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/2009/07/21/arc-of-change-paul-neuhauser-the-beginning-of-shareholder-activism-the-end-of-apartheid/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/07/21/arc-of-change-paul-neuhauser-the-beginning-of-shareholder-activism-the-end-of-apartheid/#comments Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:20:51 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=1408 http://www.cchange.net/2009/07/21/arc-of-change-paul-neuhauser-the-beginning-of-shareholder-activism-the-end-of-apartheid/feed/ 0 http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/22/sea-change-media-produces-arc-of-change-the-iccr-story-2/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/22/sea-change-media-produces-arc-of-change-the-iccr-story-2/#comments Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:35:56 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=1299 http://www.cchange.net/2009/06/22/sea-change-media-produces-arc-of-change-the-iccr-story-2/feed/ 0 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/2009/01/19/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/2009/01/14/news-analysis-tim-smith-shareowner-activism/ http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/14/news-analysis-tim-smith-shareowner-activism/#comments Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:24:20 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/?p=334 http://www.cchange.net/2009/01/14/news-analysis-tim-smith-shareowner-activism/feed/ 1 Climate Change,interfaith center on corporate responsibility,securities and exchange commission,Shareholder Engagement,shareholder resolutions,shareowner activism,Sustainable Public Policy Tim Smith, an early innovators of shareowner activism in the 1970s, analyzes this year's proxy season. Smith was head of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility. ICCR practically invented the process of filing shareholder resolutions at com... (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/timsmith1.jpg) Tim Smith, an early innovators of shareowner activism in the 1970s, analyzes this year's proxy season. Smith was head of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (http://www.iccr.org/). ICCR practically invented the process of filing shareholder resolutions at companies they invest in raising concern around the environmental, society, and governance -- now known as ESG. For years, he attended companies' general meetings during proxy season when investors vote on shareholder resolutions. In the early 2000s, when Sea Change Co-Host Bill Baue wrote for SocialFunds.com (http://www.socialfunds.com/), he often interviewed Smith, who chaired the Social Investment Forum (http://www.socialinvest.org/), the socially responsible investing trade association. Smith remains active in shareowner activism as senior vice president of the ESG group at Walden Asset Management (http://www.waldenassetmgmt.com/) in Boston. Baue caught up with Smith earlier this week in New York City at the Responsible Investing Forum (http://www.iievents.com/event_details.asp?eventID=708518&expired=true). There, Smith discussed the current batch of shareholder resolutions coming to vote this proxy season. In particular, he discussed a resolution Walden filed at State Street (http://www.statestreet.com/), a Boston-based bank, to review its proxy voting record and guidelines. The resolution was sparked in part by a report (http://www.ceres.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=879&srcid=705) Baue co-authored in 2008 for Ceres (http://www.ceres.org/) characterizing State Street as "schizophrenic" for promoting some of its investment products that address climate change but voting against every single climate change resolution in all its holdings. Smith is perplexed at the no-action letter (http://www.sec.gov/divisions/corpfin/cf-noaction/14a-8/2008/waldenasset122408-14a8-incoming.pdf) State Street sent to the US Securities and Exchange Commission requesting permission to omit the resolution from its proxy ballot this year. Disclosure: Sea Change Media is producing podcasts for ICCR. Bill Baue clean http://www.cchange.net/2008/09/17/market-meltdown/ http://www.cchange.net/2008/09/17/market-meltdown/#comments Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:48:00 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/2008/09/17/market-meltdown/ http://www.cchange.net/2008/09/17/market-meltdown/feed/ 0 american international group,bank of america,Barney Frank,chris martenson,credit crisis,house financial services committee,interfaith center on corporate responsibility,jim crotty,laura berry,lehman brothers,merrill lynch,subprime meltdown We woke up this week to find Lehman Brothers, the venerable bank founded over a century ago, belly up, and Merrill Lynch merged with Bank of America in a shot-gun wedding. And late last night, the Fed announced it had taken control the mega-insurer Am... We woke up this week to find Lehman Brothers, the venerable bank founded over a century ago, belly up, and Merrill Lynch merged with Bank of America in a shot-gun wedding. And late last night, the Fed announced it had taken control the mega-insurer American International Group, or AIG. As the subprime meltdown continues, it feels as if the market is crumbling around us. What caused this crisis, and where do we go from here? To address these questions, we speak with three experts. Economics Professor Jim Crotty of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst explains the underpinnings of the problem. Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility Executive Director Laura Berry talks about how the faith-based lens exposed problems in predatory subprime lending a decade-and-a-half ago. And independent economic analyst Chris Martenson gazes into his crystal ball to project the likely trajectory of the credit crisis. (http://www.iccr.org/about/images/lauracolor.JPG)Laura Berry of ICCR (http://www.chrismartenson.com/system/files/u4/chris_martenson_150_px.jpg)Chris Martenson (http://people.umass.edu/crotty/index_files/image2981.jpg)Jim Crotty of the University of Massachusetts Extended interview with Jim Crotty: part 1 (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/Crotty1.mp3) and part two (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/crotty2.mp3). In place of CWR headlines, this week we hear extended comments from Steve Adamske, communications director of the House Financial Services Committee (http://financialservices.house.gov/), about Chair Barney Frank's plan to create a new federal entity to oversee government management of companies collapsing due to mortgage debt. Frank Says Financial Crisis May Call for Government Entity (http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2008/09/16/frank-says-financial-crisis-may-call-for-government-entity/) Bill Baue clean 29:46 http://www.cchange.net/2008/07/02/the-myth-of-clean-coal/ http://www.cchange.net/2008/07/02/the-myth-of-clean-coal/#comments Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:29:00 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/2008/07/02/the-myth-of-clean-coal/ http://www.cchange.net/2008/07/02/the-myth-of-clean-coal/feed/ 1 clean coal,DotEarth,EPA,global warming,interfaith center on corporate responsibility,leslie lowe,power plant Utilities and coal companies are pushing to open over a hundred new coal-fired power plants in the US. But activists, investors, communities, consumers, and scientists are pointing to financial, regulatory, environmental, (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/cwr-images-archive/DontGetBurnedsm.jpg)(http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/cwr-images-archive/leslielowe_edit.gif) Utilities and coal companies are pushing to open over a hundred new coal-fired power plants in the US. But activists, investors, communities, consumers, and scientists are pointing to financial, regulatory, environmental, and social risks that far outweigh the potential benefits of coal. And they are pulling back the veil from the myth of clean coal, exposing that king coal is a naked emperor. Carbon capture and storage, the key to coal's "clean" claims, has years of technical and economic hurdles to cross. Leslie Lowe, director of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibilty's Energy & Environment Program, speaks with us today about the risks of committing to a future of new coal plants. Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (http://www.iccr.org/) ICCR Report: Don't Get Burned: The Risks of Investing in New Coal-Fired Generating Facilities New York City Comptroller letter asking Department of Energy to review tax-exempt status of bonds for new coal plants ( http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/press/pdfs/06-16-08_Solomon-6-6-08.pdf) CWR Headlines: --Airlines Flying to and From Europe Will Have to Pay for Emissions (http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/26/business/air.php) --Coal plants get thumbs up (http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/06/26/ap5158045.html) -- and thumbs down (http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2008/06/30/coal_ruling.html) --Leading Climate Scientist calls Coal and Oil CEO's Criminals (http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/are-big-oil-and-big-coal-climate-criminals/) --Clean coal gets a boost from the US Dept of Energy (http://www.doe.gov/news/6359.htm) James Hansen Congressional testimony: Global Warming Twenty Years Later: Tipping Points Near CWR ViewPoint:  read (http://vcr.csrwire.com/node/8986) (Thanks to our partner CSRwire for posting text of CWR commentaries.) (http://vcr.csrwire.com/files/blogpics/yochi_coop_headshot_cropped.jpg) Yochi Zakai of Co-op America points out that clean coal is dirtier than it's cracked up to be. He comments on the recent Georgia court ruling against a new coal plant proposed by Dynegy, and Co-op America's ongoing activism aimed at that company and others in the industry. Co-op America "Stop the Coal Rush" Campaign (http://www.coopamerica.org/takeaction/nocoal/) Bill Baue clean 28:21 http://www.cchange.net/2008/03/05/past-present-and-future-of-shareowner-activism/ http://www.cchange.net/2008/03/05/past-present-and-future-of-shareowner-activism/#comments Wed, 05 Mar 2008 18:57:00 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/2008/03/05/interfaith-center-on-corporate-responsibility-defines-past-present-and-future-of-shareowner-activism/ http://www.cchange.net/2008/03/05/past-present-and-future-of-shareowner-activism/feed/ 0 Climate Change,corporate social responsibility,corporate sustainability,corporate watchdog,interfaith center on corporate responsibility,new york times,shareowner activism Corporate Watchdog Radio co-hosts Francesca Rheannon and Bill Baue speak with Laura Berry, executive director of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility. Founded in 1971, ICCR pioneered the modern practice of shareowner activism by reviving ... Corporate Watchdog Radio co-hosts Francesca Rheannon and Bill Baue speak with Laura Berry, executive director of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility. Founded in 1971, ICCR pioneered the modern practice of shareowner activism by reviving an obscure rule allowing shareowners to file resolutions addressing social and environmental issues at company annual meetings and on their proxies. Now, over three-and-a-half decades later, ICCR is a coalition of about 275 faith-based institutional investors with over $100 billion in assets who filed over 300 resolutions this proxy season. Berry clarifies common misconceptions about how the ins and outs of shareowner activism. For example, media accounts often report a less-than-majority vote as a "defeat," when in fact, companies often implement what resolutions request when they receive 20 percent or more support. She also discusses transformations she sees taking place in the corporate social responsibility landscape. CWR also debuts a new segment with headlines on corporate sustainability developments from the past week, the first in a series of exciting changes to enhance the show. Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (http://www.iccr.org/) Edited transcript of this interview on SocialFunds.com (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2487.html) CWR HEADLINES: February 27, 2008 Geophysical Research Letters abstract: "Stabilizing climate requires near-zero emissions" February 29, 2008 Reuters article: "Weyerhaeuser, Chevron Form Biofuels Joint Venture" February 28, 2008 Gristmill blog on "Stabilizing climate requires near-zero emissions" (http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/2/28/134525/930) February 27, 2008 New York Times article: "Flooded Village Files Suit, Citing Corporate Link to Climate Change" Bill Baue clean 28:15 http://www.cchange.net/2008/02/27/activist-investors-promote-genocide-free-mutual-funds/ http://www.cchange.net/2008/02/27/activist-investors-promote-genocide-free-mutual-funds/#comments Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:32:00 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/2008/02/27/activist-investors-promote-genocide-free-mutual-funds/ http://www.cchange.net/2008/02/27/activist-investors-promote-genocide-free-mutual-funds/feed/ 0 EPA,Eric Cohen,human rights,interfaith center on corporate responsibility,shareowner activism,sudan,sudan divestment,Tim Smith CWR co-hosts Bill Baue and Francesca Rheannon speak with Eric Cohen, chairperson for Investors against Genocide and Tim Smith, senior vice president at Walden Asset Management and immediate past chair of the Social Investment Forum, CWR co-hosts Bill Baue and Francesca Rheannon speak with Eric Cohen, chairperson for Investors against Genocide and Tim Smith, senior vice president at Walden Asset Management and immediate past chair of the Social Investment Forum, about the campaign promoting targeted divestment by mutual funds from companies supporting the Khartoum regime in the Sudan. Smith, who helped pioneer the practice of shareholder activism encouraging companies to adopt more sustainable and responsible practices as a founder of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, discusses the novelty and efficacy of engaging mutual funds, which has rarely been practiced until now. Cohen explains the strategy in-depth, noting that the SEC upheld its validity after mutual fund giant Fidelity challenged it legally. He also cites a 2007 survey in which 71% of respondents said that mutual fund companies should take into account extreme cases of human rights abuses when investing overseas, rather than make their investment decisions on economic criteria alone. edited transcript of this interview on SocialFunds.com (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/article2478.html) Investors against Genocide (http://investorsagainstgenocide.googlepages.com/) Fidelity Confirms Vote on Genocide-free Investing (http://www.csrwire.com/News/11188.html) Walden Asset Management (http://www.waldenassetmgmt.com/) Social Investment Forum (http://www.socialinvest.org/) Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (http://www.iccr.org/) July 5, 2006 edition of CWR: "Sudan Divestment" (http://corporatewatchdogmedia.blogspot.com/2006/07/sudan-divestment.html) May 22, 2007 SocialFunds article: "Fidelity Divests Large Chunk of Sudan-Related Holdings" (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2299.html) July 21, 2006 SocialFunds article: "Filing Resolutions at Mutual Funds: The Next Frontier for Shareowner Activism?" (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2062.html) March 9, 2006 SocialFunds article: "Sudan Presents Investment Risk as Genocidal Regime and State Sponsor of Terrorism" (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/1950.html) June 1, 2005 SocialFunds article: "Students and States Seek to End Genocide in Sudan Through Divestment Campaigns" (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/article1722.html) December 10, 2004 SocialFunds article: "Divesting From Genocide: A Conversation with Eric Reeves of the Divest Sudan Campaign" December 14, 2004 SocialFunds article: "Divesting from Genocide: More Conversation with Eric Reeves of the Divest Sudan Campaign" (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/article1589.html) Bill Baue clean 27:22 http://www.cchange.net/2006/10/18/the-gap-helps-fight-hivaids-through-product-red-campaign/ http://www.cchange.net/2006/10/18/the-gap-helps-fight-hivaids-through-product-red-campaign/#comments Wed, 18 Oct 2006 15:23:00 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/2006/10/18/the-gap-helps-fight-hivaids-through-product-red-campaign/ http://www.cchange.net/2006/10/18/the-gap-helps-fight-hivaids-through-product-red-campaign/feed/ 0 gap inc,interfaith center on corporate responsibility,pharmaceutical companies,social responsibility Dan Henkle, senior vice president of Social Responsibility at Gap Inc, discusses how the company is contributing 50 percent of profits on merchandise in its (PRODUCT) RED campaign to the Global Fund to help women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Af... Dan Henkle, senior vice president of Social Responsibility at Gap Inc, discusses how the company is contributing 50 percent of profits on merchandise in its (PRODUCT) RED campaign to the Global Fund to help women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa. Dan Rosan, program director on public health at the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), assesses the effectiveness of the PRODUCT (RED) campaign in general and the Gap's participation in it specifically, as well as discussing the strengths of how the Global Fund functions. Rosan also discusses a recent ICCR report that is the first to benchmark performance on HIV/AIDS across the top 10 biggest pharmaceutical companies globally--and finds company responses to the pandemic sorely lacking. (PRODUCT) RED (http://www.joinred.com/) SocialFunds article: (PRODUCT) RED Combats HIV/AIDS by Funneling Portions of Sales to the Global Fund (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2140.html) SocialFunds article: ICCR Benchmarks Pharma Responses to AIDS and Diseases of Poverty in Emerging Markets (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2086.html) Bill Baue clean 29:00 http://www.cchange.net/2005/12/08/environment-and-human-rights-chevron-in-ecuador/ http://www.cchange.net/2005/12/08/environment-and-human-rights-chevron-in-ecuador/#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2005 10:06:00 +0000 Bill Baue http://www.cchange.net/2005/12/08/environment-and-human-rights-chevron-in-ecuador/ http://www.cchange.net/2005/12/08/environment-and-human-rights-chevron-in-ecuador/feed/ 1 EPA,human rights,interfaith center on corporate responsibility,shareholder resolutions Chevron's accountability for the legacy of environmental destruction and health impacts from oil exploitation by subsidiary Texaco in the Oriente region of Ecuador from 1964-1992. We speak with Cristobal Bonifaz, Chevron's accountability (http://chevrontoxico.com/) for the legacy of environmental destruction and health impacts from oil exploitation by subsidiary Texaco in the Oriente region of Ecuador from 1964-1992. We speak with Cristobal Bonifaz, lead attorney in the Maria Aguinda Salazar v. ChevronTexaco class-action lawsuit filed in Lago Agrio, Ecuador (after navigating US courts for a decade) in May 2003 by 88 Ecuadorians representing 30,000 indigenous community members and settlers, and currently in the inspection phase visiting the 627 unlined pits where toxic "formation waters" (which accompany oil when extracted) were dumped. We also speak with (http://www.cchange.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/leslielowe-143x150.jpg)Leslie Lowe, director of the Energy and Environment program for the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), a coalition of 275 faith-based institutional investors with more than $110 billion in assets whose members filed 3 shareholder resolutions this year at Chevron related directly or indirectly to the Ecuador environmental and human rights problems. Ms. Lowe visited the affected regions in March of this year as a member of a delegation of Chevron shareholders--including the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS--the largest US pension fund) on a fact-finding mission. Finally, Corporate Watchdog Radio correspondent David Poritz, who runs a nongovernmental organization (NGO) in Ecuador called Esperanza that brings shoes to the affected communities as well as bringing students to the region to give them a first hand experience seeing the contamination, speaks with ethnobiologist Dr. Estella de la Torre in the Secoya community of San Pablo, where she does research. Links: Oil Spread Upon the Waters of Ecuador May Return Harm for ChevronTexaco Shareholders (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/article1681.html) (pic) (part 1 of 3-part article) Asphalt Jungle: Did Oil Drilling by Texaco Create Environmental and Social Harm in Ecuador? (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/article1682.html) (part 2 of 3-part article) Ecuadorian Attorney General Tells ChevronTexaco Shareholders Remediation Agreement May Be Invalid (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/article1685.html) (part 3 of 3-part article) New Document Alleges Tie Between Chevron and Human Rights Abuses in Nigeria (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/1778.html) (part 1 of 2-part article) Lack of Human Rights Policy Concerns Chevron Shareowners in Light of Unocal Merger (http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/article1781.html%20)(part 2 of 2-part article) Bill Baue clean 28:37