Environment | Investing Sustainable Economy

How is NationBuilder Different than Salsa and DemocracyInAction?

2012-01-15T07:38:00.000-08:00

NationBuilder, the community organizing system (COS) for a new generation of leaders and creators, is a unique blend of CMS and social CRM that supports community building and calls to action integrated tightly with a customizable website and social media. It is a flexible and feature rich competitor to Salsa and its DemocracyInAction product for non-profits and campaigns that want to organizing without time-intensive integration products.

Here's what Liberal Art has to say about why NationBuilder is great for non-profits and campaigns.

How NationBuilder Compares to Blue State Digital

2012-01-15T07:32:00.000-08:00

NationBuilder is the community organizing system (COS) for a new generation of leaders and creators. It brings together email blasting, group texting, customizable websites and action and community pages with social media management. It is popular with campaigns and advocacy non-profits, including those working on environmental issues.

Liberal Art says NationBuilder brings national-level campaign tools into the reach of more campaigns.

Blue State Digital, famous for helping Barack Obama in 2008, is now part of WPP, a global advertising and marketing conglomerate.

Best technology platform for environmental nonprofits?

2011-10-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

NationBuilder takes the kind of software technology used by NGP VAN to a totally different level, with deeply integrated social media functionality.

Democrat Chris Daly is a Fighter for the Environment

2009-04-16T22:40:00.000-07:00

Adriel Hampton, D-Dublin, has endorsed San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly for the powerful volunteer post of California Democratic Party Region 4 Director.
"I've known Chris for a long time," said Hampton. "I remember when he went behind Mayor Willie Brown's back to appoint environmentalist Adam Werbach to the San Francisco PUC. He's a controversial guy, but he gets the job done."

Overwhelming Bloggeries on the World Crash

2008-10-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

Postings galore on the financial crisis. Poor Iceland!

What I'm Holding Now

2007-08-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

Global financial meltdown? More like fire sale on solid financials. I'm now holding iShares' telecom EFT (IYZ), Whole Foods (WFMI), and just picked up Bank of America (BAC), and, on a good dip, Lehman Bros. (LEH), which I'm going back for seconds on come the next down day. ...

The New Green Buffett

2007-08-11T22:54:00.000-07:00

OK, so the title's just to get more search hits - but really, folks - three of the strongest picks from Enviroinvestors.com are up more than 100 percent since we screened them in late '05/early '06. They are Interface (IFSIA), Novelis (NVL), and Aracadis (ARCAD). The rest of our picks aren't doing bad either. ...

'Change Climate Back' on vortex engines

2007-08-11T21:31:00.000-07:00

A new startup promises clean energy with a reverse-warming effect. ...

Warren Buffett and the Motley Fool

2007-07-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

Investment advice is kind of like fried chicken recipes. Everyone's got a tip they're willing to share – results may vary. Just when you think you might have the corner on a good piece of advice, something happens to shake that belief. My most recent awakening to the snake-oil side of stock research came when I tried to fool the Motley Fool by tracking down their "Only Stock You'll Ever Need!" through clues in a free teaser for a research report. I couldn't find the insurance stock they called the "next Berkshire Hathaway," (BRK-A), but I did learn that this stock is similarly touted in other investment reports with nearly identical descriptive sales language. Here are a few lines from an e-mail I got from Kate Ward, publisher of Motley Fool Inside Value: Berkshire CEO Warren Buffett "used his business valuation savvy to recognize hidden assets. And help shareholders get rich. That was the simple Buffett strategy that built Berkshire – it's also the secret of the company we're talking about today. ... And it could make you rich." Yeah, like to the tune of $110,500 a share!

Sounds great, doesn't it? The e-mail was sprinkled with charts illustrating how this wonder stock killed the S&P 500 over the past several years and showing how magic value stocks recommended by Motley Fool sage Philip "Admiral" Durell will make you rich beyond your wildest retirement dreams. It also featured drool-inducing vignettes about the monumental gains realized by early Berkshire investors. At this point, already hot to the wonders of the Fool after buying a car with its advice, browsing its daily newspaper columns for years and digesting several similar e-mails - even going so far as to follow an Admiral recommendation and buy the high-yielding bank Lloyds TBS Group (LYG), which had done well enough - I was just about convinced that I had to buy their $149 investment letter subscription to get my hands on this next Berkshire. But before I called a buddy to urge him to go halves for this fount of knowledge, I did a little Googling to see if I could figure this one out. Then I did more. At first I couldn’t find for myself anything as exciting as what Kate was talking about. What I did find, though, with all my searching for the "next Berkshire," was an investment newsletter offer written by Addison Wiggin, publisher of Capital & Crisis, who for some time has been pedaling “The Only Stock You'll Ever need!,” which he says was pointed out by top-flight analyst Chris Mayer.

Here's how Mr. Wiggin describes this must-have stock: "Then (Buffett) used his own business savvy to dig out hidden assets ... and help the original owners of the business get very rich, while reinventing their companies as even bigger cash cows and wealth producers than they'd ever been before. That was the real Buffett strategy that built Berkshire. It's also the secret strategy of the company we're talking about today. And it could make you very rich." His letter was also sprinkled with graphics showing how this market-drubbing stock will weather you through good times and bad for generations to come as well as drool-inducing vignettes about early Berkshire investors.

And that's when I stopped taking the Fool so seriously.

Sears Holding Co.

Luckily, Googling for the next Berkshire led me to more than just greater skepticism for subscription investment advice. I also stumbled on a few 2004 articles about billionaire financier Eddie Lampert and his plans for Kmart. Articles from Business Week to New York Magazine questioned whether the savvy Lampert was going to use the struggling retailer as a base for a Buffett-style investment empire. Lampert went on to buy Sears and merge the two giants under Sears Holding Company, (SHLD). The stock looks like a value buy by all the metrics I've reviewed and is now trading at a reasonable $155 after a hit, low in its 52-week range. In his letter to shareholders on the first anniversary of the merger, Lampert compared his goals to Buffett's: "Our goal is to increase the per-share value of Sears Holdings." Lampert initially plans to do so by improving operations in the core retail business and buying back shares at a reasonable valuation.

“It could make you very rich”

On a side note, while researching this column I did find new clues that made me certain I'd tracked down the stock touted in these two mirror-image investment reports. In case you’re interested (and want to save a little dough), this gem that launched a thousand investment letters is White Mountains Insurance Group Limited (WTM), an insurance holding company put together by John J. Byrne. Byrne's the executive who turned Geico Insurance into one of Berkshire's most profitable holdings and who Buffett once called the Babe Ruth of the industry. White Mountains has indeed soared and recently was topping the S&P 500 handily with gains of over 100 percent since 2003. It is trading near the top of a sour 52-week range at $575, less than 50 percent higher than book value. I'm bearish on WTM.

A Real Way to Improve the Environment

2007-03-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Justin Roysdon

Many people talk about the environment. Many people boycott companies and publicly speak against companies that they believe pollute. I've got a way that you can make a real difference for the environment: Buy stock in a major oil company and vote as a shareholder.

I am a conservative Christian Republican. I am not an animal rights activist, and I am not an environmental activist. I support the principals of capitalism. However, I also believe that large companies have a greater responsibility in how they spend their money and how they conduct business. As a Christian, I believe we are responsible for the earth (see Gen 1:28-29).

I dabble in the stock market and am always considering how to invest my money wisely. I keep seeing the price of oil go up and I have been trying to figure out a way to invest. Last month I purchased stock in Chevron (CVX). I think with the current issues with Iran's nukes and the war in Iraq, that oil prices will continue to rise over the next few years. But, back to my point. I just received an e-mail to place my proxy vote for the 2007 annual meeting. There were eight different issues to vote on, ranging from company policy on Greenhouse Gas emissions to who they are hiring for their accounting firm. Just reading the recommendations from the board was shocking. As a Christian, I believe that God expects mankind to a responsible steward of the earth. I believe that oil companies have failed to fulfill that responsibility. I think that most if not all of you would agree after reading the Chevron shareholder 2007 Proxy Statement.

Shareholders are asking the board to "... adopt and post an Animal Welfare Policy online..." for the purpose of letting shareholders and anyone else know what goes on behind closed doors. This seems reasonable to me. I would like to know what policy Chevron uses to guide its scientists during animal testing. The board is recommending against this. How irrational is that?

Another vote that really stuck me as obvious is the one on greenhouse emissions. The shareholders are asking Chevron to publicly adopt goals to reduce greenhouse emissions, and to report on plans to achieve those goals to stockholders. Again, the board wants people to vote against this. They don't want public accountability. I was really curious as to why the board would be against this. Here is their reason: "Your Board believes that a special report on GHG emissions is unnecessary and in inefficient use of company resources." They believe that their "Corporate Responsibility Report" is effective enough. They paid the Chairman $13,008,715 (yeah, that's 13 million) in company stock last year. That's not including his salary of $1,620,833. His total compensation was $31,602,889 for 2006. I think they can afford a special report on greenhouse gas emissions. I think it would be a very responsible way to spend "company resources."

Chevron produced 374 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent in 2005. The current company plan has been in place for six years. The biggest boast the board can make is that they have reduced the total by 3 million metric tons. Less than 1% ...

I don't think their plan is working.

To me this seems like a token reduction just to make the company look good (or keep it from looking bad). They need to make a real plan, make it publicly available, and be held accountable for it. They should at least be accountable to their stockholders!

The final vote that I will mention is the one to separate the position of CEO from the position of Chairman of the Board. In my opinion the CEO of a company should be responsible to the Board of directors. The CEO needs to be accountable to someone. However, if he is the Chairman, then he has a great deal of control over the board. In effect, he is his own boss. The lack of accountability in a company starts at the top. The shareholders want to make a policy that the CEO cannot be the Chairman of the Board for the reasons I stated above. The Board (controlled by the CEO) argues against this. Here is their argument: "Chevron's by-laws ... (provide) the Board with the flexibility to choose the best individual suited to serve as chairman." This is amazing! The company by-laws specifically declare that the CEO is required to be the Chairman of the Board. How is this more flexible? The board is required to make the CEO the Chairman. In an odd twist of logic this means they have to hire a CEO that will be their boss. What kind of a screwed up system is that? Pick your own boss, and he will be his own boss. Can you imagine if the Presidency worked this way? The Senate would pick the President, and the President would be the Majority leader. You think there is corruption in politics now?

Well, congratulations if you have managed to read this far. Consider my original suggestion that you purchase stock in a major oil company and vote your shares. I was able to buy six shares of Chevron for a little over $400. With my current budget it took me four months to save up that money, but I think it's worth it. One, the stock will most likely increase due to world events. And, two, I am using that money in a responsible way that I believe God requires of us all. If everybody who talks about the environment would "put their money where their mouth is" they would be much more effective. It is too late for new shareholders to vote in this annual meeting for Chevron, but I encourage you to buy in time for next year - and vote 'em if you got 'em.

Screening, Indexing, and Plain Having Fun with Money

2006-06-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

Market science is a lot like denominational religion – there’s always someone out there to tell you what your inching ears want to hear.
Unfortunately, probably the best advice on the markets is simply that in the long term, active stock picking loses to indexing. But inside that bit of wisdom are other truths that should have younger investors loading up their retirement portfolios with small-cap funds. Small, and small value in particular, always wins.
The rub in retirement investing is that it’s real money, and you’ll really need it someday. You really shouldn’t splash your cash around in whatever flim-flam funds and cutesy companies that spring your fancy. Despite, that, though, I like to have fun with investing (what can I say – I’m not into sports).
So how do I pick my religion? If I had just a little more to invest – and don’t we all think about that – I’d probably go to a broker and split up my cash into a number of the fine indexes offered by Dimensional. (Indexing is broader than the world of Vanguard and the Bogleheads.)
In the absence of quite the stash, and perhaps the confidence in others, to put my future in the hands of a full-time broker, I enjoy the cheap online trading services that have been cropping up ever since I entered college. Unfortunately, there are still plenty of limitations to these sorts of sites. You might have access to the world of funds and most markets, but there are plenty of fees to ding you: small-account fees, transaction fees for no-load funds, account transfer fees, and per-trade fees, to list some of the most common. Add in the limitations imposed by most 401k plans and you may end up like me – a wee little piggy bank carved up into several accounts with names like ING Retirement, E-Trade, T. Rowe Price (which has an inexpensive automatic account builder and a diverse basket of funds), TD Ameritrade and Scottrade.
But from there, a little research at fun sites like MoneyChimp.com – where indexing is praised and dollar-cost averaging is called a myth – and the Motley Fool (if you stop reading columns before the last couple of paragraphs you can avoid the sales pitch) should give you some great investing ideas and strategies. (Chimp also has great calculators, including one based on Warren Buffett's value-investing style.)
Yahoo Finance has, for my money, the top stock and fund screeners on the Web (while Google’s chart technology is my favorite). Self-directed retirement fund cash in hand, I recently ran a number of funds through just about every one of the above sites to narrow down a buy.
As much “buy low, sell high” advice I read, I just can’t bring myself to ignore past performance. If an asset class has performed poorly for the past five years, and hasn’t outperformed in the long-term either, why should I put money into it (large-cap funds, are you listening?)
Small-cap, international, natural resources and real estate funds all have done well for the past several years and, I believe, still represent some of the best opportunities for long-term capital appreciation. Who doesn’t want to bet on innovation, globalization and scarcity? (If I want to bank on the growing demand for consumer staples, I’ll buy a single stock, like Johnson & Johnson, JNJ.)
Capturing these classes means picking just the right indexes, or scouring for the small percentage of actively managed funds that have a strong track record of beating sector averages (and hoping that you can find a brokerage where you can buy them without cutting into your initial investment).
Scouring through a list of no-transaction-fee funds and a few hot tips, I put the screener to work to search for returns and proven management. That worked up a handful of funds the looked nice at first blush:

Julius Baer International Equity A (BJBIX)

With a year-to-date return of 13 percent and a five-year at 15, well above its relative index, there’s not a lot to dislike about this fund. It’s very volatile, though, up seven years, down five. I compared this fund to Dodge & Cox International Stock (DODFX) and American Funds EuroPacific Gr R4 (REREX), both of which look great but have been out the gate less than five years – too short for my tastes.

Excelsior Value & Restructuring (UMBIX)

I also came across this fine large value fund, with only two down years out of 13. It has a fantastic three-year return of 20 percent, but it’s five year haul is just under 8.

Bridgeway Ultra-Small Company Market (BRSIX)

Bridgeway Funds has a history of closing off funds to new investors to protect existing shareholders, and the managers are encouraged to splash their money in the pool as well. Aside from a recent settlement with the SEC over how its performance fees were calculated, Bridgeway has a solid track record of low fees and stunning performance with its active index and quantitative funds. The company also donates half its profits to charity. The Ultra-small fund, an index of some of America’s tiniest publicly traded companies, has trashed the Russell 2000 over its eight years of existence. It’s up 17 percent annually since inception.

Amana Trust Growth (AMAGX)

This large-cap fund looked fantastic for more than a minute. It’s interesting in the field of socially responsibly funds for adherence to Islamic principles – no porn, no gambling, no alcohol, and no interest. But its blazing three-year return of 23 percent is tempered by much weaker long-term history, buoyed most by a 100 percent return in 1999.

Despite having to pay a small transaction fee for a fund that wasn’t on the discount list for my account, my money went to Bridgeway’s Ultra-small.

Checking In: Does Altruism Pay?

2006-05-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

As a newbie investor, I’ve developed three basic strategies in the year or so that I’ve been following the markets. One strategy involves playing it safe, clipping financial news articles and buying well-researched stocks with strong dividends and relatively stable share prices. The second is driven more by greed and generally involves simply picking up mutual funds with market-beating results over the past five years. The third strategy is much more altruistic. It involves screening stocks for corporate philosophies that embrace principles of sustainability and environmentalism – a strategy I call “enviroinvesting.”

To be fair to myself, I might say that my personal portfolio represents the first two methods of diversification due the fact I don’t really have the investing cash to risk on a philosophy. And in fact the year-to-date results of my “50/50 safe and greedy” IRA are handily doubling the performance of the S&P 500, even after last week’s post-rate hike sell off. But perhaps that sell off, the worst since a similar scare in the first week of March, means it’s time to examine the returns of the kind of investment style I started EnviroInvestors.com to preach.

The site began in December last year as a practical response to Jared Diamond’s apocalyptic social history, “Collapse,” and its warning that ecological devastation will basically make moot all those gains from “emerging markets” stock funds if developing nations and world superpowers don’t turn to more sustainable economic practices. My idea was to join the grassroots shareholder movement to persuade companies that sustainability-focused business practices make good sense on more than a feel-good level. I started out writing about sustainability indexes, environmental awards, and companies like Interface floorcoverings, which has a stated goal of becoming the world leader in sustainable home interior products by 2020.

Considering that self-interest may be a stronger driver than altruism for most investors, I began last month to think I simply needed to go after the next hot stock – the next Berkshire if you will – like everybody else. Then I went back and looked at the results of the pro-environment companies I’d wrote about in the high of my sustainability vision quest.

What I found surprised me.

Most of the companies I’d screened for the Enviroinvestors philosophy – through awards and corporate press releases – have actually done very well. Maybe even better than my 50/50 portfolio.

Let’s take a look:

l The first company I wrote about back in December was Whirlpool (WHR), as the appliance-maker joined the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. Whirlpool went on to buy Maytag, and its stock is up nearly 6 percent.

l Two days later, I called Novelis (NVL) a “Strong buy for the sustainability-focused investor.” The aluminum recycler is up 33 percent since then.

l I then wrote about buying into Lloyds TSB (LYG) on a tip and after reading its environmental platform. The bank is up 11.8 percent.

l Lockheed Martin (LMT) decided to close out 2005 by taking some lessons from Alcoa (AA) on environmental health and safety. Both companies are up this year, 18 and 20 percent respectively.

l No big news for Interface (IFSIA), but I thought Enviroinvestors.com owed them some play as a leader in a visionary business model that must put them out on a limb sometimes with Wall Street. Maybe I should stop being such a doubting Thomas: Interface is up 45 percent since that post and traded much higher through April.

l Running low on news ending out 2005, I ran analyst John Dorfman’s 2006 picks through the enviroinvestors screen, and liked Devon Energy (DVN) and Schnitzer Steel (SCHN). This year, Devon’s down 4 percent, Schnitzer’s up 26 percent.

l In my first post of 2006, I praised Potlatch (PCH) for a biofuels initiative, but called its $50 price too high for its earnings. The forest-products company is down 31 percent since then.

The site soon joined PETA in talking up Safeway (SWY), which has since dropped 2 percent. Maybe that makes it a better buy – like two of the other companies I adore as a retailer were back then in January. Starbucks (SBUX), up 14 percent; E-Trade (ET) up 12 (good for investors, maybe not for folks like me who don’t get free checks anymore). I recommended shopping at Target (TGT) over Wal-Mart (WMT), and touted Whole Foods’ (WFMI) reusable green bags. Wal-Mart is up 3.5 percent, Target dropped the same, and Whole Foods has had a roller-coaster ride down 5 percent.

Warner Brothers (TWX) helped make “Syriana” carbon neutral, but its stock hasn’t moved much. American companies added to a top 100 sustainability list released at the World Economic Forum in Davos have been a mixed bag. Intel (INTC) is down despite a dividend scheme, and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) flat, but UPS (UPS) and Bank of America (BAC) are up, 8 and 10 percent.

I pumped Arcadis’ (ARCAF) principles and financials: it’s up nearly 50 percent since late January.

So what have I learned from reviewing the first couple months of my little-followed, pro-environment, investing philosophy? Well, since three of my strongest recommendations – Novelis, Interface and Arcadis – are up 33, 45 and 49 percent in just a few months, maybe altruism does pay.

The Grey Metal

2006-04-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

The silver EFT (SLV) is here. Marketwatch has a good story. ...

Silver: It's not too late

2006-04-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

Thursday, April 6th, 2006

Silver, more affordable than gold, more alluring than copper or zinc, is on an undeniable tear. After a recent run that's seen the spot market for silver soar from a low of $6.74 per ounce to $12.03 at yesterday's close, everyday investors have to be wondering if the precious metal is near the end of its luster. After all, the smart investors got into silver long before it began hitting new 20-year highs.

The current silver spike began in earnest last year as Barclay's Global Capital moved to petition the Securities and Exchange Commission for the first electronically traded silver fund, or EFT. The move came quick on the heels of the successful launch of the first two gold EFTs on the AMEX, Barclay's iShares COMEX Gold Trust (IAU) and World Gold Trust's streetTRACKS Gold Shares (GLD), both of which hold huge sums of gold in vaults (see the StreetTracks hoard above right) and peg shares to 1/10 oz. spot prices. Barclay's silver EFT, expected to win approval later this year, will reportedly sell shares representing about 10 oz. of silver. With initial interest strong and EFTs representing the primary commodity vehicle for the everyday investor, Barclay's is seen buying up enough bullion to crimp the global silver market - hence the run-up.

Silver is trading at double the range of $4 to $6 its sat at since 1980 when the billionaire Hunt brothers pushed spot prices to $50 an ounce and brought on a spectacular crash.

Room to grow

Despite its volatility and recent gains, though, I’m inclined to support silver in both the near and long term.

The metal's current trading value is far below its pre-crash historic price ratio of 15 to 20 ounces of silver to one ounce of gold. At today's prices, it takes 50 ounces of silver to buy one ounce of gold, a valuation that has little connection to the relative scarcity of the popular metals.

As a caveat, careful investors should mind what happens when too much pressure comes to bear on the metals markets: pushback from central banks inflation fears and increased exploitation activity that can drive down prices. The looming EFT, however, isn't the only thing going for silver. Foreign investors are increasingly stocking up on metals, and China is seen leveraging more bullion to diversify its foreign debt. That could mean sluggish days for U.S. treasuries and a long, sustained run for silver and other precious metals.

Additionally, the jewelry market will continue to be a major silver buyer, keeping demand strong regardless of increased production.

I'm favoring silver over the more pricey gold, platinum and palladium for a number of reasons. Besides its attractive ratio at today's prices, I also like that it is still priced attractively for the small investor (although shares in the EFT may end up costing more than gold shares). Doomsday investors like to point out that an ounce of silver, especially in one of its official currency forms such as the U.S. eagle, could easily function as currency in the face of global currency meltdown. Just don't let all that silver under your mattress ruin your sleep.

Getting in on the action

With Barclay's pending silver EFT poised to bring everyday investors into the silver-buying fold with the big boys, what can you do now to get in before the gains level off? Though it is not quite as easy as just clicking a few buttons on your online brokerage account, there are plenty of do-it-yourself ways to buy silver today without paying large commissions.

Physical silver is generally sold in denominations of one, 10 and 100 ounces and can be purchased from any large online coin dealer (and probably the one down the street in some fashion) and on eBay. The most attractive silver coins include the one-ounce U.S. eagles and Chinese pandas, which trade at modest markups from spot. You can also purchase signature coins and bars manufactures by large mines. In the bar form, common mints include Englehard and Sunshine. In the 10 oz. weight, the most attractive bar is from the Wall Street Mint and features the pre-9/11 New York skyline. Expect to pay about 5 percent above spot for generic bullion unless you're buying a large quantity of silver.

An even simpler pre-EFT option is shares in the Central Fund of Canada, a gold and silver trust that trades on the AMEX under the symbol CEF. The Central Fund is currently trading below $10 a share and at a premium of about 10 percent above its assets' spot value. The fund holds 619,591 ounces of gold and nearly 31 million ounces of silver.

On the tax-favored front, the American Church Trust, for a modest opening cost and annual management fee, has IRS approval to sell silver bullion for IRA investors. The boldest everyday investor might also want to sink a few hundred dollars into a speculative mining stock or a larger sum into a few of the more established mines (but that's another column).

The Challenge: Responsible Gold and Silver Mining

2006-04-01T21:20:00.000-08:00

With gold and silver taking off and more investors moving to these age-old hard assets, it's a real challenge to find mining stocks or metals that meet minimum standards of environmental responsibility. Here's an article on a pilot project for certified "Green Gold." Jewelers are in the forefront of commercial support for environmentally sound mining practices; bullion investors should join the push. ...

Sustainable Development, LEED Standards

2006-03-05T19:53:00.000-08:00

Green building is one of the most exciting trends in building sustainabile economies. Cities such as San Francisco have already put forth ordinances promoting LEED standards and the new federal building there is a green office tower. ... Celilo Group Media has a new green real estate guide available free (pdf) here. ...

Tandus: Mining old offices

2006-02-12T19:42:00.000-08:00

C&A Floorcoverings has totalled (pdf) more than 100 million pounds of recycled carpet and vinyl backing in a 10-year program called the Infinity Initiative. ... Carpet companies - leading the business sustainability movement. ... Get investor information here. ...

Can hydrogen fuel injectors save Ford?

2006-02-01T20:17:00.000-08:00

Westport Innovations Inc. (WPT) and Ford Motor Company (F), both down sharply this year, have announced a project to develop and demonstrate a new fuel injection system for hydrogen-powered vehicles. The companies' press release talks about bringing hydrogen cars to the market in the "next few years." That's the kind of move that might turn the flagging automaker around in the face of competition from Japanese hybrids. ...

Hot tip: Cereplast

2006-01-30T20:50:00.000-08:00

Cereplast (CERP:OB) has doubled in the past few days thanks to hot news like its joint announcement with the managers of the Oakland A's Coliseum announcing that Cereplast's biodegradable and compostable concession containers are saving the stadium over $100,000 a year in garbage bills. ... Now if I could just figure out a cheap way how to buy its OTC stock. ...

Sustainable Century: Dateline, Davos

2006-01-28T02:44:00.000-08:00

The annual list of the world's 100 top sustainable corporations is out in Davos, Switzerland. Only 17 U.S. corporations made the cut, including Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), UPS (UPS), Intel (INTC), Bank of America (BAC) and Alcoa (AA). ... Sorry, no Ford or GM. ...

Arcadis: A Lot to Like

2006-01-22T21:08:00.000-08:00

Before a pdf bug swallowed my work, I was musing on why every Enviroinvestor should be familiar with Dutch environment and development consulting firm Arcadis (ARCAF). This firm has decent financials and has tripled in share price in the last three years. Since it's getting close to my bedtime, check out Arcadis' "Sustainability by Design" principle here and tell me what you think. ...

Carbon-Neutral Filmaking: Syriana

2006-01-18T20:55:00.000-08:00

Peak oil thriller "Syriana" will become the first major film to go carbon neutral, according to a new release from BusinessWire (smart move, Warren). ... Producers Warner Bros. (TWX) and Participant Productions plan to invest in wind and methane power to offset an estimated 2,040 tons of emissions generated by the production. Targeted investments include financing for a methane generator on a family dairy farm, and a wind farm on a Native American reservation. ... Another thought: One privately held company I wish I could buy into. Zippers, anyone? ...

Find out More: $3,000

2006-01-17T19:12:00.000-08:00

Global research and analysis firm Research and Markets is offering a report, "Sustainability - It's Impact on Global Consumption to 2010," for $2,938. ... Who says there's no money in enviroinvesting? ...

Being an EnviroInvestor at Home

2006-01-14T12:45:00.000-08:00

Being an EnviroInvestor is about more than stock picking. It means conscious decisions to adapt one's consumer lifestyle in a manner that promotes sustainability and healthy wealth creation. In that line, my family has recently done some shopping at two great sustainability-focused companies: Smith & Hawken and Whole Foods (WFMI). ... Through a disposal-service program, we bought a cut-rate Smith & Hawken Biostack composting bin (getting a slight reduction on our garbage bill as a bonus). At Whole Foods, we picked up two reusable grocery bags (just $1.59 each, made by The Green Bag Co.). Using the bags will earn a $.05 rebate each at many retailers. (Whole Foods is also predicted by the Motley Fool newsletter to be the "next American super brand." Think green Wal-Mart.)... Like many sustainability-focused corporate decisions, these purchases are more about reducing our impact on the environment than saving money - but like those larger corporate choices, they'll pay financial dividends as well. ... And speaking of dividends, one of the best financial choices you can make (assuming you're already living within a reasonable budget) is to use a dividend credit card to make grocery and gas purchases. Many of the popular cards now pay 5 percent back on such purchases, meaning hundreds of dollars a year in cash back on the average family budget. Just make sure to pay off the balance each month! ...

PETA Comes to Praise Safeway

2006-01-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

With its short-term labor woes behind and trading near its 52-week high, Safeway Inc. (SWY) has been honored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for the retailer's cruelty-free line of household products marketed under the "Select" house brand. ... PETA is also hoping to see follow-through its shareholder proposal urging the retailer to adopt a humane chicken slaughtering process. ... All talk of chicken slaughtering aside, I would rank Safeway as one of my all-time favorite retail stores. As an E-Trade (ET)and Starbucks (SBUX) customer, I go to Safeway almost daily to get cash, food and household goods and coffee - and I know I'm not alone. ... In the face of pressure from soulless giants like Wal-Mart (WMT) - Go Target! (TGT) - Nor Cal-based Safeway deserves to be rewarded for its healthy business practices despite a slightly inflated P/E ratio. ...

Potlatch Corp. Goes for Biofuels

2006-01-09T19:40:00.000-08:00

Potlatch CP (PCH) has announced a collaboration for a biorefinery pilot project for converting forest and agricultural waste to biofuels and other chemicals at its Cypress Bend, Arkansas, mill. ... According the company's BusinessWire press release, company officials are touting a potential to "reduce natural gas usage by 1,600,000 MMBTU per year and purchased electricity by 80,000 MWH per year." ... We can't quite recommend this stock, though, since at above $50 a share it trades at far too high a multiple. Still, good on 'em. ...

Investing lessons from 2005

2005-12-30T14:05:00.000-08:00

Well, with the markets closed and the S&P 500 up just 3 percent for the year, I'm happy to say my personal investments posted just shy of a 9 percent gain for 2005. In my self-directed account, I ended the year with shares in the powerful mutual fund Perritt Micro Cap Opportunities (PRCGX, closed to new investors as of this fall), and the individual stocks Citigroup (C) and the British bank Lloyds TSB (LYG). ... The biggest lesson was: Stop the excessive trading - by which I mean jumping out of a stock after less than a year - and never pay transaction fees for a mutual fund. Just a few trades this year cost me more than 4 percent. Another thing I learned was that picking a good stock yourself is a lot more fun that watching the small moves of a mutual fund. With the high dividends and value of both Citigroup and Lloyds, I'll be happy to have them in my portfolio for years to come. ...

Looking at one analyst's picks for 2006

2005-12-29T19:49:00.000-08:00

Bloomberg News columnist John Dorfman, president of Dorfman Investments in Boston, is out with his top stock picks for the New Year. Since his 2005 picks have pulled in a 13 percent return and the new crop includes some nice dividend yields, let's take a look at a couple of Dorfman's favorites that meet up with some of the EnviroInvestors criteria: Devon Energy (DVN), an oil and gas titan, is giving back to the environment by recycling water from natural gas wells for habitat creation, and spent $2 million to build an island for whooping cranes using dredged material from a canal in Mesquite Bay. Dorfman likes its sky-high growth since 2001 and thinks there's still room for more with Devon trading at 11 times earnings. Analysts have a strong-forward outlook for Devon, predicting forward P/E of just seven times earnings. Devon also pays a small .30 dividend. ... Though Dorfman's list includes plenty of stocks we can't second, Schnitzer Steel Industries (SCHN) (including the Pick N Pull chain of auto wrecking yards) is also worth a look, especially if like us you're one of those investors who enjoys the idea of buying a company that once sold you that still-pristine used radiator for your 1989 K-car. The recycling firm trades at just seven times earnings, with a small dividend to boot. ...

Sustainability in action: Interface Inc.

2005-12-28T22:24:00.000-08:00

As well as trumpeting newsworthy events on the corporate sustainability front, it's important to recognize the leaders in the field. Floor-covering firm Interface (IFSIA) and its founder, Roy Anderson, have been pushing the envelope for a decade. Read about Interface's mission here and here. ... Interface is one of the firms proving that sustainability is good business. Despite some bumps, its small cap stock is currently trading around $8 a share with a one-year target of $12, a forward looking P/E of $14.64 and a strong buy rating from analysts. ...

Brambles' CHEP praised; Alcoa's got an admirer

2005-12-21T22:46:00.000-08:00

BusinessWire is reporting on CHEP's award from the Logistics Association of Australia for environmental excellence in its returnable package associated with production of GM Holden's HFV6 engine. ... CHEP is a subsidiary of Brambles (BI.L), which trades on the London Stock Exchange. ... "This was very much a joint venture project with Holden, from concept to delivery, and the credit needs to be shared equally with our partners. By working closely with Holden, we set out to develop a packaging solution that not only met the project's environmental and operational objectives, but also added value at every step in the supply chain," said Gill Valadon, CHEP's business development manager. ... BusinessWire is also reporting that Lockheed Martin's (LMT) Environmental, Health and Safety unit recently invited Alcoa Fastening Systems (AA) to provide a briefing on Alcoa's sucesses. ... Alcoa, a leader in sustainability and green business, is trading around $29 with a .60 dividend. ...

New buy: High-dividend Lloyds TSB

2005-12-21T20:56:00.000-08:00

As with most investors, I'm a sucker for trading. Without much cash for new buys, that means I end up dumping one holding for the new. In September, I dropped a low-performing mutual fund for Citigroup (C). That one has paid off so far. ... One of my favorite sources of information - from buying cars to picking stocks - is Motley Fool. A free Fool e-mail this week recommended Lloyds TSB (LYG), pointing out, among other tips, that Lloyds currently boasts a 7.4 percent dividend. Lloyds' dividend has grown steady over the four years it's traded on the Big Board. So, I dumped a second slow performing fund and bought Lloyds for a long-term hold. ... Citigroup's environmental platform is here, and here's Lloyds (pdf). Citi is a world-mover on the microfinance and sustainability front, while the much smaller Lloyds focuses on reducing its own corporate drain on natural resources. ...

Novelis: Strong buy for the sustainability focused investor

2005-12-18T22:06:00.000-08:00

Novelis Inc. (NVL), a spinoff of Canada's Alcan Inc. (AL.TO) trading on the NYSE since January 2005, is showing strong buy signals for the sustainability focused investory. Novelis is trading near its low for the year with a 0.36 dividend for a 2.10 percent yield. Last week, Novelis' Brazil facility won the government's "Top Gold Award" for health, safety and environment. PR Newswire is reporting the three-area award as a first for any company in Brazil. ... Novelis specializes in rolled aluminum products and aluminum can recycling, operates in 11 countries and has more than 13,000 employees. Its management system includes a program of 45 global environment, health and safety guidelines. ... "Excellence in [environment, health and safety] is directly related to our operation performance in areas such as quality and delivery," said Tadeu Nardocci, president of Novelis Brazil. "It is central to our overall discipline in operations and our dedication to continuous improvement. We are extremely proud to win this award." ...

Whirlpool: Healthy future, healthy dividend

2005-12-16T22:21:00.000-08:00

Appliance manufacturer Whirlpool (WHR) yesterday joined the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, a fund representing more than 300 of the world's largest companies selected for their focus on sustainability. Whirlpool is trading near its 52-week high and boasts a healthy 1.72 dividend. ... Read more about Whirlpool's social responsibility policies here. ... "We are proud to be recognized by one of the world's most comprehensive reviews of sustainable business practices," said Jeff M. Fettig, Whirlpool’s chairman, president and CEO. "As a company, we have a long-term commitment to social responsibility, but it’s really our people who make it a reality. Their actions personify Whirlpool’s values and have enabled us to make social responsibility a core part of our culture." ...

Welcome to EnviroInvestors.com!

2005-12-12T22:03:00.000-08:00

This site is dedicated to promoting a sustainable economy through sound environmental principles and practices. Its founders, Gregg Campbell and Adriel Hampton, started this effort as a practical response to Jared Diamond's 2005 "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed." Its aim is to promote investment in corporations that practice environmental sustainability, particularly in the areas of energy production, animal harvest, logging and other resource extraction. ... The result: a better future for us all. ... Think, buy, survive. ...