Taking Action on Global Climate Change: Foundation Operations

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Taking Action on Global Climate
ChangeFoundation Operations Investments
William F. McCalpin Holos Consulting wmccalpin_at_aol
.com
Council on Foundations Annual Meeting Seattle,
Washington April 29, 2007
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Taking Action
Overview of Presentation
Operations
Program Related Investments
Investments

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Taking Action Operations
Assuming Responsibility for the Foundations
Emissions

• Calculate footprint of GHG emissions
• Consider options for reducing it
• For unavoidable emissions, purchase quality
  offsets that pass the test of additionality

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Taking Action Foundation Emissions
Recommended Resources

• A Consumers Guide to Retail Carbon Offset
  Providers, www.cleanair-coolplanet.org
• Voluntary Offsets for Air-Travel Carbon
  Emissions, Tufts Climate Initiative,
  www.tufts.edu/tie/tci/
• Center for Resource Solutions Carbon Neutral
  Alliance (new), www.resource-solutions.com

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Taking Action Investments
Marketable Securities

• Proxy Voting
• Portfolio Audit

Alternative Investments
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Taking Action Investments
Marketable Securities Proxy Voting

• Determine the scope of the foundations proxy
  voting opportunity
• Develop guidelines for voting on ballot issues
• Establish procedures for working with investment
  managers or a third-party voting agent to
  implement guidelines

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Taking Action Proxy Voting
Recommended Resources

• The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, www.rbf.org
• The Boston Foundation, www.tbf.org
• The Nathan Cummings Foundation,
  www.nathancummings.org
• As You Sow Foundation, www.asyousow.org
• Institutional Shareholder Services,
  www.issproxy.com

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Taking Action Investments
Marketable Securities Portfolio Audit

• Climate change audit of portfolio holdings
• Companies that are major sources of GHG emissions
• Companies at-risk with a changing climate
• Companies likely to suffer in a
  carbon-constrained economy
• What to do with the results of an audit?

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Taking Action Portfolio Audit
Recommended Resources

• Innovest, www.innovest.com
• KLD Research Analytics, www.kld.com
• Institutional Shareholder Services,
  www.issproxy.com
• Trucost, www.trucost.net
• Ceres Investor Network on Climate Risk,
  www.ceres.org

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Taking Action Investments
Alternative Investments Big Themes

• Diversification of transportation fuels
• Broader mix of generation assets for electric
  power
• Historic shift from electromechanical analog
  power to digital power
• Introduction of time-of-use pricing for
  electricity
• Proliferation of distributed generation

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Taking Action Alternative Investments
Investment Strategies

• Venture and expansion capital
• Private equity
• Infrastructure / project finance
• Commodities -- carbon

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Taking Action Alternative Investments
Recommended Resources

• New Energy Finance, www.newenergyfinance.com
• Emerging Energy Research, www.emerging-energy.com
• Clean Edge, www.cleanedge.com
• Inside Greentech, www.insidegreentech.com
• Cleantech Venture Network, www.cleantech.com
• Point Carbon, www.pointcarbon.com