In November, the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) released the Responsible Investment Report 2009. 

RIAA reported a 34% increase in the number of signatories to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI), and found that $38.2 billion worth of assets are held by Australian fund managers/institutions that are known to have already integrated environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues into their day-to-day financial analysis and/or stock selection to a high degree.

We were very interested to learn that RIAA considers that approximately 50% of all funds under the management of Australian asset managers now fall under a UN PRI commitment to integrate ESG considerations into their analyses.

In our view, this points to the increasing importance of providing high quality disclosure on our sustainability performance to the investment community.

You can download the report from the RIAA website (www.responsibleinvestment.org). Leave a post to let us know what you took out of the report. What ESG issues do you think its important to consider when investing in a company?

La Maîtrise du Trading à l’ESG Paris

Découverte des métiers et comportements
Udiscover vous propose de participer à cette action et de valider 1 crédit Udiscover !

Avoir du succès en opérant en bourse suppose une interaction forte entre le marché et le joueur ; Cette interaction ne peut se faire que si le joueur est en adéquation à la fois  avec le marché, ses objectifs et son propre comportement.

Pour y arriver, il faut non seulement comprendre ce que le marché vous dit, mais le traduire en action et en action appropriée. Ce qui demande une certaine méthode. Quel méthode utiliser et comment la mettre en œuvre est le propos de cette conférence.

Jeudi 03 décembre 2009, Andrea Brignone, trader specialisé dans la psychologie des marchés financiers vous parlera de la Maitrise du Trading, conférence organisé par l’Ecole de commerce ESG Paris.

Grand Amphi de l’ESG de 18h30 à 20h00

Lieu: 25 rue Saint Ambroise
75011 Paris

Métro: Saint Ambroise L9

L’école de commerce ESG Paris se classe en 2ème position au classement du Figaro Etudiant 2009.

L’ESG le plus fort développement
“Depuis son passage en 5 ans, l’ESG connaît une attractivité grandissante sur les candidats issus du Bac.
En 3 ans, l’école a connu une  progression de 70% des effectifs.”

Consultez le classement du figaro en ligne

Curriculum Vitae - im Glanz der Schichten des Graffiti-Schutzes bewahrt für künftige Generationen?

Regenfreie Novembertage mussten und müssen abgewartet werden, um die letzten fertigen Mauerbildern an der East Side Gallery mit dem notwendigen Schutz zu versehen. Der transparente Überzug bringt die bemalte Mauer zum Glänzen wie feiner Zuckerguss und belebt die Farben durch erhöhten Kontrast. Graffiti lässt sich nunmehr leicht entfernen.

Bleibt zu hoffen, dass die Schicht auch der Schadstoff belasteteten Luft durch den starken Autoverkehr auf der Mühlenstraße und den subversiven Kräften des Wetters ausreichend Widerstand entgegensetzt.

L’ESG conforte sa place dans le Top 20 au palmarès l’Express, l’Etudiant des écoles de commerce délivrant le Grade Master

Rappelant que sur 208 écoles de commerce, 42 délivrent le Grade Master. L’ESG est donc solidement ancrée dans le Top 20 depuis 3 ans et se positionne dans les 10% des meilleures écoles de commerce.

Consultez le classement général

L’ESG Paris (Ecole Supérieure de Gestion) lance pour la rentrée 2010 un Master 2 en partenariat avec le CNAM de Paris (Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers).

Il s’agit d’un double diplôme ESG-CNAM en Finances d’entreprise, spécialité stratégie et expertise financières.

Cette formation commune CNAM / ESG permet aux participants d’obtenir un Master 2 du CNAM et le diplôme de l’ESG (diplôme visé, Grade Master).

Ce programme est placé sous la double responsabilité, d’une part de Denis Dubois, professeur au CNAM, et d’autre part de Armand Derhy, directeur de l’ESG.

Objectifs du programme

Acquérir les savoirs théoriques et méthodologiques nécessaires pour occuper un emploi de cadre opérationnel dans les différents métiers de la finance. Elle permet en particulier d’accéder aux métiers d’expert et d’analyste financier selon un format répondant aux meilleures exigences professionnelles et internationales.

Débouchés

Les métiers visés se situent principalement dans la finance d’entreprise comme la gestion des ressources financières et des actifs financiers, requérant des compétences de plus en plus recherchées dans les entreprises industrielles et commerciales. De même, le développement du marché des capitaux et des produits financiers impose le recrutement de collaborateurs spécialisés dans l’analyse financière, le risque crédit, la communication financière.

Ce programme complète l’offre de formations ESG/CNAM, qui compte déjà un double diplôme en Prospective, innovation, stratégie et organisation proposé par l’ESG depuis avril 2009.

L’association G du Coeur de l’ESG organise le mercredi 25 novembre 2009 une conférence sur les projets d’aide au développement des étudiants de l’ESG, en partenariat avec OLPC France.

La conférence se déroulera de 19h à 20h30 dans l’amphithéâtre de l’ESG, 25 rue Saint-Ambroise, Paris 11è.

Cet événement sera l’occasion pour l’association G du Cœur de présenter son action phare : l’aide au développement sur l’île de Nosy Komba à Madagascar. Les étudiants de l’ESG se sont rendus à plusieurs reprises dans l’un des villages de l’île pour venir en aide aux habitants sur le plan éducatif et alimentaire :
-    Fourniture de 100 ordinateurs XO de la Fondation OLPC (ordinateurs éducatifs pour apprendre à lire, écrire, compter et mémoriser) avec formation sur place des enseignants et des élèves de 6 à 12 ans
-    Construction d’un dortoir
-    Création d’un potager sur une surface de 2 hectares

La conférence sera l’occasion pour l’association G du Cœur de présenter les résultats du projet Nosy Komba. Les étudiants témoigneront des actions accomplies. Enfin, le président d’OLPC France, partenaire de l’association, présentera la Fondation et ses missions. Le public pourra également profiter d’une exposition photos dans l’école.

L’association G du Cœur de l’ESG est une association humanitaire et caritative composée d’une cinquantaine de membres, dont 5 étudiants engagés dans le projet Nosy Komba. L’association propose aux étudiants de l’ESG de s’impliquer tout au long de l’année dans des actions de solidarité sur le plan national et international.

Consultez les programmes de l’Ecole Commerce ESG

A propos de l’ESG

Etablissement reconnu par l’Etat
Diplôme visé par l’Etat
Grade Master
Membre de la Conférence
des Grandes Ecoles

Date de creation : 1975
Nombre d’étudiants 2009/10 : 1950
13 spécialisations : Finance d’entreprise, Finance de marchés, Audit et expertise comptable, Bancassurance, Marketing et publicité, Communication et médias, Management des ressources humaines, Management du luxe, Management du sport, Achats et supply chain, Entrepreneuriat, e-commerce, International business

2 doubles diplômes ESG / CNAM de Paris

3 concours d’entrée : en 1ère année (après Bac), en 3ème année (après Bac+2 et prépa), en 4ème année (après Bac+3/+4)

Contact Presse

Morgane Leneveu

Service de presse
Réseau PGSM
Agence Communicatis

Tél : 01 55 28 60 12
scom@esg.fr

Songs to get people on the dance the dance floor

Wanda Jackson – Long Tall Sally
Tugboat – Firecracker Alley
Stereo Total – Ich Weiss Nicht Mehr Genau
The Mae Shi – R U Professional?
ESG – Erase You
N.A.S.A. – Strange Enough
Kavinsky – Testarossa Nightdrive
Amilcka E Chocolate – Som De Preto
Danger – 11h30
USK – LittleSoundDisko#04
Armando Tovajoli – FMB Shake
The Scramblers – Mister Hot Rod
George Damawuzan – Wait For Me

Dear Friends and Colleagues-

We wanted to share the following links with you to keep  you abreast of trends in the investment community with regard to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting.

Responsible Investor, “SEC reverses position on environmental and social shareholder resolutions”

Responsible Investor, “PRI sign-ups buck financial crisis – Bloomberg joins and launches ESG data on screens”

All the best,

Barb and Margie

Many companies are taking note of the recent surge in socially responsible investing (SRI), which is swiftly making the business case for corporate responsibility and sustainability.  Essentially, socially responsible investors recognize that companies’ impacts on the environment, society and the economy are all valid components of investment decisions.

Demonstrating the power of SRI:

Chevron Corp. recently became the first major U.S. oil company to announce that it would track and report on the carbon content of its products.  As a result of the decision, The Sisters of St. Dominic of Caldwell, N.J., a faith-based institutional investor, withdrew its greenhouse gas emissions shareholder resolution against the company, in addition to praising Chevron’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.

The Sisters of St. Dominic consists of a group of 16 investors and is a member of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (a coalition of nearly 300 institutional investors representing over $100 billion in invested capital). The Sisters of St. Dominic filed a proposal on the carbon content of Chevron’s products earlier in 2009.

Chevron’s competitor, Exxon Mobil Corp., may now be under more pressure to reduce its own carbon footprint.  The investors group criticized Exxon directors for asking their shareholders to vote against a similar proposal.

A growing market:

The SRI market currently comprises an estimated $2.71 trillion out of $25.1 trillion in the U.S. investment marketplace today.  In order to capture the growing SRI market, Dow Jones, NASDAQ and S&P (among others) have all launched Sustainability Indices to show how companies compare in terms of sustainable practices.

SRI works to the financial benefit of companies that consider and address their environmental, social and economic impacts, while delivering more long-term returns to shareholders that understand the link between sustainable corporate practices and the ‘sustainability’ (read: longevity) of the companies themselves.

Patricia Kelley, an investment consultant of UBS Financial Services, Inc., stated, “We believe a solution to the current credit crunch is a greater focus on sustainability.”  She explained the current credit crunch as a catalyst of the cultural paradigm shift towards sustainability and corporate responsibility.

She continued, “The fact that a burgeoning number of investors care about corporate responsibility builds the business case for companies to deepen their focus on integrating sustainability into the core of their operations.”

Resource:

UBS Financial Services, Inc.’s Non-Financial Criteria for Investing

1. Products and Services
   • Favor companies that offer products and services that provide societal or environmental benefits.
2. Environmental Impact
   • Favor companies that conserve natural resources, reduce waste generation and proactively address major environmental challenges, such as climate change.  Why: Too costly to invest in companies with environmental problems, because of increased risk of future litigation and costs.   
3. Workplace Conditions
   • Favor companies that encourage workplace diversity and work-life balance, respect workers’ right to organize and enforce labor standards throughout their supply chains.
4. Community Relations
   • Favor companies that have positive relationships with local, indigenous and underserved communities.
5. Corporate Governance
   • Favor companies with governance structures that promote board leadership and responsiveness to shareholders.

*Still need more proof of the global increase in SRI despite the economic downturn?  Click here to read about the 31% increase of signatories for The UN Principles for Responsible Investment.

Totally forgot about this question I had posted to the FT’s Ask the expert column of a few weeks ago answered by Ousmène Mandeng, head of public sector investment advisory at Ashmore Investment Management. He was also a deputy division chief at the International Monetary Fund.

Will lower global growth mean that non-financial, or Environmental, Social and Governance [ESG] performance will become more embedded into emerging markets and will demonstrate regional traits? For example, will companies operating in Brazil need to demonstrate greater attention to ESG housekeeping as well as long term commitments to issues such as Amazon conservation?
Jimmy Greer, London

OM: Emerging markets have an upmost interest in upholding environmental, social and governance criteria.

Peer pressure through regional affiliations could exert regional trends in strict ESG adoption. The risk is as well, though, that ESG will be used in a slower growing international economy as a form of non-tariff protectionism or administrative barrier of entry.

In our view, this must be avoided.

Link to all the questions answered here

The response echoes my biggest concern about raising barrier to entry in regions where diversification of growth requires new participants not a concentration of wealth by established big players.

This was a key finding of my 2008 MSc  thesis which explored the impact of SRI on economic development in Brazil. SRI funds I looked at followed the indices and were made up of the biggest companies -who were also the country’s sustainability leaders.

How to avert ESG becoming a non-tariff protectionism or administrative barrier to entry?

Im not too sure but I would say that the key has got to be building up regional institutional capacity to allow countries to set their own frameworks and guidelines.

In many ways this is already happening in Brazil.

The PRI has a regional group there and the WRI is putting together a national GHG index for the country. All good, but are we still just talking about voluntary initiatives (and their limitations)?

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by Press Trust of India at Business Standard, September 25, 2009.

Capital market watchdog Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) today called for ‘meaningful’ dialogue between various regulators and market players to ensure better corporate governance practices.

The Sebi will watch corporate governance trends of companies and will discuss with other regulatory agencies to seek ways to improve the environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards of companies, its Chairman C B Bhave said at a conference here.

“We want to have dialogue with other regulatory agencies (to improve ESG standards of companies). We are happy to discuss this with the Reserve Bank, the government and other agencies…,” Bhave said.

As and when a consensus emerges on the matter among market participants, the country’s exchanges can also contemplate the idea of categorising companies in terms of ESG compliance, he said.

Noting that ESG values cannot be imposed on the market by mere regulation, Bhave said the initiatives should come from companies themselves…(continue reading)

Pictures of kids, parks, leafs, nature, water, planet earth, two hands holding a small tree… Clichés used to embellish so-called “sustainability reports” or Corporate Responsibility (CR) or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reports – Documents that state the corporation’s actions to obtain its “license to operate” with its stakeholders, its answers to the demand for responsible behavior and environment-related initiatives.

These reports are communication tools, and their growing importance (with the growing pressure for more social and environmental responsibility from corporations) made them very popular, as well as the frameworks used to write them. The most important framework nowadays was developed by GRI – Global Reporting Initiative, a very comprehensive set of guidelines for writing CSR Reports with focus on Stakeholders.

CSR reports are supposed to communicate the corporate triple bottom line performance to the shareholders and beyond: to the community, customers and even governments.

It simply doesn’t work. Stakeholders do not look at these reports often. Customers are not using them to decide about their purchase decisions. Employees have their own information from their working routines, governments demand different kinds of reports and information. Shareholders may be the only group that is somewhat interested in these reports, but just as curious facts, not for a decision-making in their investments, with some exceptions.

During GRI Summit in Amsterdam in 2008, Greenpeace and Amnesty International pointed out that the information they look for are not in these reports. CSR Reports are not reliable because they are published voluntarily, they have an excessive amount of information (usually 70-100 pages long), most of them are not audited, and the metrics they use may vary from company to company.

Many years of shareholder pressure was needed to create today’s rules over financial data disclosure. The same must be done with ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) information.

Today, CSR reports became a piece of marketing, and worse, companies now are compelled to do it because everyone was doing so, even though they are quite ineffective as we seen. Working as an auditor using these reports and developing frameworks for responsible investing, I concluded that a few things can fix the situation:

1. Black and white: Like balance sheets and financial statements, the information on ESG must be presented in tables, with accurate numbers, comparable by each year. No flowers or case studies in the middle. Just the numbers.
2. All the information: Some reports state data using charts, some omit business units in their scopes. That doesn’t happen in financial reports. All indicators must embrace the largest scope possible. If the information is to be disclosed, it must be done so consistently.
3. Transparency for all: To disclose ESG indicators must be made compulsory to all large corporations (those listed in the stock market). And they must be disclosed the ways above.

This would make these reports actually useful for stakeholders and shareholders alike. It would make possible to compare companies, and make the correlations between ESG performance and financial performance. It would make these reports much more than just another expensive way to greenwash.

Relatórios de responsabilidade corporativa…

Fotos de crianças, parques, folhas, natureza, água, o planeta terra, duas mãos segurando uma muda… Clichês utilizados para embelezar os chamados “relatórios de sustentabilidade” ou relatórios de responsabilidade corporativa (RC), ou relatórios de responsabilidade social corporativa (RSC) – documentos que apresentam as ações das companhias para obterem sua “licença de operação” frente a seus stakeholders, ações relacionadas a um comportamento responsável e iniciativas ligadas ao meio-ambiente.

Esses relatórios são ferramentas de comunicação e sua crescente importância (junto à crescente importância de ações responsáveis por parte das empresas) os fez muito populares, bem como popularizou os modelos usados para montá-los. O modelo mais importante hoje em dia foi desenvolvido pelo GRI – Global Reporting Initiative, e é um conjunto completo e bem estruturado de orientações para a composição de relatórios de responsabilidade corporativa com foco em Stakeholders.

Relatórios GRI deveriam comunicar o desempenho da empresa nas dimensões social, ambiental e econômica para os acionistas e além: também para a comunidade, clientes e até o governo.

Simplesmente não funciona. Stakeholders não olham muito para esses relatórios. Clientes não o utilizam para tomar suas decisões de compras, os empregados têm suas próprias informações, desenvolvidas ao longo das rotinas internas, os governos demandas relatórios diferentes e com informações específicas. Os acionistas talvez sejam o único grupo que tem algum tipo de interesse nesses relatórios, mas por curiosidade, não para a tomada de decisão de seus investimentos, com algumas exceções.

Durante a conferência do GRI em Amsterdã em 2008, o Greenpeace e a Anistia Internacional apontaram que a informação que eles procuram sobre companhias, não estão nesses relatórios. Relatórios não são confiáveis, pois são feitos voluntariamente, possuem uma sobrecarga de informações (geralmente com 70 a 100 páginas), a maioria não é auditada, e os indicadores utilizados variam de empresa para empresa.

Muitos anos de pressões dos acionistas foram necessários para a criação das regras atuais que determinam a publicação de informações financeiras. O mesmo precisa ser feito com informações relativas aos indicadores sociais, ambientais e de governança (ESG na sigla em inglês).

Hoje, relatórios de responsabilidade corporativa se tornaram uma ferramenta de marketing, e pior, as empresas se viram obrigadas a publicá-los porque todos o estavam fazendo, mesmo que sejam tão ineficientes em seu propósito. Trabalhando como auditor utilizando esses relatórios e desenvolvendo modelos de investimento responsável, conclui que umas poucas ações podem corrigir a situação:

1. Preto no branco: Como balanços patrimoniais e demonstrativos de resultados, as informações sobre ESG devem ser apresentadas em tabelas, com números precisos, comparáveis ano a ano. Nada de flores ou estudos de caso no meio. Apenas os números.
2. Toda a informação: Alguns relatórios apresentam as informações com gráficos, alguns omitem certas regiões geográficas ou unidades de negócio em seu escopo. Isso não ocorre em relatórios financeiros. Todos os indicadores devem incluir o maior escopo possível da companhia. Se a informação será publicada, ela deve ser consistente.
3. Transparência para todos: Publicar o desempenho ambiental, social e de governança deve ser uma atividade obrigatória para grandes empresas (com ações negociadas em bolsa de valores). E devem ser publicadas seguindo as regras acima.

Isso faria os relatórios realmente úteis para stakeholders e acionistas. Tornaria possível comparar empresas, e fazer correlações firmes sobre o desempenho em ESG e o desempenho financeiro. Faria com que esses relatórios evoluíssem para algo muito melhor que mais uma forma de greenwash.

21-45

hudson mo’hawke – rising 5
frank nitt – hollyhood
apathy – true love
pete rock ft qtip & large professor – to each his own
cassie – must be love (remix)
illa j ft debi nova – sounds like love
sa-ra creative partners – melodee n’mynor
shafiq husayn – major heavy
bibio – jealous of roses
debrúit – sole’s sweat
nadsroic – room mist
jdilla – on stilts
dj spinna – elemental
kaleta & akoya afrobeat – guynamukat
koushik – hammerthyme
k’nann & j period – lets start
yoggy one – preparations

22-45

**electric picnic tent mix**

quantic & his combo barbaro – the dreaming mind pt 1
hypnotic brass ensemble – alyo
amadou & miriam – djuru
esg – gimme me a blast
zero 7 – everything up (zizou)
lisa hannigan – keep it all
roots manuva – let the spirit
rubberbandits – bag of glue
major lazer – mary jane
benga – zero m2
four tet – ringer
jazzanova ft phonte – far from home

the baker brothers ft vanesa freeman – family tree
life force trio – auntie’s harp

wahhghgh! the picnic. the best 72 hours of the year. every year. and this year, despite the weather being a bit gammy, was no exception.

We were late to leave, so late to arrive.. . bit of a trend with us…. but back road madness and sweet talking to a guard -who didn’t notice the out of date tax and insurance, perks of drivin a merc- meant we skipped all the traffic! but then, fuck me the walk from the car park was long, so long I could have gotten fucking sponsored for it! Chirst! – Concern could have made at least 4 grand on me! Thank god we got the tangerine tents, so with none of the stress of not being able to put up a tent so we were able to hit the fields in no time.
Friday night was the night for ravin! ORBITAL. what legends. prosecco, cheeky halfs and incredibale tunes! – the perfect beginning to the perfect weekend… then over to the body n soul for Donal Dineen n co always a highlight… fucking fantastic!! Sure we missed loads of good shit durnin earlier in the day .. but what can ya do.. : Lykke Li, ABC, MGMT (heard they were shite though) n Diplo… -did anyone see Diplo!?!!
Saturday was overcast as fuck.. and me a tad hungover.. had the ingenious idea to drink a can of Bulmers ‘to help me sleep..’ before going to bed.. woke up at 9 (three hrs later) in intense pain from needing to piss.. managed to brave the walk to the jacks to be greeted with a queue.. this obviously sent me over the edge where i fought back pissing myself, throwing up and the need to faint for 15-20 mins before finally getting a cubicle .. after that ordeal I took another 2 hours kip and re-awoke to a much more positive looking day.. chilled in Flo’s Gourmet Offensive Tent and caught the amazing Brigid Power-Ryce in the Body n Soul- check this girl out people, what a voice!! Went wandering then, little bits of class acts ESG, Imelda May, The Klaxons but without a shadow of a doubt Saturday evening’s gig in the Electric Arena stole the entire festival.
Le Chic c’est fucking AMAZING. I was lucky enough to see them at Sonar a few years back so there was no way I was missing this show- what legends- apart from the fact they kept refering to where they were as Dublin. All is forgiven for such a performance tho, and from the crowd too, blasting out Ireland’s unofficial national anthem Ole Ole, priceless! I’d also like to thank the tech crew back stage who opened our bottle of Prosecco for us before the show.. sure where would we be without the fizz!
Pissed about in VIP area for a while then .. no craic apart from good toilets and decent drinks. Watched a bit of 2 Many DJs from the viewing point there.. we also got a great view of the arse of some poor young one who decided to go for piss against the fence.. she failed to notice the 70 odd people on a fucking raised platform up over the said fence and decided to bare all in front of one of the gaps in the fence… god love her wha!? Some other ravin lunatic kept shouting ‘VIP’s’ up at us while swapping his hands over and back from his cock to the air… couldn’t resist shouting ‘VIPenis’ back at him. Ha! Schtate of it.. Anyway there was no craic there so with frest vodka tonics in hand we went out into the thick of 2 Many DJs mixing Slayer Raining Blood into Dolly’s 9 to 5 into Vitalic’s Le Rock .. savage.. with animated Record sleeves of each and every tune as their visuals .. made me think of all our art/pop/music talk of late… very clever set, somewhat streamline but highly entertaining .. and if anyone has a the set list please send it our way…..! The rest of the night is a bit of a blurrr totally mental and mad back in Body and Soul again, caught a bit of Four Tet .. but couldn’t tell ya if it was good or bad.. but what was great was the ever flowing Buckfast and some young wan was sellin laughing gas in balloons for 3 euro a pop -Entrepreneurialtastic, cleaning up! There was a lot of Riverdance schtyles goin on with the Tulla Ceili Band – madge out of it at 4am- raving to trad!! and then I woke up in a snowsuit..
Sunday was health day Juices and Pancakes and ‘Picnic’s got Talent’ – featuring all sorts of head-cases … of course the star of the show Ms.Lara Campbell, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen this woman perform her act as a Condom. Christ. Too Much! Then we swung by Bingo in the Amnesty, needs a kick up the hole really.. I know it’s for a good cause an all but where’s Bobby Tisdale when ya need him? Bingo. Black Rabbit. Brooklyn. There is no reason for Bingo to be no craic – sort it out like! Musically Florence and the Machine, phenomenal .. what a voice and repore with the crowd, my number 2 of the festival, though I did belt across to Echo and the Bunnymen during it – just in time to hear the Killing Moon then back to see Florence climb up on the speakers an blast out Candi’s You’ve Got The Love. Class Class Class. Fleet Foxes were kinda boring .. saw a band called The Acorn worth checking out.. But the other Massive highlight of the Festival had to have been Passion Pit, fucked the shit out of it they did. Unreal. I take back Florence as the number 2, these were. Fact. Chic No.1, Passion Pit No.2 and Florence and the Machine No.3.
We did miss Hypnotic Brass Ensemble though, pissed off about that… but ya can’t do it all .. next year we’ll do it all. everyfuckingbitofit. The rave on the boat in the woods and the Circus.. Big Wheel, Yoga.. go to the Cinema, make a basket.. fucking all of it. Comedy. Oh yeah we saw Tommy Tiernan for a bit as well… gas – a tent full of people roaring ‘DID YA EVER RAPE SOMEONE!!?‘ … where else would ya get it?
www.electricpicnic.ie

“Horses are running everywhere/While I eat my cornflakes/I prepare to go to the beach/Which one I will choose?”

This morning, a package arrived from Nottingham, from a former Plan B writer. I love shit like this. Makes life totally worthwhile, when friends you haven’t even ever met send you stuff just cos they think you might like it. Especially when it’s a CD from an all-girl band from Buenos Aires who dress like a convoluted version of Devo, rattle the drums like Wet Dog and have pretty, stinging voices that bounce and cleanse and sometimes harmonise as a sort of bonus afterthought.  Guitar solos are minimal. Obviously. Rhythm owes a debt to ESG. Obviously. What they decide to leave out is as important as what they decide to put in. Obviously.

There was a definition of punk I discovered via Google Alert two days ago that I’d like to bring to the table here, so we can be precise about what we’re discussing… that “Raincoats–Red Krayola–Flying Lizards–Wire–James Chance–No Wave–Go Gos–Peaches–CSS–Electroclash–Riot Grrrl–Chicks on Speed–New York Noise–C86–Pastels–Everett True axis”.

Yeah. Sweet. Reminds me of The Roches in a roundabout way, too.

Anyway, you can make your own mind up. Here’s a link and some vids.

by Jonathan Lewis for Responsible Investor, August 27th, 2009.

The clamour for more responsible investment (RI) is probably only second in terms of volume to the call for better governance of the international banking industry following the financial markets collapses of the past couple of years. While banks have drawn the most ire from governments and central banks, regulators are looking increasingly at the role of institutional investors in the downfall of the global financial system and grappling with ways to ensure past mistakes are not repeated. While encouraging noises and draft initiatives are being proposed, what’s required is a fundamental change of view that puts responsible investment at the heart of any broad-based international governance changes.
There is no question that the financial crisis has highlighted the need to put sustainability issues at the core of investment decisions. The drive for unrealistically high, continuous returns was one of the key factors behind the markets’ collapse. By definition, responsible investment means investing in sustainable businesses with long-term visions and returns…(continue reading)

The title is a rockin’ Sonic Youth track….

1. Mission of Burma, Innermost-single, Innermost (a brand spankin’ new single from the awesome Mission of Burma)
2. Sonic Youth, Sister, Hotwire my heart (1987)
3. Suicide, Suicide, Cheree (1977)
4. Yo La Tengo, Matador at 15, Deeper into Movies
5. My Bloody Valentine, Glider, Glider (1990 Sire records)

6. Jesus and Mary Chain, Upside Down (This was their debut single released in 1984)
7. Wire, Object 47, Circumspect (these guys are so cool formed in the late 70s and are still making albums this was released in 2008)
8. Box Elders, Alice and Friends, Cougars
9. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Now I Got Worry, Wait (1996)
10. Siouxsie & The Banshees, Hyaena, Swimming Horses (1984)
11. The Cure, The Top, Wailing Wall (1984)

12. The Gun Club, Fire of Love, Promise Me (1981)
13. Pixies, Trompe Le Monde, Subbacultcha (1991)
14. The Dream Syndicate, Medicine Show, John Coltrane Stereo Blues (1984)
15. The Smiths, “Hatful of Hollow”, What Difference Does it Make (1984)
A great request!

16.The Barracudas, Drop out with the Barracudas, (I Wish it Could Be) 1965 again (Came out in or around 1982)
17. Delta 5, Singles & Sessions (Kill Rock Stars put this together with their stuff between 79 and 81), Mind Your Own Business
18. Sleater-Kinney, Dig Me Out, Dance Song ‘97 (released in, this is going to surprise you after that song title, 1997. This was also on Kill Rock Stars.)
19. The Normal, Warm Leatherette-Single, T.V.O.D. (1978)
20. Erase Errata, Night Life, Giant Hans 2006
21. Nobunny, Love Visions, I Am a Girlfriend
22. Swirlies, Blonder Tongue Audio Baton, His Love Just Washed Away (1992, Tang Records)

23. PJ Harvey, Stories From the City Stories From the Sea, A Place Called Home (2000)
24. The Nerves, One Way Ticket, Hanging on the Telephone (70s power pop from LA, recognize the song? Yeap, Blondie covered it.)
25. The Wipers, Best of, Better Off Dead (released in 1990 but encompassing their work from the 80s), Better Off Dead
26. The Red Guitars, Slow to Fade, Good Technology (1984)
27. ESG, Come Away With ESG, Come Away (1983)
28. Shop Assistants, Shop Assistants Anthology, Safety Net (around mid to late 80s)

by The Corporate Library.

Awareness of the investment risks related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors is rising. The financial crisis has catapulted ESG information on public companies into the spotlight, gaining the attention of investors, legislators and regulators. Despite this growing client demand, however, many financial advisors and portfolio managers are still uncertain about what, exactly, ESG means. To help you begin to navigate this seemingly daunting landscape, we have provided a list of terms and resources that should help you get started. This Starter Kit includes:

• A detailed overview of what exactly the E, the S and the G in ESG represent
• An explanation of what ESG integration means
• A comprehensive list of resources, many free, to help you incorporate ESG factors into your investment decisions.

To download the starter kit click here.

The UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) were issued in 2006. The PRI were developed by an international group of institutional investors reflecting the increasing relevance of environmental, social and corporate governance issues to investment practices. The process was convened by the United Nations Secretary-General.  The PRI state: “As institutional investors, we have a duty to act in the best long-term interests of our beneficiaries. In this fiduciary role, we believe that environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues can affect the performance of investment portfolios (to varying degrees across companies, sectors, regions, asset classes and through time). We also recognise that applying these Principles may better align investors with broader objectives of society”.  http://www.unpri.org/principles/

Signatories to the PRI commit to incorporating ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes; being active owners and incorporating ESG issues into ownership policies and practice; seeking appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which they invest; promoting acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry; working together to enhance their effectiveness in implementing the Principles and reporting on their activities and progress towards implementing the Principles.

PRI Report on Progress (2008)

The ‘PRI Report on Progress 2008’ was published.  The report highlights progress made to date, special initiatives that have been undertaken, and areas for improvement.  Interestingly the PRI encourages signatories to disclose their responses to the annual Reporting and Assessment survey, and every year a number of signatories agree to make their responses publicly available.  The responses can be viewed at: http://www.unpri.org/report09/

One of the questions on the annual Reporting and Assessment survey asks respondents to rank the six principles on the level of difficulty of implementation of the principles.

There are currently 574 signatories to the Principles, comprising 183 asset owners, 282 investment managers, and 109 professional service partners. 

Aviva Investors is one of the signatories and their Head of Research and Engagement, Steve Waygood is quoted as saying: “There is now a critical mass of institutional investors who believe management of corporate responsibility or ESG issues is highly relevant to the long-term financial success of their investments”.

UN PRI Delists Members

The UN PRI recently delisted five of its signatories after they failed to report on their activities.  Sophia Grene (FTfm Page 6, 24^th August 09) in her article ‘UN Principles need sharper teeth’ states ‘it is a significant step forward for the UNPRI to demonstrate there are consequences to treating the principles as nothing but a brand-enhancer’.

Concluding thoughts

The UN PRI have taken some clear steps to hold its members (signatories) to account.  The UN PRI are also working on a transparency framework which, according to Grene, will give  ‘clients, customers, members and other stakeholders…a clear sense of their responsible investment processes, activities and capabilities’.   It will be interesting to see how the UN PRI evolve over time given the growing interest in this area.

Chris Mallin 24^th August  2009