Soda No Longer Covered By Food Stamps

October 7th, 2010

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is sometimes known as Nanny Bloomberg, but that’s not entirely fair…

  • In an effort to fight the twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the mayor of New York City and the governor of New York State have teamed up to get sugary drinks out of the hands of low-income residents. Bloomberg has already won smoking bans in restaurants and bars, and junk food bans in public schools.
  • They’ve asked the federal government to ban the sale of soda and other sugary drinks to New York City residents using food stamps. Cigarettes and alcohol are already off-limits to these customers.
  • The ban will serve as a two-year experiment to see whether reducing availability of sugary drinks reduces obesity and diabetes rates, as well as overall sales of sugary drinks. Bloomberg recently tried to add a tax on all sugary drinks, but his proposal was defeated by industry lobbyists.

Facts & Figures

  • 1.7 million city residents currently receive food stamps.
  • An estimated $135 million in federal food aid is used to purchase sugary drinks.
  • Approximately 40% of kids from kindergarten through eighth grade and 60% adults in NYC are overweight or obese.
  • Drinking one sugary drink per day increases a child’s likelihood of being obese by 60%.

Best Quote

“We’re saying you can’t use a government-subsidized health program to do it.” – Jessica Scaperotti, Mayoral Press Aide, insisting the mayor is not trying to prevent poor New Yorkers from purchasing sugary drinks

Toxie The Toxic Asset Dies

October 7th, 2010

Those crazy kids at NPR spent $1,000 on an adorable toxic asset named “Toxie” to teach us all a lesson about the subprime mortgage disaster. And then they made a 3-minute cartoon about it. It’s really good:

(via npr.org)

The Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI) are..

October 6th, 2010

The Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI) are the guidelines for investors who are conscious of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues (like human rights or climate change, for example). Like the title says, they’re basically guidelines to help investors investing responsibly.

The six Principles say that “as investors,

1. We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes.

2. We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices.

3. We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest.

4. We will promote acceptance and implementation of the principles within the investment industry.

5. We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the principles.

6. We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the principles.”

The Social Investment Forum is…

October 6th, 2010

The Social Investment Forum is an association for professionals, firms, and organizations that practice socially responsible investing. Members of the Forum work to come up with better strategies for managing socially responsible investments. Businesses and individuals are only allowed to join if their investments have a positive impact on society and the environment.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is…

October 6th, 2010

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a proclamation by the United Nations (proclaimed December 10, 1948) intended to create a worldwide benchmark for Human Rights by laying out every right and freedom a person is inherently entitled to – regardless of race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or any other status.

Shareholder Activism is…

October 6th, 2010

Shareholder activism is when a shareholder of a publicly-traded company uses their rights to pressure that company to make change. Basically, it’s a way that shareholders can influence and change a company’s behavior in a certain way. For example, shareholders may influence a company to become more environmentally friendly or disinvest from a country with a record of human rights abuses. Shareholder activism can take the form of voting for or against certain corporate actions or members of management, and/or in organizing groups of voters to block or force a corporate  action.

The Calvert Social Index is…

October 6th, 2010

The Calvert Social Index is a stock market index of companies that are considered socially responsible. It was created by Calvert Investments and uses Calvert’s social criteria to determine whether a company is socially responsible or not. This criteria relates to the environment, product safety, community relations, international operations, weapons contracting, human rights, and workplace issues. While the number changes frequently, as of August 2010, there were over  650 companies in the index.

A Triple Bottom Line is…

October 6th, 2010

A triple bottom line is when a company takes its environmental, social, AND financial performance into account to assess its overall performance. It takes the idea of a double bottom line (which considers the company’s social impact) one step further to include its environmental impact.

A Double Bottom Line is…

October 6th, 2010

A double bottom line is a way for a company to measure its performance in terms of positive social impact as well as financial success. While a traditional bottom line helps a company understand its financial profits and losses, a double bottom line factors in the greater social consequences to business decisions.

The Global Compact is…

October 6th, 2010

The Global Compact is a United Nations-sponsored voluntary initiative that guides businesses around the world in practicing corporate responsibility. Basically, it’s an effort to make corporations keep their business practices morally upright. The compact is made up of ten principles in the areas of human rights, anti-corruption, labor, and the environment. Through discussion and networking, businesses strive to achieve the goals set down in all ten principles.

The four main components of the Global Compact are:

  • Human Rights: Issues relating to human rights make up the first two principles of The United Nations Global Compact. They basically state that businesses should always protect and support people’s human rights.
  • Labor: These four principles state that businesses should uphold fair and non-discriminatory standards of labor for all of their employees.
  • Environment: Environmental stewardship is the topic of three of the principles in Compact. These principles state that a company should support and promote environmental responsibility in all of its corporate endeavors.
  • Anti-Corruption: The final principal of the Compact says that businesses should work against all forms of corruption, including extortion and bribery.

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »