On the Cutting Board: The US EPA Budget - Staff - Programs - Grants As the Trump Administration Plans the Coming FY Budget The media establishment in Washington, DC is closely watching the signals as well as specific action taken by the Trump Administration and the 115th Congress that could or does affect the future of key government agencies whose mission and work directly/indirectly affects the mission and work of corporate sustainability and sustainable investing professionals. Especially In focus: the US Environmental Protection Agency; the Department of Energy; the Department of the Interior; the Securities & Exchange Commission; the Department of Defense...and others. The news so far is not good. For the most part, as the leadership of these agencies and departments turns over and Trump appointees are coming in, a number of the new leaders actually oppose existing agency and department programs -- and in some cases have expressed their intention to eliminate the agencies that they are appointed to lead! In traditional Washington style, there are the official pronouncements and statements by "un-named officials" in the growing volume of media reports; there also Trump campaign positions being re-stated as "perspectives" in the news and commentary (editorials). The Washington Post writers Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis for example analyzed a plan ("leaked?") by the Trump White House to drastically cut US EPA staff, eliminate dozens of programs, and use the offset in "saved funds" to then fund increases in the defense budget. The EPA budget would be slashed from US$8.2 billion to $6.2 billion -- and with much of the funding going to state and municipal governments (grants), the impact could be even more significant for EPA core functions in protecting human health and the environment. The Top Story this week is a good wrap up of what seems to be in store for the nation's "top cop" on the environment, and expert opinions regarding the new administration plans as the 2017-2018 FY budget is prepared for submission to the Congress. We also offer G&A Institute's perspectives on this and related news stories emanating in the nation's capital city in our blog Sustainability Update (link here: Dangerous Antics – Fiddling with the Future of US EPA and the Health and Safety of the American People) at the bottom of this newsletter. With climate change deniers moving into powerful positions in the Federal government -- and a passel of deniers in charge at the state level -- the gains made in environmental protection and in advancing sustainability are at stake. In our news wrap up, we share "good news" and "bad news" with you every week so that you can take action. We are staying on the top of the news to present these types of headlines / and accompanying stories for you: Top Story White House Eyes Plan to Cut EPA Staff by One-Fifth, Eliminating Key Programs
(Thursday - March 02, 2017)
Source: Washington Post - The White House has proposed deep cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget that would reduce the agency’s staff by one-fifth in the first year and eliminate dozens of programs, according to details of a plan reviewed... Sustainability Topics & Issues in Focus From Around the Globe -- InFocus For You:
Add Water Reporting to Companies' Custainability Reports
(Friday - March 03, 2017)
Source: Asia One - A key announcement of Budget 2017 by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat was that water prices will increase by 30 per cent in two phases: this July and July next year - the first increase since 2000... Switzerland's Sustainable Food Scene Is Thriving
(Tuesday - February 28, 2017)
Source: Forbes - Food production places a considerable strain on our natural resources. In order to meet the United Nations' sustainable development goals, our food system needs significant change. The Sustainable Food Systems Programme (SFSP)... Source: World TradeMark Review - Asian Correspondent announced the release of the inaugural edition of its CSR50 Index last week, with the new ranking intended to highlight the “environmentally-conscious companies” that have done the most to “promote sustainable... Sustainability is the Forgotten Half of Globalization, says Achim Steiner
(Thursday - March 02, 2017)
Source: EcoBusiness - The prevailing notion of globalization is that it is based on trade, but globalization is about sustainability too, and the SDGs provide a guiding framework for the private sector, ex-UNEP boss Achim Steiner tells Eco-Business... Source: CNBC Africa - There is plenty of talk in the corporate sustainability space. Some companies embrace a green cause such as rhino poaching, tree planting, or wild dog conservation research. However worthy the cause, that embrace tells you... How GCC Companies Can Reach Their Sustainability Goals
(Monday - February 27, 2017)
Source: Gulf Business - Why 68 per cent of organizations in the GCC believe that the private and social sectors need to align to reach sustainability targets (Middle East)... In the USA -- Sustainability Topics & Issues Living Green: Sustainability News Ramps Up as Spring Nears
(Friday - March 03, 2017)
Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel - Many of us are slowly getting back to normal following the massive rain storms of Presidents’ Day weekend, and for some of us, there’s a long way to go — Big Sur and the Santa Cruz Mountains in particular. Sustainability and the Blue Economy
(Thursday - March 02, 2017)
Source: Huff Post - Sustainability is the word we hear most often in discussions of how to deal progressively with the social and economic challenges resulting from the world’s radical population growth, global economy, and voracious appetite for... Jeffrey Sachs on Sustainability and Inequality
(Wednesday - March 01, 2017)
Source: Bloomberg View - This week on our Masters in Business radio podcast, we speak with Professor Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University. He is the author of numerous bestselling books, most recently “Building the New American Economy: Smart, Fair, and... You Can't Have Lasting Sustainability without Social Inclusion
(Monday - February 27, 2017)
Source: GreenBiz - Solar panels that only the rich can afford. Urban bike-share programs that limit participation to those using credit cards. Pricey organic grocery stores for communities where many people rely on SNAP benefits. No matter how...
Sustainability’s Next Chapter: Wellness
(Monday - February 27, 2017)
Source: Commercial Property Executive - Owners and tenants are expanding the concept of sustainability to include wellness—the health and well-being of building occupants. From the Corporate World: Siegwerk Publishes First Sustainability Report
(Thursday - March 02, 2017)
Source: Labels and Labeling - Siegwerk, a supplier of printing inks for packaging applications and labels, has published its first-ever Sustainability Report, based on the international GRI standard, which lays a new basis for evaluating its sustainable... Source: Drugstore News - Walgreens Boots Alliance on Monday released its annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report for fiscal 2016, highlighting the company’s ongoing support for people in its communities and workplaces, and overall progress toward... How 5 Firms are Pursuing Sustainability Goals in 2017
(Wednesday - March 01, 2017)
Source: eco-business - The private sector is increasingly using sustainable thinking to gain a competitive edge. Here’s what 5 MNCs are doing this year. More companies are using sustainable thinking to get a competitive edge. Here's what 5 MNCs in... McDonald’s Is Exploring a New Menu Item: Sustainable Beef
(Wednesday - March 01, 2017)
Source: Fortune - Fast food giant McDonald’s (mcd, +0.52%) is directing its massive purchasing power to influence a new focus area in the food industry—sustainable beef.
News/Updates on ESG Issues & Players
Making a Positive Impact: The State of ESG Advocacy and Engagement
(Wednesday - March 01, 2017)
Source: Huff Post - A few shareowners also engage companies directly, either one-on-one, or through group engagements, and occasionally through the mechanism of a shareholder proposal. This type of engagement is collectively known as shareholder... The Greening of the Republicans?
(Tuesday - February 28, 2017)
Source: Barron's - Now that the U.S. has a new abundance of domestic oil and natural gas, what could be more natural than to tax it? As Ronald Reagan sarcastically summed up traditional government policies, “If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving... Warren Buffett Says Global Warming is Not Impacting the Way Berkshire Writes insurance
(Tuesday - February 28, 2017)
Source: CNBC - Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett on Monday said he has not yet seen sufficient evidence that climate change is affecting weather events to a degree that would make him change the way his conglomerate's insurance businesses... Source: ValueWalk - Executive compensation has always been a difficult topic and as executive wages have grown rapidly since the financial crisis, while the wages of the average worker have stagnated, the debate around executive compensation has... Sponsored Message | 
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Institutional Investor Updates: News About Asset Managers, US Pension Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds
N.Y. Pension Fund Puts ExxonMobil on Notice Over Climate Change
(Monday - February 27, 2017)
Source: Albany Times Union - State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, sole trustee of the state public employee pension fund, is again pushing for energy giant ExxonMobil to disclose how efforts to mitigate global warming will impact its corporate bottom line. Biggest Wealth Fund Returns $53 Billion After Trump Rally
(February 28, 2017) Associated Profiles : Norwegian Government Pension Fund – Global (Statens pensjonsfond – Utland) , Norwegian Government Pension Fund - Norway
Source: Bloomberg - Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s biggest, gained 447 billion kroner ($53 billion) last year after stocks rallied following the election of Donald Trump and as the investor plowed deeper into emerging and frontier markets... 
Commentary for You from G&A Institute
via Sustainability Update Blog
Global Warming – As the Phenomenon Ends, The Ice Begins? In Year 2060
(March 7, 2017) Source: G&A's Sustainability Update Blog
By Hank Boerner – Chair & Chief Strategist, G&A Institute
Keep your eye on 2060, when the Ice Age begins and Global Warming ends, say the folks at Samsung Chemical Coating (“SCC”) in The New York Times advertisement… Did the headline grab your attention? It surely caught mine. This is from a full-page advertisement appearing today in The New York Times, signed by Samsung Chemical Coating Co. Ltd. (for the record, they’ve also said this is material “copyrighted” and not for re-distribution). This is Fair Use reporting for you… Dangerous Antics – Fiddling with the Future of US EPA and the Health and Safety of the American People
(March 06, 2017) Source: G&A's Sustainability Update Blog
By Hank Boerner – Chair & Chief Strategist, G&A Institute
The Trump Administration – Making moves now on the US EPA to destroy its effectiveness through budget cuts and ideological attacks on its missions. Sign up to be notified as we post new content to the G&A blog here.
The Trump Team -- And Potential Impacts on Environmental Protection, Sustainability and Related Issues
Trump Poised to Lift Federal Coal Ban, Other Green Rules: White House
(Thursday - March 02, 2017)
Source: Reuters - US President Donald Trump will target a handful of Obama-era green regulations, including a federal coal mining ban and an initiative forcing states to cut carbon emissions, in an executive order as soon as next week, a White... Is Trump the Tipping Point for Ethical Investing?
(Thursday - March 02, 2017)
Source: Triple Pundit - You may have voted against U.S. President Donald Trump, protested his policies, and ranted to your friends. Yet most of us are financing him and his agenda... Trump Moves to Kill Obama Water Rule
(Wednesday - March 01, 2017)
Source: The Hill - It’s the first step toward repealing the 2015 water rule, which asserted federal power over small waterways like wetlands and streams for the purposes of controlling pollution under the Clean Water Act. Trump promised on the... Trump Plans to Begin EPA Rollback With Order on Clean Water
(Tuesday - February 28, 2017)
Source: New York Times — President Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Tuesday aimed at rolling back one of former President Barack Obama’s major environmental regulations to protect American waterways, but it will have almost no... | | | HAPPENING THIS WEEK | NIRI Webinar: Sustainability Reporting and Disclosure: How Is This Important for IR?
Thursday March 9, 2017
1.00 PM - 2.00 PM EST For your information: The National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) is the leading professional membership organization for corporate investor relations officers ("IROs"), the managers who interact with asset owners, asset managers and analysts on behalf of their (publicly-owned) companies. On Thursday, March 9, NIRI members will dial in to a webinar to learn more about corporate sustainability and disclosure & reporting. ("Sustainability Reporting and Disclosure: How is This Important for IR?") The content to be discussed: "Whether you are familiar with ESG/sustainability or just tuning in to the subject, this webinar will update you on the current state of sustainability reporting practices, voluntary and required, and to help you think about it in terms of investor relations. Panelists will include experts in GRI reporting and integrated reporting, both from the U.S. and U.K./Europe perspective. The goal of this webinar is to help you recognize how ESG/sustainability is rapidly maturing in strategic importance for IR." The moderator is Pam Styles, Principal of Next Level Investor Relations, LLC, and a long-time G&A Institute Fellow. Presenters include Mike Krzus, Mike Krzus Consulting; Mike Tyrell, Founder & Editor, SRI-Connect; and G&A's Louis Coppola and Hank Boerner. The webinar is free for NIRI members and available at US$250 fee for non-members. Click here for more information and to register for the Thursday, March 11th NIRI education webinar. |
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES |  | 
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Governance & Accountability Institute's blog focusing on the sustainable world evolving daily before our eyes. Read it, absorb it, question it and challenge. Recent posts: How Valuable is Your Brand — and What Are You Doing to Enhance the Brand Through Your Company’s Sustainability Journey? “The Authoritative Voice for Wall Streeters,” Says It … Barron’s Tells Mainstream Investors It’s a “New Era of Sustainable Investing” … And that is, in the Trumpian Era, No Less… News From the Sustainability Front as The Trump White House Makes Controversial Moves on ESG Issues — Actions and Reactions _________________________________________ 
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