Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Many water leaders face a conundrum – they know massive system investments are needed, but have a steep hill to climb to gain necessary approvals and rate recovery for such investments. Stand-alone, multimillion dollar technology programs often take a back seat to repairing and replacing aging distribution system assets.

Richard Choularton is a senior associate focused on food security and climate resilience with Tetra Tech International Development Services. As the former Chief of the World Food Programme’s Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction Unit, he is a recognized, world-renowned expert in climate change adaptation and risk mitigation, resilience, food security, emergency preparedness, and early warning systems.

In a paper published earlier this month in the Spring 2017 Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Tim Youmans, Research Director, Strategic Investor Initiative, CECP, and Brian Tomlinson, Senior Research Advisor, Strategic Investor Initiative, CECP, detail how the existing structure of corporate shareholder communications encourages “short-termism,” or the narrow focus on immediate profit at the expense of long-term security. The paper summarizes the substantial evidence that corporate management, boards, and investors are concerned about the failure of quarterly earnings framework to adequately address the importance of long-term value creation.

New models of product design, process engineering, packaging, and local distributed manufacturing are springing daily from bio-inspired minds. A 2010 economic study predicted that Biomimicry could represent $1 trillion of global Gross Domestic Product by 2025, and in 2012, Biomimicry topped the Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ annual list of “innovations that could change the way you manufacture.” Fortune provocated: “if you’re not incorporating the most brilliant ideas from the natural world into what you sell, you’re leaving money on the table.”

The Visionary Dinner raises awareness and funding for Southface’s continued work in high-performance affordable housing, green infrastructure, clean energy, healthy buildings and sustainable communities. The evening brings together more than 400 policy makers, industry leaders, development and construction professionals, interested community citizens and stakeholders to network and celebrate environmental leadership in the region. This year, the Visionary Dinner will include a provocative conversation on the changing landscape for collaboration among cities to create healthy and resilient communities through the eyes of national leaders in philanthropy.

KeyBank’s Community Development Lending & Investment (CDLI) team provided a total of $11.8 million in financing for the construction of Meriwether Place Apartments, an affordable housing development, located in Vancouver, WA.

Jennifer Miller and Laura Thompson of Sappi North America answer questions on emerging issues in sustainable business practices.

Hess’ sustainability strategy is driven by its unwavering commitment to protect the health and safety of its people, safeguard the environment, and contribute to the sustainability of the communities where it operates, while delivering long-term value to its shareholders.

Whole Planet Foundation welcomes nuun hydration as a new member of the $10,000 Fund and as a sponsor of this year’s Virtual 10K Run, which aims to raise funds for microlending projects in 69 countries. “Our mission at nuun is simple in that ‘we inspire everyone to move more,’” says Kevin Rutherford, CEO (Chief Eternal Optimist) at nuun hydration. “The team at nuun is thrilled to partner with the positive change agents at Whole Planet Foundation, getting more people moving in the Virtual 10K Run, while giving back to help lift entrepreneurs out of poverty.” Visit Whole Planet Foundation’s blog for hydration tips from nuun and a chance to receive a limited edition nuun x WPF water bottle with your Virtual 10K registration and t-shirt purchase.