Monthly Archives: October 2010

Sustainability News Roundup

The TakeAway: BP’s transparency, the power of proxy advisory firms, and uncontrolled campaign spending BP disaster: truth or “integrated spin”?  | Today’s New York Times and Wall Street Journal report that Halliburton knowingly supplied “unstable” cement to BP to seal … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Corporate Political Activity, Corporate Reporting, Corporate Sustainability, Investor Governance, Proxy Voting, Public Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Worker Co-op Model Migrates from Spain to Cleveland

The TakeAway: “The Cleveland Model” borrows from the highly successful Mondragón system of worker-owned cooperatives, adding sustainability practices. On Monday we asked for your thoughts about what the sustainability movement in the US could do to address chronic unemployment and … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Change, Corporate Governance, Corporate Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Colleges Graded on Green

The TakeAway: The 2011 College Sustainability Report Card shows surges in energy efficiency and more on campuses, but less progress on endowment sustainability. Today, the Sustainable Endowments Institute (SEI) released its fifth College Sustainability Report Card, which annually rates and … Continue reading

Posted in Sustainability Ratings | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Social Materiality: A New Lens for Sustainable Investing

Guest Commentary by Liz Umlas As the concept of ESG – addressing environmental, social, and governance factors in business and investment considerations – gains traction, the focus often seems more firmly on the first and last than on the middle … Continue reading

Posted in Commentary, Corporate Governance, Corporate Sustainability, Human Rights, Stakeholder Engagement, Sustainable Investing | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Human Side of Sustainability

The TakeAway: Corporate sustainability thrives on authentic, ethical relationship management and communication skills, especially in digital environments. Progress happens when abstract sets of rules and laws meet real world human behavior.  Yet all too often, the former gets all the … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Corporate Sustainability, Interactive Technology, Stakeholder Engagement, Web 2.0 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sustainable Prosperity and the American Dream

The TakeAway: What can the sustainability movement in the US do to address chronic unemployment and record levels of poverty? Sustainability hinges not only on environmental stewardship and social justice (the higher-profile defining aspects of the term), but also on … Continue reading

Posted in Public Policy, Wage Gap | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Sustainability News Roundup

The TakeAway: Sustainable finance, ForeclosureGate, and new leadership for Society of Corporate Secretaries offer challenges and hope. Ceres report on water shortage | The impact of water problems on the municipal bond market may seem boring, but tell that to … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Corporate Political Activity, Proxy Voting, Public Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Companies Failing to Engage Stakeholders Online

The TakeAway: New rankings on corporate online CSR communication and engagement classify US firms as “below average” Companies are failing to take full advantage of interactive technology for stakeholder engagement and reporting sustainability performance.  That’s the primary finding of the … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Reporting, Corporate Sustainability, Interactive Technology, Stakeholder Engagement, Sustainability Ratings, Web 2.0 | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Say-on-Pay: A Bird’s Eye View

The TakeAway: New SEC rules on executive compensation advisory votes take steps toward broader board-shareholder engagement. On Monday afternoon, the SEC proposed rules for Say-on-Pay (shareholder advisory votes on executive compensation) and golden parachutes (big payouts to executives dismissed after … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Public Policy, Stakeholder Engagement, Sustainable Investing | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Who Pays the True Cost of Environmental Damage?

The TakeAway: Institutional investors need to assert their ownership power to offset environmental costs and push for sustainable companies and public policy. Despite the worldwide recession, the economic crisis isn’t the only cause of financial losses affecting innocent bystanders.  There’s … Continue reading

Posted in Biosphere Economy, Climate Change, Corporate Governance, Corporate Sustainability, Investor Governance, Natural Disasters, Public Policy, Sustainable Investing | 2 Comments

Sustainability News Roundup

The TakeAway: This week’s notable news features items on advances in integrated reporting, clean energy, sustainable investing, and women in business Despite the Monday holiday here in the US, it’s been another busy week on the sustainability front.  Among the … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Political Activity, Corporate Reporting, Corporate Sustainability, Human Rights, Sustainable Investing | 2 Comments

Follow the (Corporate Campaign) Money

The TakeAway: Shareholder activists and researchers focus on corporate political donations, while more than 80 percent of S&P 500 companies fail to provide spending information “Follow the money” was a catchphrase of the 1976 movie All the President’s Men, the … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Political Activity, Corporate Reporting, Media & Entertainment, Public Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A New Actor Steps On To The Stage

By Bob Massie, Publisher, The Murninghan Post The TakeAway: A Brazilian Initiative – The Global Sustainability Forum – Signals New Leadership from an Emerging Power Last week in Rio de Janeiro, one of the leaders of international civil society, Oded … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Change, Corporate Sustainability, Human Rights, Public Policy, Stakeholder Engagement | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Welcome to the USA, GRI!

The TakeAway: The Global Reporting Initiative, with the support of the global Big Four audit firms, launches “Focal Point USA”. Good news for sustainability in the US!  Today, the Amsterdam-based Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) announced that it’s opening an office … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Corporate Reporting, Corporate Sustainability, Human Rights, Stakeholder Engagement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Board Risk Oversight: Bridging the Corporate-Investor Governance Divide

The TakeAway: New International Corporate Governance Network risk oversight guidelines emphasize joint corporate and investor accountability. Bacon and eggs.  Oil and vinegar.  Peanut butter and jelly.  Corporate and investor governance.  The first three duos are well known, but few appreciate … Continue reading

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Notable News Roundup & Recommended Reading

The TakeAway: Proxy access, human rights, and ethics among important topics of the week—plus, 2 books on improving performance. Lots of news that’s fit to print this week, but we didn’t have room—so before the long Columbus Day weekend here … Continue reading

Posted in Human Rights, Proxy Voting, Public Policy, Stakeholder Engagement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wanted: US Leadership in Sustainability Reporting

The TakeAway: The US played a pioneering role in sustainability reporting, but we currently fall short in advancing it. The US has “the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world,” according to the CIA World Factbook, and traditionally … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Reporting, Corporate Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

It’s Raining Ratings!

The TakeAway: In response to the boom in corporate sustainability ratings, SustainAbility releases the second report in its four-phase “Rate the Raters” project. Last month, when JustMeans and CRD Analytics released their Global 1000 Sustainable  Performance Leaders list (the latest … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Sustainability, Sustainability Ratings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

The Long Drive To Increase Fuel Efficiency and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The TakeAway: The Obama Administration proposes to increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards—perhaps to 62 miles per gallon by 2025. Despite Washington’s political gridlock, with cap and trade and climate change legislation on indefinite holds, late last week the … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Change, Public Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Citizens United: The Aftermath

The TakeAway: This year’s Supreme Court decision in Citizens United opened the floodgates of money in politics, eroding public trust in government as well as shareholder value. “Oyez, Oyez, Oyez!” the Marshal of the Court called out today, marking the … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Public Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

This Week’s Notable News and Recommended Reading

The TakeAway: We survey developments in fair labor and proxy access, and review Joe Nye’s book on the nature of leadership. After almost three months and more than 60 posts, we at The Murninghan Post realize there’s just too much … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Sustainability, Human Rights, Proxy Voting, Public Policy | 1 Comment