Data Center Backlash: How Communities Are Pushing Back

United Church Funds (UCF) has co-filed a shareholder resolution calling on Starbucks to separate the role of its Board Chair from its CEO. This coincides with a call by Starbucks workers to boycott the coffee chain until it settles a contract with their union. In this mini-episode, we break down the issues of corporate governance and workers' rights at play here. Visit www.ucfunds.org. 

The Securities and Exchange Commission is proposing big changes affecting the process of filing shareholder resolutions. What does this mean for responsible investors? We break it down for you. Visit www.ucfunds.org. 

Danny Caine from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance explains how communities are banding together to keep giant data centers from moving into their cities and towns. Plus, the SEC makes it harder for shareholder resolutions to come to a vote, an important ruling about public benefit corporations could impact how AI companies operate, and those Trump Accounts for kids probably won't hold any ESG investments. Visit www.ucfunds.org.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission wants to do away with diversity reports, a big bank cuts ties with ICE and California celebrates a carbon tax milestone. Then Andrew Russell, Director of Fixed-Income Investments for the Pension Boards-United Church of Christ, shows us how fixed income bonds are integral in building a sustainable investment portfolio. Visit www.ucfunds.org

Hosts Adam Sank and Matthew Illian talk about the plummeting number of DEI proposals at shareholder meetings. They also discuss SpaceX receiving the lowest possible sustainability rating – and how an election in South America threatens Indigenous lands. Then Darrell Goodwin, Southern New England Conference's Executive Minister, joins the conversation to share thoughts on faith and finance – and how they enhance mission and ministry. Visit www.ucfunds.org 

SpaceX blasts off toward the Nasdaq, fueling concerns among responsible investors. Plus, green energy sees a surprising jolt, and a sustainable fashion company takes an unexpected turn on the runway. Then investor, entrepreneur and author Jenna Nicholas of LightPost Capital explains how her Bahá'í faith informs her work in impact investing. Visit www.ucfunds.org

The value of green bonds doubles in five years, responsible investors score twin victories at BP and New York State notches a full-sail win against BJ's Wholesale Club. Then Ben Cohen, iconic co-founder of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, joins us to look back on his decades-long fight for social justice causes… and why he's now fighting to "free Ben & Jerry's" from its current owners. Visit www.ucfunds.org.

A proxy voting giant slashes support for sustainability proposals, just as the SEC makes it easier for companies to exclude shareholder proposals. So how are responsible investors fighting back? We'll explain. Then Laura Campos from the Nathan Cummings Foundation joins us to talk about how her organization, which is rooted in the Jewish tradition of social justice, works with partner groups to achieve a more just world. Visit www.ucfunds.org.

Big Banks ditch third-party proxy voting advisors, and new SEC guidance muzzles smaller investors. We'll look at how responsible investors are responding to these developments. Then Kate Finn, founder and Executive Director of the Tallgrass Institute, joins us to discuss how her organization uses investment strategies to advance the rights of Indigenous Peoples - and how other investors can do the same. Visit www.ucfunds.org    

The fight over New York City's pension funds takes a new turn, China establishes a corporate climate reporting standard, and there's some positive news about net-zero targets worldwide. Then Kees Gootjes, Executive Director of De Nieuwe Beurskoers, explains how his Dutch organization is working with faith-based organizations in the Netherlands and across the globe to encourage companies to conduct business in a humane and sustainable way. Learn more at https://denieuwebeurskoers.nl.  For further reading, check out The World's First Stock Exchange by Lodewijk Petram. Visit www.ucfunds.org