SustainabilityHQ.com Weekly Highlights December 9, 2013

Top Story of the Week

It's coming up to "that time of the year" -- moving into 2014, there will be daily headlines about shareholder activism in the form of corporate proxy voting.  What are the hot issues of the new year for institutional shareholders as they look at companies held in portfolio? A look at 2013 activity offers some clues.  Check out our Top Story (a look at Ceres and 2013 proxy activities) -- and stay tuned for news of 2014 proxy voting news and trends.

Activist Investor Group Ceres Issues Assessment Of 2013 Proxy Season       
(Tuesday - November 26, 2013) 
Source: Mondaq - The activist investor group Ceres recently issued its findings with respect to 2013 shareholder resolutions relating to corporate sustainability issues, including climate change, supply chain issues, and water-related risks...

Sustainability in Focus

Sustainability and business - how many planets are enough'
(Thursday - November 28, 2013) Associated Profiles :Climate Disclosure Standards Board 
Source:  New Statesman - A volunteer lights a candle during Earth Hour in Berlin ... thereby lowering the country’s emissions. As the Directors’ and Strategic Reports are aimed primarily at investors there is also clearly the...

Sustainable investment shows its rewards, challenges
(Wednesday - November 27, 2013) Associated Profiles :Sustainable Investment Research Institute (SIRIS) 
Source:  benefitspro.com - Trying to mix the notions of sustainability with investment has certainly captured the attention of many forward-thinking companies and corporate investors, but actually managing to find sustainable investments...

Sustainable practices - doing it right
(Wednesday - November 27, 2013) Associated Profiles :UN - Global Reporting Initiative GRI 
Source:  AsiaOne - The Straits Times looks at the state of sustainable development in Singapore, Japan and Indonesia. EACH year, more than two million business travellers flock to Singapore for meetings and conferences, spending some...

Strategic Sustainability: Introducing the Value Web
(Tuesday - November 26, 2013) 
Source: Triple Pundit - We are surrounded by the constant churning of enterprises rising and being destroyed. In the midst of such competitive turmoil, a fresh perspective is critical to thriving and identifying new avenues of growth. Unfortunately...

Sustainability Out of Necessity: One Country's Water Solutions
(Tuesday - November 26, 2013) 
Source: Huff Post - Israelis will be the first to tell you that they look to create opportunity out of adversity. As a developed country with a relatively high standard of living, situated in an arid part of the world, Israel has focused on...

Sustainability movement will fail unless it creates a compelling future vision
(Monday - November 25, 2013) 
Source: Guardian - The greatest risk to the sustainability movement is that it is struggling and so far failing to articulate a vision of a future that is both prosperous while remaining within planetary boundaries. Until it is able to showcase a...

ESG Issues & Players

You May Be Surprised How Much Our Climate Inaction Is Costing You 
(Wednesday - November 27, 2013) Associated Profiles :Ceres 
Source: AlterNet - In the US last year more than $100bn in financial losses was caused by extreme weather events - mainly Hurricane Sandy on the eastern seaboard and the severe drought which hit over 70% of the country. Such losses, says...

Factbox: Main decisions at U.N. climate talks in Warsaw
(Tuesday - November 26, 2013) 
Source: Reuters - Around 195 countries ended a two-week meeting in Warsaw on Saturday evening to agree the outlines of a deal meant to be agreed in 2015 to combat global warming. Following are some of the main decisions...

Joseph & Pharaoh: A Lesson for a Time of Climate Change
(Tuesday - November 26, 2013) 
Source: Peter D. Kinder - I’ve been reading Global Crisis: War, Climate Change & Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century (Yale Univ. Press, 2013) by Ohio State history professor Geoffrey Parker...

This is just a sample of some of the articles from this weeks SustainabilityHQ Highlights.  You can view the full Highlights by using the following links. Sustainability | ESG, Highlights for the Week of December 9, 2013