Sustainable Investment

The 2015 results of the annual Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) Review have been announced today by RobecoSAM and S&P Dow Jones Indices. The DJSI World includes only the top 10% of companies per industry, making it the gold standard for corporate sustainability.

Smart home technology leader Nexia™ Home Intelligence, a brand of Ingersoll Rand (NYSE:IR), and Rachio, maker of the Iro Smart Sprinkler Controller, announced new compatibility that combines Iro’s smart-sensing irrigation technology with the convenience and flexibility of the Nexia home automation system and all-in-one app.

Creating greater awareness of water events and sustainable water stewardship, the Blue Legacy Newsroom, a partnership between Blue Legacy International (Blue Legacy) and The Global Environment & Technology Foundation (GETF), with support from Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. (Keurig) (NASDAQ: GMCR), has unveiled its first pilot video news stories exploring the nutrient pollution challenges and toxic blue algae on Lake Champlain, Vermont.

The City of Santa Rosa, CA, is collaborating with Trane, a leading global provider of indoor comfort solutions and services, to execute an innovative project that will increase energy independence at the city’s Laguna Wastewater Treatment Plant. This project includes implementing a $5 million grant from the California Energy Commission, the state’s primary energy and planning agency.

The Novartis Foundation and its partners will highlight progress towards transforming the health of the poorest populations at the 9th European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health (ECTMIH) held in Basel from September 6 – 10. Updates on nine Novartis Foundation-sponsored healthcare delivery models and disease elimination programs in low- and middle-income countries will be showcased in scientific sessions and sponsored-symposia.

The origins of financial services were good. Banks, insurance companies and investment houses used the power of the collective to pool and manage money, offering the customer a better deal than had they been acting alone.

Jason Bingham, vice president of energy services and controls at Trane, a brand of Ingersoll Rand, will share insights with participants at the Fourth Annual Market Transformation Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, 8/31-9/2, in Charlotte, NC.

Today, after 15 years at the helm of the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, Georg Kell will step down as Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, the organization he helped found in 2000 and which he has built into a global movement over the past decade.

People have been talking for years about the “valley of death” between seed money and growth capital that confronts and sometimes swallows up social enterprises. Now we’re finally starting to see a critical mass of funders willing to fill the gap with capital combinations designed for enterprises that maximize social and environmental value.