February 2008 Archives
San Francisco, CA — February 19, 2008 — The Nature Conservancy congratulated the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS) for its vote today to adopt a trend-setting forest investment policy that requires certified sustainable forest management and positions CalPERS to profit from the rapidly emerging global market in forest carbon credits.
The Nature Conservancy Helps Pension Fund Craft Environmentally Sound Policy
“This leading-edge policy will direct $2.4 billion in CalPERS investments toward environmentally friendly forest projects. That level of investment provides a strong incentive to the global timber industry to engage in certified sustainable timber management,” said Mike Sweeney, Executive Director of the California Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. “Good forest management provides healthy returns – for investors and for the planet.”The Nature Conservancy began to work with CalPERS in the early stages of this new policy. "CalPERS action can influence other institutional investors and the timber industry," said Louis Blumberg, director of The Nature Conservancy’s California forest and climate policy program. The Nature Conservancy offers their experience with sustainable forestry and certification and to help create a policy that strengthens the CalPERS' long term asset while protecting forest lands.
The vote in Feb., 2008 by CalPERS Board of Trustees creates sustainable management standards for its Forestlands Investment policy, part of a new inflation-linked assets class. The new standards require timber managers to use ecologically sustainable logging practices in order to foster long-term and steady growth of both forest and financial returns.
The move by CalPERS, the nation’s largest public pension fund, continues California’s precedent-setting leadership role in fighting global warming and comes at a time when the economic benefits of forests are expanding as the result of growing worldwide demand for protecting the environmental health of the planet.
Forestry experts at The Nature Conservancy point out that by requiring independent, third-party certification for its forest investments, CalPERS will gain access to increasing consumer markets favoring sustainable forest products and green building materials, and keep CalPERS ahead of new regulatory actions.
We will tell you about practical energy and fuel saving products and sources. We help you find carbon reducing products and services for home, office and home office, outdoor, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, patio, and yes, even your attic!
We'll explain how you can help plant trees and restore ecosystems with carbon offset programs, and you your use of alternative energy technology such as solar, hydrogen and even passive solar can reduce how much petroleum is used in your daily work, play and hygiene.
Recycling and community sustainability go hand in hand. We'll help you sort out what can be recycled, how you can buy recycled products instead of products made with virgin materials to balance the use of recycled content in paper, plastic, even rubber tires.
We'll make it easier to go green with energy efficient light fixtures and lighting products for your home, your workplace and office and home office. And we'll also provide some ideas for outdoor living that reduces water and electric usage, kitchen tips, bathroom savings, and more pleasurable, healthier bedrooms. And don't forget your great outdoors -- patios, gardens and landscapes can reduce climate change with smart choices for light fixtures, air conditioning, heating, natural building and even alternative transportation technology.
Energy Efficiency for Homes
This is the place for information about balancing upfront purchases of quality, energy-rated equipment and the lifetime costs of the energy to power them. We know solutions! We'll walk you through your home with easy first steps to reduce your carbon footprint and bring a bit of fun and adventure to the lifestyle changes that are coming at us so rapidly.Energy Efficiency for Offices
Home offices and corporate offices have a lot in common -- so we'll share some tips with you about how paper and water have a lot of impact on climate change. How you can choose smart computers and recycle old electronics.Yep, we're all about solutions...and practical ones, at that!
Energy Efficient, Climate Change Solutions will CoverThese Product Categories
- Lighting
- Heating and Air Conditioning
- Autos, Trucks and Airplane Transportation
- Outdoor Landscaping and Gardening for Urban Spaces
- Natural Light, Natural Air and Natural Living for Quality
- Holiday Options that Keep the Fun and Save the Planet!
