Walking the Talk With Our Money: Water

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Walking the Talk With Our MoneyWater

• Pat Zerega, Director
• Corporate Social Responsibility, ELCA
• 9625 Perry Highway
• Pittsburgh PA 15237
• 412.367.7575
• patricia.zerega_at_elca.org

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We impact the world in a variety of ways our
presence our leadership our actions our
charityWe also impact the world through how we
use our money.
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When we speak of using our money in light of our
faith, we often hear

• I have so little money to deal with
• Id like to look at that, but I only have mutual
  funds
• I need a better return
• I have so little time to understand this

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Lets spend some time looking at the spectrum of
ways one might walk the talk when it comes to our
money.
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Are we environmentally efficient?
(www.elca.org/advocacy/environment/envaudit.pdf) D
o we purchase fairly traded products? What do we
consider in where to purchase or who we hire?
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Do we not invest in certain items? Do we apply
screens to our investments? Do we use mutual
funds that screen out certain investments?
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• Can our money be life giving?
• Community loan fund
• Micro credit funds
• Companies we feel do good

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Shareholder Advocacy

• Sometimes we can encourage more responsible
  levels of corporate citizenship
• Through corporate dialogues
• Through filing shareholder proposals
• Through attending annual meetings
• Through grass roots advocacy

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Current Shareholder Work

• ISSUES
• Environment
• Human Rights
• Sustainability
• Access to Pharmaceuticals
• Access to Capital
• Violence

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WATER
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ELCA Shareholder Proposal

• - Water Shareholder Proposal, 2007

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Water Shareholder Proposal

• RESOLVED, shareholders request that the
  independent directors of the Board of ____
  company commission - at reasonable cost and
  omitting proprietary information a study that
  would lead to a report on the potential
  environmental and public health damage of each of
  its plants, affiliates and proposed ventures
  extracting water from areas of water scarcity in
  India.

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• The report should consider the implications of a
  policy of refraining from extracting ground and
  surface water in India and should be available to
  investors by the 2008 annual meeting. The study
  and the report should be commissioned to an
  independent, third party organization which has
  no past or present relationship with the ____
  company or the campaign against the ____ company.

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Proxy Voting

• Annually a proxy statement is sent out from the
  company asking its shareholders to vote. Items
  vary from boards of directors endorsements to
  shareholder resolutions. Read these carefully and
  see how the issues line up with your values. For
  some ideas on how the church looks at these see
  www.elca.org/corporate and read our issue papers.

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Join the e-Advocacy Network www.elca.org/advocacy

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Receive World Hunger newsletter
www.elca.org/hunger

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ELCA World Hunger Resource

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Whats your water footprint?www.waterfootprint.or
g

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Join the Shareholders Network
www.elca.org/corporate