Posts in Invest Your Values
Tesla dumped by S&P ESG index and Musk cries label is a ‘scam’
Tesla dumped by S&P ESG index and Musk cries label is a ‘scam’

Tesla was recently tagged by sustainable investing advocate As You Sow in a report that ranked 55 companies on their “green” progress.

Most major corporations tell customers and shareholders they’re working toward zero greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years and decades, doing their part to slow global warming. But the speed of progress varies. And many still rely on buying permission to pollute through carbon offsets rather than changing how they source energy, the As You Sow investing group charged. Others, even environmental groundbreaker Tesla, earned poor marks for not publicly sharing emissions data at all. Read More →

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Energy, Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, climate, ESG, tesla
KraneShares ETF seeks ‘low-carbon leaders,’ but dinged on fossil fuel holdings
KraneShares ETF seeks ‘low-carbon leaders,’ but dinged on fossil fuel holdings

But while such companies may be low-carbon in the future, they are high-carbon today, said Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow, a Berkeley, Calif.-based non-profit shareholder advocacy organization that promotes environmental and social responsibility. "Many are also expanding fossil fuel operations at the same time as investing in renewables," Mr. Behar said in an email.

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Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, Andrew Behar, Fossil Free Funds
On Roe v. Wade, big companies already have a precedent for effective action
On Roe v. Wade, big companies already have a precedent for effective action

As the abortion debate intensifies, some corporate activists are urging companies to take prompt action to adopt more favorable reproductive rights policies ahead of any action by the Supreme Court. “Right now, it’s a ripple, but it will become a wave, and once Roe is overturned, it will become a tsunami,” said Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow, a non-profit shareholder organization. Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, Andrew Behar, abortion, Roe vs. Wade
Your 401(k) plan might be funding fossil fuels. This tool lets you know—and helps you change that
Your 401(k) plan might be funding fossil fuels. This tool lets you know—and helps you change that

As You Sow, a shareholder advocacy nonprofit, raises awareness among the public about this irony, primarily using a suite of online tools to help people find out what their companies are investing their earnings in. It’s especially important when that doesn’t align with citizens’ increasing concerns about social and environmental causes. The organization hopes it can “trigger an emotional response” to get them to effect change in company policies. “People simply don’t know that their money is being invested in companies that are destroying their future,” says CEO Andrew Behar. Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, Andrew Behar, 401k
Shareholder group is pressing Comcast and Amazon for climate-friendly 401(k) options for employees
Shareholder group is pressing Comcast and Amazon for climate-friendly 401(k) options for employees

A shareholder advocacy group is pushing Comcast and Amazon to examine why they don’t offer more ”sustainable” funds to employees through their 401(k) retirement plans, arguing that the lack of such options is out of sync with the stated climate goals at each company. The proposal would require the board of each company to produce a report on the issue. As You Sow brought the measure and it received a green light from the Securities and Exchange Commission to go up for an investor vote at this year’s annual meetings — Amazon’s on May 25 and Comcast’s on June 1. Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, 401k, Andrew Behar, comcast, amazon
Is Investing in Defense Contractors Actually Immoral?
Is Investing in Defense Contractors Actually Immoral?

It’s likewise complicated for E.S.G. funds that screen out defense contractors. I spoke with Andrew Montes, the director of digital strategies for As You Sow, a nonprofit based in Berkeley, Calif., that focuses on corporate accountability. He said: “We unequivocally condemn the invasion, and the Ukrainians have a right to defend themselves. But it’s a separate question if defense stocks belong in the portfolio.” Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, Weapon Free Funds, ESG, Andrew Montes
Russia’s War Prompts a Pitch for ‘Socially Responsible’ Military Stocks
Russia’s War Prompts a Pitch for ‘Socially Responsible’ Military Stocks

It certainly does to Andrew Behar, the chief executive of As You Sow, an advocacy and research group that frequently files shareholder proxy proposals on E.S.G. issues.

“We don’t think that you should have any weapons systems in an E.S.G. fund,” he said. The group provides an online tool on the web site Weapon Free Funds that enables investors to screen mutual funds and exchange-traded funds on this issue. Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, Weapon Free Funds, Andrew Behar, ESG
The Key to Sustainable Investing That's Good for the Planet? Homework
The Key to Sustainable Investing That's Good for the Planet? Homework

One of the most popular and easy-to-use tools is the online investment assessment tool from AsYouSow.org, “a non-profit foundation chartered to promote corporate social responsibility through shareholder advocacy,” called “Invest Your Values.” As You Sow promotes what it calls its “theory of change,” that forcing corporate leadership to address the impact of their policies and actions actually reduces the risk to corporations and shareholders. Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You SowESG
An Open letter to Larry Fink: How Your CEO Letter Requires a Few Tweaks
An Open letter to Larry Fink: How Your CEO Letter Requires a Few Tweaks

Andrew Behar once again pens a letter to BlackRock’s CEO.

I particularly appreciate the creation of the “Center for Stakeholder Capitalism” as it answers the request As You Sow made in two shareholder resolutions for an implementation plan of the Business Roundtable pledge. This is exactly what we were looking for. You have my gratitude and personal offer to assist in any way to, “bring together leading CEOs, investors, policy experts, and academics to share their experience and deliver their insights”.

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Shareholder Advocacy, Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, Andrew Behar
As new signs of climate change emerge, here’s how you can invest in companies and funds that keep the environment safe
As new signs of climate change emerge, here’s how you can invest in companies and funds that keep the environment safe

As You Sow, a non-profit focusing on corporate social responsibility, offers an online tool that compares where funds rank with regard to criteria such as deforestation, fossil fuels, gender equality, guns, weapons, tobacco and prisons. Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, Lorie Konish, Fossil Free Funds, funds, deforestation free funds, gun free funds, esg funds, Weapon Free Funds, prison free funds, Gender Equality Funds, invest your values
As Labor reviews ESG rule, study says many 401(k)s don’t reflect sustainability pledges
As Labor reviews ESG rule, study says many 401(k)s don’t reflect sustainability pledges

"Most employees across the nation are unaware their retirement plan investments are profiting from environmentally and socially risky companies," As You Sow said in the report. "The financial risks include stranded assets, reputational risk, and other negative impacts of unsustainable business practices that can destroy shareholder value." Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You Sowhomepage, Talib Visram, 401(k), 401k report card, ESG
A response to ‘Four strategies for effective engagement’: Why the nature of investor-corporate discussion is key for successful outcomes
A response to ‘Four strategies for effective engagement’: Why the nature of investor-corporate discussion is key for successful outcomes

What the companies and large money managers did not mention is the entire ‘shareholder advocacy’ community of professionals. This includes faith-based, impact, and socially responsible investors, as well as non-profit shareholder advocates like As You Sow, the organisation of which I am CEO. Read More →

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Invest Your ValuesAs You SowAndrew Behar, investing, investments, invest your values