Annual Gathering of Socially Responsible Investors
For Immediate Release:
Contact:
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural Marketing, tel 303.807.1042, steve@compassnatural.com
Patrick Mitchell, for First Affirmative, tel 703.276.3266, pmitchell@hastingsgroup.com
Deepak Chopra, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus Headline Nation's Largest Annual Gathering of Socially Responsible Investors
Colorado Springs, CO (July 10, 2012) – Natural, organic and sustainable business-sector leaders have a unique opportunity to learn about the growing market for green investing at the 23rd Annual SRI Conference to be held October 2-4, 2012, at the Mohegan Sun Conference Center in Connecticut.
The SRI Conference on Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing is the nation's leading gathering of fund managers, investment bankers, investment advisors and other professionals in the socially responsible "conscious investor" market with an estimated $3 trillion under asset management.
The SRI Conference provides a unique bridge into the conscious investing market and how natural and organic products businesses are creating positive change and achieving profitability as they work to solve real social, environmental and health challenges.
SRI investing in the United States continues to grow at a faster pace than the total universe of investment assets under professional management, according to the 2010 edition of the Social Investment Forum Foundation’s Report on Socially Responsible Investing Trends in the United States. Growth in SRI-related investments has increased more than 34 percent since 2007, while the broader universe of professionally managed assets has increased only 3 percent.
The 2012 SRI Conference (formerly known as SRI in the Rockies) is produced by First Affirmative Financial Network, and this year's event is the first to be held near major financial and business centers in New York and Boston. Visit www.SRIconference.com.
Plenary Speakers Include:
Deepak Chopra, Renowned Author and Pioneer in Mind-Body Medicine
Deepak Chopra, M.D., is a world-renowned author of more than 64 books and founder of the non-profit Chopra Foundation, with the mission to advance the cause of mind/body spiritual healing, education and research. Chopra is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, adjunct professor of Executive Programs at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and senior scientist with The Gallup Organization.
Muhammad Yunus, the Father of Microcredit, to Speak Opening Night
Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, who is widely regarded as the father of microcredit and also is the founder of Grameen Bank, will be the keynote speaker on October 2nd, the opening night of the SRI Conference. In March 2012, Fortune Magazinenamed Yunus “one of the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time.” In 2006, Professor Yunus and Grameen Bank were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Professor Yunus began providing collateral free loans to the poor in his country of origin, Bangladesh. Originally called the Grameen Bank Project, it later became a full-fledged bank providing loans to the poor, mostly women, in rural Bangladesh. Today Grameen Bank has 8.4 million borrowers, 97 percent of whom are women, and disburses $1.5 billion each year. His microcredit idea hasspread across the world, including the industrialized countries of the West.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Takes on Sustainable Waste Recovery Challenges
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., president of the Waterkeeper Alliance and senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), will join Kim Jeffery, CEO of Nestlé Waters North America, the largest bottled water company in North America, to discuss corporate responsibility and sustainable waste recovery challenges. Their presentations will focus on the urgency of advancing more comprehensive waste recovery systems in the U.S., bottom line implications for companies, and how shareholder advocates are influencing corporations to mitigate shareholder risk.
From Chief Executives to Tribal Chiefs: Women Leaders Spotlighted at Conference
The 2012 SRI Conference features a number of women business and financial leaders, including Chief Lynn Malerba, the first female chief of the Mohegan Tribe; Barbara Krumsiek, CEO of Calvert Investments, one of the nation's leading SRI management companies with $12 billion under asset management; and Mindy Lubber, J.D., President of Ceres, the leading U.S. coalition of investors and environmental leaders working to improve corporate ESG practices, and director of the Investor Network on Climate Risk.
About the SRI Conference
The SRI Conference (www.SRIconference.com) is the leading forum for the Sustainable, Responsible, Impact (SRI) investing industry in the North America. For its 23rd year, The SRI Conference will be held at the Mohegan Sun Convention Center in southeastern Connecticut, Oct. 2–4, 2012. For more information about the agenda, speaking, or sponsorship, or for media inquiries, contact Krystala Kalil, tel 888.774.2663, krystala@SRIconference.com; or contact Steven Hoffman, tel 303.807.1042, steve@compassnatural.com. Register online atwww.SRIconference.com/register.
About First Affirmative Financial Network
First Affirmative Financial Network, LLC (www.FirstAffirmative.com) is an independent fee- only Registered Investment Advisor (SEC File #801-56587) offering investment consulting and asset management services through a nationwide network of investment professionals who specialize in serving socially conscious investors. First Affirmative produces the annual SRI Conference, the premier gathering of investors and investment professionals focused on sustainable, responsible, impact investing in North America (www.SRIconference.com).