Statement on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Transforming Systemic Inequity with Malaika Maphalala
ESG: A Paradigm for Resilience by Kirbie Crowe
SRI in Focus: The Vibrant Growth of Sustainable Investing by Michael Kramer
Market Report by Scott Secrest
Download a full PDF copy here: Investing with Intent – Winter 2021
1: SUSTAINABLE INVESTING ASSETS REACH $17. 1 TRILLION (US SIF Foundation)
Total US-domiciled assets under management using sustainable investing strategies grew
from $12.0 trillion at the start of 2018 to $17.1 trillion at the start of 2020––an increase of 42 percent––according to a biennial “Trends Report” by the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (US SIF). The top three issues for money managers and their institutional investor clients: climate
change/carbon emissions, sustainable natural resources/agriculture, and board governance.
2: THE BIDEN ERA COULD BE A BOON TO SUSTAINABLE INVESTING (Barron’s)
Biden has promised ambitious plans for combating climate change and other environmental prerogatives. Experts outline their top seven priorities to strengthen the industry’s ability to move capital into sustainable and socially responsible investments.
Natural Investments is making a long-term commitment to the principles of Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (JEDI).
Justice: We actively seek to dismantle supremacy in all its forms, remove barriers to justice, and use our institutional privilege to address longstanding inequities. We work collaboratively to uphold human dignity and foster systemic change both within our firm and in society.
Equity: While we believe that people of all genders, races, and other identities can succeed, build wealth, and become leaders in our industry, not everyone comes to us with the same background. We seek to proactively level the playing field through sharing power, resources, and opportunities, and embracing our diverse stories and perspectives.
Diversity: We value our differences because collectively, they make us better. Our goal is to achieve meaningful diversity on our team across race, gender, class, and other factors. At the firm level, Natural Investments is currently only adding people of color as new advisors, and we encourage all our advisors to prioritize this in their hiring as well.
Inclusion: We accept people for who they are, without creating pressure to conform or assimilate into the norms of a dominant culture. We encourage everyone to express themselves authentically and respectfully. We commit to examining the impact of our words and actions, and to deepening our awareness of patterns of harm in order to facilitate accountability, understanding, behavioral change, and healing. We engage in training and learning opportunities that build our capacity to embody a welcoming, appreciative, celebratory, and culturally rich environment for all.
by Deborah Nason, CNBC
Another option is YieldCos, according to Michael Kramer, managing partner and director of research with Natural Investments in Kona, Hawaii.
″[These] are essentially renewable energy utilities, often tied to the grid,” Kramer said. “They are lower risk than, say, companies that manufacture equipment.
by Debora Nason, CNBC
Growing rapidly within the socially responsible investing landscape is the world of so-called impact investing, which deploys your money more directly toward solving societal problems.
Largely executed through direct investing platforms, this approach addresses specific problems, such as alleviating poverty in certain communities or reducing pollution.
These investments are designed to generate specific, positive and measurable environmental, social, and/or good governance outcomes, oftentimes with market-rate financial returns, said Michael Kramer, managing partner of Natural Investments in Kona, Hawaii. Furthermore, outcomes can have a local or a societal focus.
What’s at Stake: A Livable Climate Future by Joel Koerner
Even Worse “Worst-Case Scenario” Planning by Christopher Peck
In the News: Responsible Investing – Fall 2020
SRI in Focus: Lunatics in the Asylum by Michael Kramer
Market Report – Fall 2020 by Scott Secrest
Download a full PDF copy here: Investing with Intent: Fall 2020
1: WASHINGTON (PRO FOOTBALL TEAM) MOVES TOWARD CHANGING CONTROVERSIAL TEAM NAME
After public political protest and financial pressure by major corporate backers such as FedEx, Nike, and Pepsi, in July the owner of the Washington, D.C., professional football team agreed to change the team’s derogatory name. The move was celebrated by SRI investors, who have long advocated in support of Indigenous peoples’ fight for years to remove Native references in mascots and logos. Washington Post
Investing to End Racial and Wealth Inequality by Amy Pender
Pandemic Planning: Transitions, Endings, and New Beginnings by Carrie VanWinkle
BLM: Resources for Solidarity Actions
SRI in Focus: Creating a New Normal by Michael Kramer
Market Report – Summer 2020 by Scott Secrest
Download a full PDF copy here: Investing with Intent – Summer 2020
The recent national outcry over police violence against Black Americans highlights both the institutional racism of the criminal justice system and the deep socioeconomic disparities Black communities must contend with. Natural Investments has long been committed to channeling investment capital to community development intermediaries and enterprises operated by and for people of color as a way to address systemic inequality. To bolster Black economic power in this moment, here are some resources for directing investment capital into communities of color.
Download a full PDF copy of our 2019 Social Impact Report
Intentional Growth, Deeper Commitment by Michael Kramer
2019 Shareholder Advocacy Review
Progress on Private Prison Divestment by Kirbie Crowe
Divest, Then Reinvest by Scott Secrest
Spotlight: First Nations Oweesta by James Frazier
Spotlight: The Ujima Fund by Kate Poole
Spotlight: Ecotrust Forest Management by Malaika Maphalala
Mitigating Our Carbon Impact by Christopher Peck
