liberal Club, London, UK
Do you have an upcoming event that you would like to post
in the TBLI Newsletter? Send
a letter to the editor. We have limited space, so we may not
be able to post all the announcements that we receive.
The TBLI Consultancy offers planning
and development services to financial institutions and other organizations
interested in implementing sustainable investment products.
The Consultancy offers Alliance Development and Networking services
to organizations interested in developing or enhancing their CSR
or SRI programs. In many situations, developing the internal capacity
to implement a comprehensive program is time consuming and costly.
Rather than going it alone, TBLI Consulting can help identify and
negotiate strategic alliances or procure the appropriate services
that align with your goals and your SRI or CSR strategy. Moreover,
utilizing our extensive network, we will assist your organization
to recruit partners that fit with your organizational culture and
supplement your SRI or CSR strategy. Click here
to learn more about this service.
Click here to go to the
Consulting website.
Contact Robert Earhart
for more information. |
TBLI 2005 in Frankfurt
Mark your calendars now for
TBLI 2005 - 2-4 November 2005.
The program is almost completed. Details will be made available
in April on our website http://www.tbli.org.
Sponsors
If you would like to be a corporate sponsor for TBLI 2005, please
send an email to robert@tbli.org.
Click TBLI
sponsor packages for details. We will be updating the websites
with the list of sponsors, next month. We welcome the following
sponsors:
Corporate Sponsorship
Lead Sponsor: Deutsche Bank, SIRI Group
Contributing Sponsor: Dexia, ABP
Exhibition Booth: GES, KLD
Network Sponsors
Asria, GES, Good Company, UK Social Investment Forum, KPMG,
Social Investment Forum
Media Sponsor
EPN, Engaged Investors, Ethical Marketplace, Sustainable
Business.Com, CSR Wire, Islamic Finance
CD-ROM TBLI Conference 2004
If you were unable to attend TBLI 2004 or previous
events and would like to receive all the presentations, acv's, and
quick time video(s) of the event, visit the TBLI
CD-Rom order page. The price is €119, (including VAT 19%,
and postage).
Conference attendees at TBLI 2004 received the latest CD-ROM with
their conference materials.
For more information please visit the TBLI
Web site.
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Collapse:
How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
by Jared Diamond
Hardback, 575 pages, ISBN 0670033375, 2005, Price USD 29.95
Jared Diamond takes a comprehensive look at historical and modern
societies that have experienced a severe decline in agriculture,
population, and social order. Environmental damage, climate change,
unsustainable population growth, unstable trading partners, conflicts
with neighboring populations, and outdated cultural values are all
key elements of failing societies. However, many societies found
solutions to these problems and have persisted. This book will change
the way you think about current environmental and social problems.
The
Business of Climate Change: Corporate Responses to Kyoto
Edited by Kathryn Begg, Frans van
der Woerd and David Levy
34 x 156 mm, 336 pp, Hardback, ISBN 1874719578, £40.00 US$75.00
On the eve of Kyoto policy implementation, this book presents a
state-of-the-art analysis of corporate responses to the climate
change issue. Essential reading for policy-makers, academics and
researchers, and businesses wishing to learn about best practice
in the sectors most likely to be seriously affected.
Corporate
Social Responsibility: International Strategic Framework
UK Department of Trade and Industry,
March 2005 (PDF Download)
Socially
Responsible Investing: Triple Bottom Line - People, Planet, and
Profits
By Cliff Feigenbaum and Ted Ketcham,
GreenMoneyJournal.com (Online)
New Sustainability
Reports
Grupo
BBVA Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2004
BMO
Financial Group 2004 Corporate Social Responsibility Report
McDonald’s
Europe Environment Report 2004
Canon
Sustainability Report 2004
Novo Nordisk Annual Report 2004 (Integrated)
Is there a publication or report that you
think should be included in the TBLI Newsletter? Do you have thoughts
or comments about any of the publications listed here? Let us know.
Send a letter to the editor.
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