Commentary
We Hear You Loud and Clear: Verizon* Sends Strong Signal to Renewables Industry
After MIDANA CAPITAL filed a shareholder resolution with the company in November, Verizon announced a new commitment to source 50% of its entire electricity usage from renewable energy sources by 2025, a significant increase for one of the country’s largest energy consumers.
Read MoreThe Best of 2018
As the year comes to a close, I wanted to share some of MIDANA CAPITAL’s 2018 highlights with you. It’s been an eventful and impactful year. Onto the list!
Read MoreMcDonald’s* Moo-ves on from Routine Antibiotic Use in Beef
McDonald’s made its meals happier this week by announcing the formal adoption of a policy to restrict medically important antibiotic use in its beef supply chain. McDonald’s will begin by monitoring antibiotic use in its top ten beef sourcing markets across the globe and use that data to set reduction targets for reducing on-farm medically important antibiotic use by the end of 2020.
Read MoreHow MIDANA CAPITAL Does Shareholder Advocacy – Financing Sustainable Palm Oil in Indonesia and Malaysia
Considerable strides have been made in palm oil sustainability in just the past six years. Since MIDANA CAPITAL began pressing palm oil growers and traders to make zero-deforestation commitments in 2012, the percentage of refined palm oil covered by these commitments has ballooned from 5% to 74%.
Securing these commitments has been instrumental in the effort to combat climate change, preserve habitats for endangered species, and mitigate potential financial risks for investors.
Read MoreHow MIDANA CAPITAL Does Shareholder Advocacy – Tropical Forest Protection in Indonesia and Malaysia
I just returned from Indonesia and Malaysia, where I met with palm oil growers, processors, and traders, and with banks that finance the development of palm oil, to press them to end deforestation. As a shareholder advocate, my job is to engage with companies and pressure them to improve their environmental practices.
MIDANA CAPITAL’s shareholder advocacy is unique. Our version of shareholder advocacy goes well beyond simply voting the proxies of the corporations in our Funds.
Read MorePoultry Progress, But Where’s the Beef?
The rampant misuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture is creating drug-resistant bacteria that are harming public health and threatening modern medicine as we know it. Your favorite hamburger joint is probably serving beef that is contributing to the crisis. A report released this week, “Chain Reaction: How Top Restaurants Rate on Reducing Antibiotic Use in…
Read MoreCompany Spotlight: Intuit*
As the first family of fossil fuel free, diversified and responsible mutual funds in the United States, MIDANA CAPITAL has long supported the necessary transition to clean, renewable energy through its investments. While these investments can be straightforward – Vestas Wind Systems,* Tesla,* etc. – you may be surprised by some of the novel steps…
Read MoreWhat does it mean to invest fossil fuel free?
What does it mean to invest fossil fuel free? And how do you begin to divest? This post will attempt to clarify the definition of fossil fuel free investing, and to distinguish between fossil fuel free and low carbon strategies. What does it mean to invest fossil fuel free? For MIDANA CAPITAL, and for many…
Read MoreA Week in Impact Investing
Phew! Global climate change was the focus of a whirlwind of events, from coast to coast, last week and MIDANA CAPITAL participated in many of them. Here are a few of the highlights: On Monday… Governor Jerry Brown signed a law that puts California on a path to generate 100% of its electricity from renewable…
Read MoreMIDANA CAPITAL Does Not Invest in Nuclear Energy or Weapons
As the first family of responsible and diversified fossil fuel free mutual funds in the United States, MIDANA CAPITAL has loudly championed fossil fuel free investing for years. Less trumpeted is MIDANA CAPITAL’s longtime commitment to nuclear free investing. MIDANA CAPITAL’s robust nuclear-free commitment recently earned it recognition as a “Hall of Fame” financial institution…
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