http://www.cchange.net Covering the transformations to social, environment and economic sustainability Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:08:33 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Sea Change Radio covers the transformations to social, environmental, and economic sustainability. Change is accelerating in positive and negative directions: the clock is ticking in the race to see which will tip first—the problems or the solutions. Join Sea Change's Host, Alex Wise, as he provides in-depth analysis to help our audience understand possible remedies and potential pitfalls. Sea Change interviews sustainability experts including Paul Hawken, Stewart Brand, Bill McKibben, Van Jones, Lester Brown, and many others. Sea Change airs on over 30 radio stations around the country. Alex Wise clean Alex Wise awise@cchange.net awise@cchange.net (Alex Wise) 2007-2011 Making Connections for Sustainability Sustainability, Climate Change, Human Rights, Environment, Corporate Responsibility, Socially Responsible Investing, Accountability, Stakeholders, Clean Tech, Renewable Energy, Green Jobs, Wealth Divide http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/cwr-images-archive/SeaChangeRadioTAG_square144_sm.jpg http://www.cchange.net Weekly http://www.cchange.net/2010/03/03/democratizing-the-sec-to-address-sustainability/ http://www.cchange.net/2010/03/03/democratizing-the-sec-to-address-sustainability/#comments Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:23:59 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=2387 http://www.cchange.net/2010/03/03/democratizing-the-sec-to-address-sustainability/feed/ 0 Adam Kanzer,citizens united,Climate Change,corporate democracy,corporate governance,domini social investments,esg,Investor Advisory Committee,mary schapiro,securities and exchange commission Sea Change Radio Host Bill Baue talks with Adam Kanzer of Domini Social Investments about the new SEC Investor Advisory Committee, on which he represents the socially responsible investing (SRI) community.  SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro established the co... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/AdamKanzer1-150x150.jpg) Sea Change Radio Host Bill Baue (http://www.cchange.net/about/bill-baue/) talks with Adam Kanzer (http://www.domini.com/about-domini/Management/index.htm#AK) of Domini Social Investments (http://www.domini.com/) about the new SEC Investor Advisory Committee (http://www.sec.gov/spotlight/investoradvisorycommittee.shtml), on which he represents the socially responsible investing (SRI) community.  SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro (http://sec.gov/about/commissioner/schapiro.htm) established the committee as one of her first initiatives (http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2009/2009-126.htm) after taking the helm of the Commission in 2009.  In the NewsAnalysis (http://www.cchange.net/2010/03/03/newsanalysis-dark-clouds-gather-over-sec-climate-regs/), Sea Change Headlines Anchor Tania Haldar Hart (http://www.cchange.net/about/tania-haldar-hart/) discusses conservative backlash against the interpretive guidance (http://sec.gov/rules/interp/2010/33-9106fr.pdf) the SEC recently issued (http://sec.gov/news/press/2010/2010-15.htm) on requirements for companies to disclose risks from climate change. The SEC Investor Advisory Committee met for the third time on February 22 (http://www.sec.gov/news/openmeetings/2010/ssamtg022210.htm), when it considered agenda items (http://www.sec.gov/spotlight/invadvcomm/iacmeeting022210-agenda.pdf) on proxy voting transparency (http://www.sec.gov/spotlight/invadvcomm/iacproposedresproxyvotingtrans.pdf) and a work plan for disclosure of environmental, social, and governance (or ESG) issues, as well as some unscheduled discussion of the significance of the January Supreme Court decision  in the Citizens United (http://www.scotuswiki.com/index.php?title=Citizens_United_v._Federal_Election_Commission) case that opened the door to unlimited corporate contributions to political campaigns. IAC committee member Adam Kanzer started off the interview with some background on the Investor Advisory Committee: when it was born (http://www.sec.gov/rules/other/2009/33-9037.pdf), and what its mandate (http://www.sec.gov/spotlight/investoradvisorycommittee/committee_mission.shtml) is.  He then went on to discuss the workplan on ESG disclosure that the Investor as Owner Subcommittee (http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2009/2009-197.htm) outlined. In the second half of the interview, Bill opened up the issue of the Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case by quoting (http://216.250.243.12/so/020410release.html) corporate governance guru Bob Monks (http://ragmonks.blogspot.com/): "The bad news is that Citizens United represents the worst judicial decision since Dred Scott; the good news is that the Supreme Court of the United States has held that there is such a thing as corporate democracy.  Now is the time for shareholders to put that democracy to work to protect their own interests....” Bill asked Adam for his take on the Citizens United decision, and ways in which the Investor Advisory Committee might weigh in on it. Kanzer urged concerned citizens and investors to submit comments (http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/ruling-comments?ruling=265-25-03&rule_path=/comments/265-25-03&file_num=265-25-03&action=Show_Form&title=SEC%20Investor%20Advisory%20Committee%20Meeting) to the SEC Investor Advisory Committee. Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/16/8-loopholes-in-corporate-reporting/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/16/8-loopholes-in-corporate-reporting/#comments Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:54:57 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=969 http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/16/8-loopholes-in-corporate-reporting/feed/ 2 http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/27/justice-in-the-environment/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/27/justice-in-the-environment/#comments Wed, 27 May 2009 22:01:04 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=890 http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/27/justice-in-the-environment/feed/ 0 corporate governance,human rights,interfaith center on corporate responsibility,jim boyce,leslie lowe,political economy research institute,Shareholder Engagement,Sustainable Public Policy,toxics release inventory Jim Boyce of the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst talks about the new report, Justice in the Air.  It looks at EPA data showing that the toxins spewing from company smokestacks hit minorities and... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/jimboyce-136x150.jpg)(http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/leslielowe-143x150.jpg) Jim Boyce (http://www.peri.umass.edu/PERI-Staff.211.0.html#c121) of the Political Economy Research Institute (http://www.peri.umass.edu/) (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst talks about the new report, Justice in the Air (http://www.peri.umass.edu/justice/).  It looks at EPA data showing that the toxins spewing from company smokestacks hit minorities and the poor hardest.  And Leslie Lowe (http://www.iccr.org/about/staff/staff11_ll.php) of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (http://www.iccr.org/) talks about Chevron's refusal to disclose the $27 billion liability it faces in a court case happening in the Amazonian rainforests of Ecuador.  The company is accused of dumping toxic oil byproducts from years of drilling, damaging the environment and the health of residents. Sea Change Radio Co-Host Bill Baue recently spoke with Justice in the Air lead author Jim Boyce in the WMUA (http://www.wmua.org/) studios at the University of Massachusetts.  Boyce explains how the  report builds on PERI's work in the Corporate Toxics Information Project (http://www.peri.umass.edu/ctip_research/) for the past several years compiling the Toxic 100 (http://www.peri.umass.edu/toxic100/) -- the top 100 corporate air polluters in the US.  This year, with the help of the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (http://college.usc.edu/geography/ESPE/pere.html) at the University of Southern California, the project added an environmental justice (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_justice) component, looking at the impact of pollution on the poor, and people of color.   Boyce distinguishes between environmental justice and traditional environmentalism, which does not take social justice or racism into account.  He also explains how the report slices and dices the data by race and income, as well as by state and municipalities.  He also discusses the "TRI Effect (http://books.google.com/books?id=ovijnnKLw_0C&dq=James+T.+Hamilton,+'Regulation+through+Revelation&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=Z60dSqGNMoi0NZD6pcQF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#PPP1,M1)" (referring to the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (http://www.epa.gov/TRI/)), where the very act of disclosure leads to companies reducing their toxic emissions without further regulation -- though he acknowledges the limits of this effect, and therefore the need for stronger regulation. Leslie Lowe runs the energy and environment program at ICCR, a coalition of 300 faith-based institutional investors with over $100 billion in assets that conducts shareowner action.  In other words, they talk with companies on improving environmental, social, and governance performance.  And when talks stall, they file shareowner resolutions, airing the issue at annual shareholder meetings.  Almost a half-decade ago, Bill Baue interviewed Leslie for a series of articles (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/1681.html) on Chevron failing to disclose to investors the risks it faces from a lawsuit over environmental and human health damages in the Ecuadorian rainforest (Chevron issued a statement (http://www.texaco.com/sitelets/ecuador/en/releases/2005-04-25.aspx) responding to this article on its website (http://www.texaco.com/sitelets/ecuador/en/) on the Ecuador case.)   Bill Baue caught up with Lowe on the day Chevron hosted its annual general meeting, where it faced a resolution (http://trilliuminvest.com/resolutions/stockholder-proposal-report-on-global-environmental-standards/) asking it to disclose more information on the risks it faces from this lawsuit. She provides background (http://chevrontoxico.com/) on the case before discussing more recent developments (http://truecostofchevron.com/report.html), such as New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo sending a letter to Chevron Bill Baue clean 29:30 http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/06/community-governance/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/06/community-governance/#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 19:35:37 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=840 http://www.cchange.net/2009/05/06/community-governance/feed/ 0 Community Economic Engagement,community governance,corporate governance,Fair Trade,Fair Trade Towns,Green Living,human rights,jessie smith noyes foundation,Labor Rights,Local Living Economies,Shareholder Engagement,southwest organizing project Longtime shareowner activist Steve Viederman discusses the notion of community governance, where communities reclaim democratic power of self-determination from corporations and other external forces.  Exemplifying community governance is the Fair Trad... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/steveviederman-150x150.jpg)Longtime shareowner activist Steve Viederman (http://www.sustainability.com/about/profile.asp?id=84) discusses the notion of community governance, where communities reclaim democratic power of self-determination from corporations and other external forces.  Exemplifying community governance is the Fair Trade Towns (http://www.fairtradetownsusa.org/) movement, where communities commit to supporting Fair Trade (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade) commodities such as coffee and cocoa.  We speak about Fair Trade Towns and World Fair Trade Day (http://www.worldfairtradeday09.org/) with Amherst Fair Trade Partnership (http://www.myspace.com/amherstfairtrade) Chair Yuri Friman and Bart's Cafe (http://www.bartshomemade.com/greenfield.htm) owner Al Sax, who is coordinating the launch of the fourth Fair Trade Town here in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_Valley) where we produce Sea Change Radio.  And finally, this week's ViewPoint comes from Liana Foxvog of SweatFree Communities (http://www.sweatfree.org/) on its latest report, Subsidizing Sweatshops II, which identifies how communities can advocate for their state and local governments to avoid buying products such as firefighter uniforms produced in sweatshop conditions. In November 2008, Steve Viederman met with some of the best community organizers in the country at the the South by Southwest Learning Continuum: Southern Echo (http://southernecho.org/s/) from Jackson, Mississippi; Southwest Workers Union (http://www.swunion.org/) (SWU) from San Antonio, Texas; and SouthWest Organizing Project (http://www.swopblogger.org/) (SWOP) from Albuquerque, New Mexico.    "Community governance" was the buzz -- in other words, communities reclaiming democratic power of self-determination from corporations and other external forces.   As longtime president of the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation (http://www.noyes.org/), Viederman helped steer grants to community organizations working to empower citizens and protect their local environment.  For example, the Noyes Foundation helped SWOP engage with Intel (http://www.noyes.org/97pres.html) over environmental issues such as water use and toxics in its New Mexico chip manufacturing facility.  On a recent visit to his grandchildren, Viederman stopped by the studios to chat about community governance. Among other things, he distinguished between communities as stakeholders, the current terminology, and stakeowners, the term Viederman proposes as a more accurate description of communities' rights and responsibilities.   (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/fairtradetown-150x150.jpg)Next, there's a movement afoot for communities to use their collective consumer power to promote Fair Trade, which sets a fair price for commodities like coffee and cocoa and deals directly with worker cooperatives to empower growers globally.  Fair Trade Towns is gaining steam in the US, particularly here in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts where we produce Sea Change Radio.  To find out more, we invited Yuri Friman, Chair of the Amherst Fair Trade Partnership, and Al Sax, who's helping launch Greenfield as the fourth Fair Trade Town in the Valley, into the studio. Bill Baue clean 29:31 http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/08/closing-the-climate-feedback-loop-with-everyday-citizen-opinions/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/08/closing-the-climate-feedback-loop-with-everyday-citizen-opinions/#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:58:53 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=759 http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/08/closing-the-climate-feedback-loop-with-everyday-citizen-opinions/feed/ 2 Alternative Economic Models,Carrick McCullough,Clean Tech,Climate Change,Colin McCullough,Community Economic Engagement,corporate governance,Green Jobs,Green Living,Lars Klüver,nell minow,OurRenewableNation Lars Klüver of the Danish Board of Technology talks about the World Wide Views on Global Warming project he directs that will gather opinions of everyday citizens in 45 countries globally in September 2009 to feed into negotiations at the United Nation... Lars Klüver (http://www.tekno.dk/subpage.php3?page=sekretariatet/person.php3&toppic=om_os&id=1&language=dk) of the Danish Board of Technology (http://www.tekno.dk/subpage.php3?page=forside.php3&language=uk) talks about the World Wide Views on Global Warming (http://www.tekno.dk/subpage.php3?article=1497&toppic=kategori11&language=uk&category=11) project he directs that will gather opinions of everyday citizens in 45 countries globally in September 2009 to feed into negotiations at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (http://en.cop15.dk/) (COP15) in Copenhagen in December 2009.  And Colin and Carrick McCullough of OurRenewableNation.org (http://www.ourrenewablenation.org/index.htm) talk about their "cross-country eco-video adventure" where they will visit, video, and interview folks advancing sustainability solutions -- as well as everyday folks on their thoughts about climate change and this shift toward renewable energy.  Finally, this week's Sea Change ViewPoint comes from Nell Minow (http://www.thecorporatelibrary.com/info.php?id=62) of The Corporate Library (http://www.thecorporatelibrary.com/) with commentary on first steps on toxic assets. Last year at a monthly get-together here in Amherst, Sea Change Co-Host Bill Baue met Dick Sclove, and the two chatted over a beer or two.  Sclove worked for years with a nonprofit that coordinated community consultations around the world, and now he's senior advisor to World Wide Views on Global Warming.  That's an initiative spearheaded by the Danish Board of Technology to gather input to COP15 -- the United Nations Conference on Climate Change happening in  Copenhagen in December 2009.  WWV is coordinating community consultation meetings in 45 countries two months before the conference to gather opinions from everyday citizens on what kinds of climate change policy they'd like to see enacted at COP15.  Baue recently spoke with WWV director Lars Klüver from his office in Denmark. Klüver has agreed to coordinate with Sea Change Radio to cover the events of September 26, and continue following up with interviews of WWV participants around the world. On the day of producing this episode of Sea Change Radio, the New York Times ran an article (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/business/energy-environment/08greenoil.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper) on big oil companies expressing skepticism about the shift to renewable energy.  On the other end of the spectrum, the McCullough family is full of optimism.  They're gearing up to embark on what they're calling a "cross-country eco-video adventure" to visit, video, and interview folks working hard to make the transition to  renewable energy a reality -- no matter what big oil says.  They're heading out from central Massachusetts in early May, and you can follow their progress on the web at OurRenewableNation.org (http://www.ourrenewablenation.org/index.htm).  Sea Change Radio Co-Host Bill Baue spoke with Colin and his nine-year-old son Carrick, who has been nominated for the President's Environmental Youth Award (http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/peya/index.html). The McCulloughs have agreed to send dispatches from the road to Sea Change Radio with interviews of folks working on renewable energy and everyday folks' views on how to tackle climate change. Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/08/viewpoint-nell-minow-with-first-steps-on-toxic-assets%c2%a0/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/08/viewpoint-nell-minow-with-first-steps-on-toxic-assets%c2%a0/#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:58:18 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=765 http://www.cchange.net/2009/04/08/viewpoint-nell-minow-with-first-steps-on-toxic-assets%c2%a0/feed/ 0 corporate governance,nell minow,Sustainable Public Policy,toxic assets  Nell Minow was dubbed the "queen of good corporate governance" by BusinessWeek.  With Bob Monks, she co-founded The Corporate Library, a Portland, Maine-based corporate governance research firm.  In this week's Sea Change ViewPoint,  (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/nellminow.jpg)Nell Minow (http://www.thecorporatelibrary.com/info.php?id=62) was dubbed the "queen of good corporate governance" by BusinessWeek.  With Bob Monks, she co-founded The Corporate Library ... Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/04/the-mindful-path-to-sustainability/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/04/the-mindful-path-to-sustainability/#comments Wed, 04 Mar 2009 21:24:37 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=616 http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/04/the-mindful-path-to-sustainability/feed/ 2 Alternative Economic Models,Aron Cramer,business for social responsibility,Clean Tech,Climate Change,Community Economic Engagement,corporate governance,environmental action,Green Living,Labor Rights,Renewable Energy,stephanie kaza Stephanie Kaza links buddhism and sustainability in her new book, .  Sea Change Co-Host Francesca Rheannon covers coal protests at the Mount Tom Power Plant in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where she interviewed local activists Glen Ayers and Tina Clarke. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/stephaniekaza-150x150.gif)Stephanie Kaza (http://www.uvm.edu/~skaza/) links buddhism and sustainability in her new book, (http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/978-1-59030-583-6.cfm).  Sea Change Co-Host Francesca Rheannon covers coal protests (http://petervickery.blogspot.com/2009/03/mount-tom-demo.html) at the Mount Tom Power Plant (http://www.firstlightpower.com/generation/mttom.asp) in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where she interviewed local activists Glen Ayers and Tina Clarke.  And finally, this week's ViewPoint comes from Business for Social Responsibility (http://www.bsr.org/) CEO Aron Cramer (http://www.bsr.org/about/staff-bio.cfm?DocumentID=2), who proposes three corporate reforms. Witnessing the unfolding disaster of our ecological crisis can be a lonely burden to carry. And our loneliness also keeps us from being able to do anything about it. Now environmental educator and meditator Stephanie Kaza has stepped in to lead us on the “green practice path.”  In her book, MINDFULLY GREEN: A Personal and Spiritual Guide to Whole Earth Thinking, she offers a simple, Buddhist-inspired philosophy for taking up environmental action in ways that overcome our separation from ourselves, each and our world. Kaza is a Professor in the Rubenstein School of Environment & Natural Resources (http://www.uvm.edu/~envnr/) at the University of Vermont (http://www.uvm.edu/).  Her previous books (http://www.uvm.edu/~skaza/?Page=publications/default.html) include (http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/978-1-57062-475-9.cfm),  (http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/978-1-59030-172-2.cfm), and   (http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/978-1-57062-251-9.cfm). Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/03/viewpoint-corporate-reform-the-bigger-picture/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/03/viewpoint-corporate-reform-the-bigger-picture/#comments Wed, 04 Mar 2009 02:01:06 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=611 http://www.cchange.net/2009/03/03/viewpoint-corporate-reform-the-bigger-picture/feed/ 2 Alternative Economic Models,Aron Cramer,business for social responsibility,Climate Change,Community Economic Engagement,corporate governance,corporate structure,Labor Rights,Sustainable Business,Sustainable Public Policy Corporation 20/20, an organization promoting alternative corporate structures, just announced the Second Summit on the Future of the Corporation, slated for this June in Boston.  Discussion amongst those who attended the first Summit in November 2007 w... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/aroncramer-150x150.png)Corporation 20/20 (http://www.corporation2020.org/), an organization promoting alternative corporate structures, just announced the Second Summit on the Future of the Corporation (http://www.summit2020.org/), slated for this June in Boston.  Discussion amongst those who attended the first Summit in November 2007 was abuzz about the future of boards of directors. In the broader press, fingers are pointing, primarily at the banking industry as the culprit and at outrageous executive pay.  As accurate as these points may be, the troubles run deeper and wider, according to  Aron Cramer (http://www.bsr.org/about/staff-bio.cfm?DocumentID=2).  He's CEO of Business for Social Responsibility (http://www.bsr.org/index.cfm) (BSR), a  global nonprofit network of businesses focused on sustainability, and he's on the convening committee for the Future of the Corporation Summit.  In this week's Sea Change ViewPoint, Cramer calls for more structural reforms. It seems everyone needs symbols of our generation's economic meltdown. It’s easy--and tempting--to focus on how GM's Rick Wagoner traveled from Detroit to Washington, or how much of an allowance Bank of America's John Thain got for remodeling his office. But these stories are more useful as fodder for late-night comedy than for serious policymaking. 

These days, many people are treating executive pay as the litmus test of how serious we are in re-ordering the priorities of business. But the brou-haha over compensation is missing the bigger picture: the need to revamp the models that structure how  companies run. It’s called “corporate governance” -- and the way it’s done now lies at the root of many of today’s problems. It's time for Washington to focus on lasting reforms that may prevent a crisis next time. Reforming corporate governance could send some scurrying for the door. They remember the unhappy experience with Sarbanes-Oxley -- once considered the answer to the wave of accounting scandals exemplified by Enron. It required companies to jump through hoops without really improving the situation. But this crisis may give us a second chance to get it right -- to respond to a collapse of trust in business by making more effective changes in the way companies are governed. Three reforms will help business avoid the next crisis.  First, it’s time to reconsider corporate purpose. There’s been a lot of thinking in recent years about whether our current definition of fiduciary duty serves business or society. Right now, the idea is that corporations should consider only the interests of shareholders in making decisions.  In the US, some companies are employing hybrid business forms such as the "B Corporation (http://www.bcorporation.net/),”  and elsewhere, companies like Novo Nordisk are governed by foundations with a broader purpose.  These models redefine what a business is for by including the interests not only of shareholders but of employees, communities, and the environment in its charter.

 Second, more attention should be given to how well directors really know their companies' activities, products and services. While it seems ludicrous to ask whether directors have the core knowledge needed to perform their duties, recent months' events suggest otherwise. The increase of exotic financial instruments raises the question of whether directors have the basic knowledge to exercise effective oversight. When I was in China last summer, an advisor to several Asian boards told me that he observed many directors who simply didn't understand their company's activities. He said this was a ticking time bomb. The bomb now appears to have gone off. 
Third, it's time to  consider the inclusion of Directors who can help companies consider the interests of stakeholders, like workers and communities as well as the environment in guiding corporate decisions. Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/25/viewpoint-efca-human-rights-imperative/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/25/viewpoint-efca-human-rights-imperative/#comments Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:51:11 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=588 http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/25/viewpoint-efca-human-rights-imperative/feed/ 0 Arvind Ganesan,corporate governance,EFCA,Employee Free Choice Act,human rights,Human Rights Watch,Labor Rights,Sustainable Public Policy In January 2009, Human Rights Watch issued a briefing paper entitled Employee Free Choice Act: A Human Rights Imperative.  The paper details some of the glaring deficiencies in current US labor law that significantly impair the right of workers to free... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/arvindganesan-150x150.jpg) In January 2009, Human Rights Watch (http://www.hrw.org/) issued a briefing paper entitled Employee Free Choice Act: A Human Rights Imperative (http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2009/01/27/united-states-employee-free-choice-act).  The paper details some of the glaring deficiencies in current US labor law that significantly impair the right of workers to freely choose whether to form a union.  It recommends that the US Congress pass the Employee Free Choice Act (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employee_Free_Choice_Act) to help remedy these shortcomings and bring US law closer to international standards. Arvind Ganesan (http://www.hrw.org/en/bios/arvind-ganesan), Director of Business and Human Rights at Human Rights Watch, brings us this week's ViewPoint.  When President Obama was campaigning, he promised to support the Employee Free Choice Act. The EFCA, as it is known, would strengthen workers' rights protections in the US and bring them more in line with international standards that the US claims to support. Former President George W. Bush promised to veto it if it ever hit his desk, but now with a Democratically-controlled Congress and White House, there's renewed momentum to pass the bill. And--predictably-- outspoken opposition. EFCA would stiffen currently weak penalties against employers who violate labor laws. It would not undermine the principle of a secret ballot, as some anti-EFCA groups charge. Instead, it would give workers the choice of an election or card-check, preserving their right to a secret ballot if they, not their employers, choose. Current US labor law is a lamb where workers need a lion to champion their rights. It lets employers do all sorts of things to keep workers from unionizing. They can stage one-sided, aggressive anti-union campaigns. They can deny union organizers a chance to respond or even state their views. They can force a union election on workers in order to use the pre-election period to campaign against the union. Even if employers break the law, the penalties are so trivial that companies often treat them as a cost of doing business. Say an employer threatens to close the workplace or suggests employees might lose their benefits if they unionize. The penalty is to post a notice in a lunchroom or some other prominent place promising not to do it again. If they use security cameras to spy on workers who are organizing, the cameras just have to be readjusted.  Worse still, if an employer illegally fires, demotes, or suspends a worker for trying to unionize – the penalty is to reinstate her to her previous post and pay back wages, minus any she earned in the interim. Pretty cheap for an employer, since a few thousand dollars in wages is a nominal cost to thwart a union. And the years of legal wrangling it takes to resolve these cases, means workers often move on to new jobs because they can’t afford to wait for reinstatement. Then there are the enforcement delays. Workers wait about nine months for an administrative law judge to issue a decision in their case. It takes an average of over three years between that filing and a decision on any appeal to the full National Labor Relations Board in Washington, DC. These obstacles are often too big for a worker or a nascent union to overcome. Even if they do, they may not be able to reach a collective agreement because the law doesn't really punish employers who engage in bad-faith negotiating. All that's required is to start the negotiations over, leading to a Groundhog Day-like cycle that doesn't resolve a thing. An employer can basically wage a war of attrition, and win. EFCA would strengthen workers rights, not undermine them as so many of its opponents charge. And in a time of grave economic uncertainty for millions, protecting the rights of individual breadwinners is a change we need. For the Sea Change ViewPoint, Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/11/viewpoint-john-harrington-seeks-economic-security-from-tarp-banks/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/11/viewpoint-john-harrington-seeks-economic-security-from-tarp-banks/#comments Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:19:54 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=556 http://www.cchange.net/2009/02/11/viewpoint-john-harrington-seeks-economic-security-from-tarp-banks/feed/ 0 bank of america,citigroup,corporate accountability,corporate governance,corporate welfare,economic security,goldman sachs,john harrington,securities and exchange commission,Shareholder Engagement,shareholder resolutions,troubled asset relief program Late last year, Harrington Investments President John Harrington filed shareholder resolutions at banks that received billions of taxpayer dollars under the Trouble Asset Relief Program.  Congress bailed out the banks because they are essential to the ... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/johnharrington.jpg) Late last year, Harrington Investments (http://harringtoninvestments.com/default.aspx) President John Harrington (http://harringtoninvestments.com/johnharrington.aspx) filed shareholder resolutions (http://harringtoninvestments.com/111208.aspx) at banks that received billions of taxpayer dollars under the Trouble Asset Relief Program (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troubled_Assets_Relief_Program).  Congress bailed out the banks because they are essential to the stability of our economy, so the resolutions ask for board committees to oversee US Economic Security.  Ironically, Citigroup and Bank of America have petitioned the SEC for permission to ignore the resolutions (http://harringtoninvestments.com/021009.aspx). Text of the ViewPoint: U.S. taxpayers are spending trillions of dollars on corporate welfare to bail out financial institutions and corporations. The managers who led those companies were incompetent and overpaid--and now they've put our country on the brink of economic catastrophe. They leveraged massive amounts of borrowed money, engaged in speculative trading and gambled away much of our future and our children's future. Two of the largest bank corporate welfare checks have gone to Bank of America and Citigroup; almost a hundred billion dollars. But these financial giants don't think they have any obligation to tell us how they are spending the money we've given them. Last year, I introduced shareholder resolutions at these two banks, and at Goldman Sachs, to correct that. I wanted them to create what I called "committees on U.S. economic security".  Their purpose? To insert into the DNA of company policy, a fiduciary duty to consider the economic security of the United States when they make banking decisions.  A duty to consider how those decisions affect such things as mortgage foreclosures in the U.S., the wages of American workers and how much is reinvested in our country's economy. But Bank of America and Citigroup are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of our taxpayer bailout money on convincing the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to deny shareholders the right to vote on this important issue.  They're asking the SEC for permission to exclude the resolutions from the proxy ballot. The directors of Bank of America and Citigroup claim that corporate business decisions are better left only to management, and that shareholders should be denied a hearing and vote on the issue. They're saying it's none of anyone's business how they run their financial institutions using our money. How are they using our money? Bank of America has already spent seven billion dollars of our money to buy almost 20% of the Chinese Construction Bank. This foreign bank is controlled by the Chinese  government--a government whose interests don't necessarily coincide with ours.  How does this help the American economy?  Why is our money being invested in a Chinese government bank? The banks say, these and other business decisions they make are "ordinary business" and not a "public policy issue." Oh, really? Then why did they grab $100 billion dollars of taxpayer money and continue to lobby Congress and the President formore? Sure, both companies have a fiduciary duty to make corporate policy decisions in the best interest of shareholders. But as long as they're taking our money, their decisions are a public policy issue of the most fundamental sort -- the economic security of the United States may literally become a life or death issue for millions of Americans. We need to demand, in no uncertain terms, that the SEC recognizes a new day dawning in America--a new day calling for greater corporate accountability and responsibility for corporate managers who spend taxpayer money.  The future of our country may depend upon it. For the Sea Change ViewPoint, I'm John Harrington, President of Harrington Investments. Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/28/after-capitalism-prout-as-a-sustainable-democratic-economic-model/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/28/after-capitalism-prout-as-a-sustainable-democratic-economic-model/#comments Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:14:18 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=470 http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/28/after-capitalism-prout-as-a-sustainable-democratic-economic-model/feed/ 0 Alternative Economic Models,Clean Tech,Climate Change,climate policy,Climate Progress,Community Economic Engagement,corporate governance,corporate social responsibility,EPA,greenhouse gas emissions,joe romm,Lisa Woll Today, Dada Maheshvarananda meditates on the alternative economic model of Progressive Utilization Theory, or PROUT. Joe Romm of Climate Progress analyzes the climate resolve of the Obama Administration. Lisa Woll of the Social Investment Forum propose... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/dadamaheshvarananda-150x150.jpg) Today, Dada Maheshvarananda meditates on the alternative economic model of Progressive Utilization Theory (http://www.prout.org/), or PROUT. Joe Romm of Climate Progress (http://climateprogress.org/) analyzes the climate resolve of the Obama Administration. Lisa Woll of the Social Investment Forum (http://www.socialinvest.org/) proposes (http://www.socialinvest.org/documents/ObamaAdministrationFINAL1.14.pdf) an Office for Innovation in Corporate Social Responsibility to the Obama Administration.  And auto and environment expert Jim Motavalli (http://www.jimmotavalli.com/index.html) comments on the significance of President Obama's executive order (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090126/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_greenhouse_gases) directing the EPA to reconsider its refusal to grant California a waiver allowing it to regulate greenhouse gases from autos. Capitalism, in the highly deregulated form currently practiced, is showing signs of collapse.  What happens After Capitalism?  Dada Maheshvarananda meditates on this very , which outlines the alternative economic model of Progressive Utilization Theory, or PROUT.  Maheshvarananda directs the PROUT Institute of Venezuela (http://www.priven.org/).  Last Thanksgiving, he visited our studios, soon after he had published a commentary (http://vcr.csrwire.com/node/11848) entitled "The Human Cost of Economic Meltdown and Its Alternative." Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/28/newsanalysis-lisa-woll-proposes-federal-office-of-csr-innovation/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/28/newsanalysis-lisa-woll-proposes-federal-office-of-csr-innovation/#comments Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:14:05 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=467 http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/28/newsanalysis-lisa-woll-proposes-federal-office-of-csr-innovation/feed/ 0 Clean Tech,Climate Change,corporate governance,corporate social responsibility,government accountability office,human rights,kenan institute,Lisa Woll,Obama,Renewable Energy,Shareholder Engagement,shareholders The Social Investment Forum (SIF) submitted a letter to President Obama listing a series of policy proposals, from proxy access allowing shareholders to nominate board candidates to "say on pay" giving investors a vote on executive compensation. (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/lisawoll.jpg)The Social Investment Forum (http://www.socialinvest.org/) (SIF) submitted a letter (http://www.socialinvest.org/documents/ObamaAdministrationFINAL1.14.pdf) to President Obama listing a series of policy proposals, from proxy access allowing shareholders to nominate board candidates to "say on pay" giving investors a vote on executive compensation.  SIF also urges the Obama Administration to establish an Office for Innovation in Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR.  This idea dates back to the early 2000s, propounded (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/article1251.html) first by Susan Aaronson at the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, and supported by a Government Accountability Office report (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/1817.html) finding major lack of coordination on federal CSR initiatives.  SIF CEO Lisa Woll explains the rationale behind the recommendations, and how they will promote advancement toward sustainability. Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/19/blog-top-corporate-social-responsibility-news-of-2008/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/19/blog-top-corporate-social-responsibility-news-of-2008/#comments Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:53:49 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=419 http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/19/blog-top-corporate-social-responsibility-news-of-2008/feed/ 1 http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/14/investing-in-sustainability/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/14/investing-in-sustainability/#comments Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:32:28 +0000 Francesca Rheannon http://www.cchange.net/?p=330 http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/14/investing-in-sustainability/feed/ 1 Cary Krosinky,corporate governance,HSBC,human rights,interfaith center on corporate responsibility,John Ruggie,Nick Robins,responsible investing,Shareholder Engagement,shareowner activism,social investment forum,Sustainable Business Today, Sea Change Radio talks with Nick Robins of HSBC and Cary Krosinsky of Trucost about their book, Sustainable Investing.  We also visit the Responsible Investing Forum, produced in association with the Social Investment Forum, (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/nickrobins-150x150.jpg)(http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/carykrosinsky-150x150.jpg)Today, Sea Change Radio talks with Nick Robins of HSBC (http://www.hsbc.com/1/2/home) and Cary Krosinsky of Trucost (http://www.trucost.com/) about their book, Sustainable Investing (http://amapedia.amazon.com/view/Sustainable+Investing:+The+Art+of+Long+Term+Performance+(Environmental+Markets+Insights+Series)/id=930674).  We also visit the Responsible Investing Forum (http://www.iievents.com/event_details.asp?eventID=708518&expired=true), produced in association with the Social Investment Forum (http://www.socialinvest.org/), where we speak with Tim Smith of Walden Asset Management (http://www.waldenassetmgmt.com/) about shareowner activism and hear the excerpts from the keynote (http://www.reports-and-materials.org/Ruggie-address-to-Responsible-Invest-Forum-12-Jan-2009.pdf) of John Ruggie (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ruggie), the UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights (http://www.business-humanrights.org/Gettingstarted/UNSpecialRepresentative). People have long considered the impact of their financial transactions on society and the planet. In the 1970s, the launch of the Pax World Balanced Fund formalized SRI, and the field has grown to where now, one in nine dollars is invested using SRI.  But as the world continues to change, so too does the SRI field.  In 2007, Joe Keefe and Julie Gorte of Pax World coined the term "sustainable investing" to describe a process based less on values, and more on the value created by investing in a sustainable world.  In our conversation with Cary Krosinsky and Nick Robins, we explore the distinctions and commonalities between SRI and sustainable investing. Francesca Rheannon clean http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/07/viewpoint-transition-brings-opportunity-corporate-campaigners/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/07/viewpoint-transition-brings-opportunity-corporate-campaigners/#comments Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:43:45 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=298 http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/07/viewpoint-transition-brings-opportunity-corporate-campaigners/feed/ 0 business ethics,Charlie Cray,corporate accountability,corporate governance,Labor Rights,Obama,Shareholder Engagement,Sustainable Public Policy Charlie Cray of the Center for Corporate Policy gives his take on the opportunities -- and dangers -- of the transition to the Obama Administration. Corporate campaigners can call on the new team to shift power away from the corporate stranglehold and... Charlie Cray of the Center for Corporate Policy gives his take on the opportunities -- and dangers -- of the transition to the Obama Administration. Corporate campaigners can call on the new team to shift power away from the corporate stranglehold and back into the hands of the people and their government. However, this is no time for complacency, according to Cray.  Corporate lobbyists remain deeply embedded in DC, pushing for business-as-usual when it comes to corporate regulation and accountability. This ViewPoint is produced in partnership with BEN, the Business Ethics Network, a consortium of corporate accountability activists. The Center for Corporate Policy (http://www.corporatepolicy.org/) Business Ethics Network (http://www.businessethicsnetwork.org/article.php?list=type&type=176) Bill Baue clean 4:06