Welcome to the long recovery. Many thought, as I did, that our economic “downturn” would end as quickly as it began. But it seems the downturn has exposed lingering problems in our society and financial world as well as in energy, education, and healthcare, just to name a few. And in this election year, let’s not forget the problems in politics.
So yes, many challenges are not being adequately addressed. High unemployment and the trillions of debt accumulated by the US government and other nations are chief among these challenges. When we borrow too much, as the US has done, it makes us vulnerable to our lenders. Furthermore, our oil addiction has trapped our military in the Middle East, while many of those countries loan us money, along with China and Japan. Thus we see the need for more private sector jobs, more renewable energy, and less government spending/borrowing.
Innovative and prosperous solutions, however, are forthcoming. Many in Sustainable Investing and Business are working on these new ideas, which of course we\’ve continued to highlight here. Though we believe investing money ethically can have a positive impact, this election year has spotlighted the unfathomable amount of dollars available to (unduly) impact and influence politics and politicians.
The overwhelming stream of election dollars is not transparent, since the Supreme Court\’s “Citizens United” decision permitted Super PACs to do unlimited funding (from US and even foreign sources) of political campaigns. Simply put, politics and money are out of control.
Much of this could be addressed if companies, especially publicly traded companies, were required to disclose how much and to whom they give political contributions. Lobbying firms and lobbyists should also disclose their money sources well before the elections. It is important for ALL political parties to disclose this financial information. It is also fair and reasonable for voters to know which candidates are beholden to which organizations and companies.
We believe that transparency and accountability are keys to sustainability. The more open and honest a company is, the less likely something they’ve been hiding will be uncovered.
This Spring 2012 issue commences GreenMoney’s 20th Anniversary year. We begin by interviewing eco-adventurer and environmental advocate Philippe Cousteau. Then, as we do every few years, we offer a full update on the NI Social Ratings on our Mutual Fund Performance Chart (in the Print editions), with insights by Michael Kramer of Natural Investments.
And because where you invest your money and where you bank matters, we feature articles on The Cooperative Fund of New England and on the New Resource Bank, based in San Francisco. Both are making positive impacts in and beyond their communities.
Also here on GreenMoney.com you’ll find several new books overviewed by their authors, including Cary Krosinsky who edited “Evolutions of Sustainable Investing,” and Jed Emerson & Antony Bugg-Levine on “Impact Investing.” Then check out our large Global Green Events calendar for information on numerous events such as the CERES Conference in Boston in April, the US SIF Conference in Washington, DC in May, and the TBLI Conference in Hong Kong also in May.
As mentioned, this is our 20th Anniversary Year. Coming up in Summer 2012 is Part 1 of two Special Anniversary issues. In the Summer 2012 special e-Newsletter you will read solutions-based articles on “The Next 20 Years” by Barbara Krumsiek, CEO of Calvert Funds; Gary Hirshberg, co-founder of Stonyfield Farm; Cheryl Smith, president of Trillium Investment Management; long time friend and SRI professional Hal Brill; and Megan Epler Wood of Planeterra on ecotravel. Be sure to sign up for this e-Newsletter here on GreenMoney.com
In closing, editor Ted Ketcham and I thank our readers, advertisers, sponsors and writers for a great first 20 years.
-Cliff Feigenbaum, Publisher and Founder, Greenmoney Journal
