Next time you’re wondering if it’s worth trying to justify more energy-efficient equipment, you might check out a Web site that has nothing to do with either facilities or energy. It’s the online home of the Nathan Cummings Foundation. The Cummings foundation is a non-profit with a hefty endowment - $500 million. It calls itself a long-term investor “concerned that corporations that do not consider the long-term implications of their environmental and social practices may maximize short-term profitability but fail to develop sustainable, long-term business models.”
The Cummings Foundation has become part of a growing trend: Shareholder groups that file climate-change-related resolutions, which often demand that publicly traded corporations report what they’re doing to improve energy efficiency. So far this year, the resolutions have prompted companies like Costco Wholesale Corp. and Starwood Hotels to disclose information about steps they’ve taken to improve energy performance.I learned about the Cummings Foundation from a group called Ceres, “a national network of investors, environmental organizations and other public interest groups working with companies and investors to address sustainability challenges such as global climate change.” According to Ceres, 42 climate-related shareholder resolutions were filed in what it calls the 2007 proxy season. Their press page has some eye-opening headlines.
hose 42 resolutions are just one example the attention energy and environmental issues are getting in boardrooms. Check out a Web site called Ethical Performance. The site has a page of links to companies that have issued Corporate Responsibility Reports. The most recent one comes from Ericsson, the Swedish telecom equipment giant. Or go to the homepage of the Carbon Disclosure Project, which has developed a form that large corporations can use to disclose data on greenhouse gas emissions.Don’t see your company’s name anywhere? Keep your ear to the ground. Your time may be coming.