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INVESTING FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Schedule / Readings
Moderator / Speaker Bios |
What is socially responsible investing? What does it mean for companies to be responsible? Can traditional economics and modern capitalism shift their emphasis from infinite growth to sustainable human well-being?
In this reading and discussion group we will explore these issues. Books include
- Socially Responsible Investing, by Amy Domini
- the High Purpose Company, by Christine Arena
- Mid-Course Correction, by Ray C. Anderson
- Capitalism at the Crossroads, by Stuart L. Hart
Guest moderators and films will enhance the discussion. No pre-registration required. This program is sponsored in part by the National Life Group. |
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MODERATOR / SPEAKERS
Moderator - Elisa Leibowitz |
Elisa (Lee) Leibowitz was born and raised in Long Island, NY, where as a child she witnessed firsthand the powerful and often negative transformations in her community wrought by unchecked development.
As a young adult, she traveled and lived periodically in the Caribbean. Experiences with the people of Jamaica and Haiti helped her develop an awareness of the extreme poverty facing citizens of the Third World due to massively inequitable wealth distribution.
Elisa attended the State University of New York while raising her son, Aaron (who is now 22 years old and completing his own education). She obtained Bachelors and Masters degrees in Philosophy, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest honor society, which recognizes academic excellence in the liberal arts.
Her career in financial services began in 1999, when she obtained her first licenses as a property and casualty insurance broker. Additional licenses followed, as she continued to grow in experience and expertise. Today, Elisa provides life insurance and investment counseling to a wide variety of clients.
In her spare time, Elisa enjoys hiking, yoga, cooking, gardening, reading and travelling. Her plans include learning to snowboard so she can keep up with her son, continuing to grow her small financial practice, and savoring all of the wonderful beauty to be found in the Green Mountains. |
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| Gary Flomenhoft, MS and CEE |
Gary Flomenhoft received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University in 1977, and a Master in Public Policy from the University of Maryland in 2001, with a certificate in Ecological Economics. Gary has a diverse background of practical experience ranging from environmental technology and Green politics, to aerospace and systems engineering.
Gary was a founding member of the Green Party of California, co-founder of the US Green Party Organizing Committee, and in 1990 and 1992 served as Policy Director and spokesperson for the first Green Party congressional campaigns in the US in Santa Barbara, California. He is co-founder and Vice-President of the non-profit Geonomy Society which is concerned with democratic rights to land and resource rents. From 1992-1996 Gary managed two small electric vehicle companies, and ran his own EV conversion and online parts company from 1996 to 2000. From 2000-2001 he worked as a Program Assistant for economic development at the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development.
Gary's current interests in Ecological Economics focus on three areas: renewable energy, international sustainable development, and green taxes and common assets. He teaches 4 energy courses at UVM, including a renewable energy workshop in Dominica, and co-teaches a sustainable development course in St. Lucia. His policy work focuses on implementation of green taxes and common assets in Vermont, ie: payment for the use of "the commons" with dividends paid to all of us. |
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| Melissa Moore Hamilton |
As a consultant and writer to various manufacturing organizations Melissa became aware of the opportunities to improve both the environment and the bottom line through more efficient use of time and materials. She co-founded EarthShift to address these issues. Her primary focus has been on developing EathShift as a resource to the business and green building industry communities.
Through Melissa’s training as an anthropologist and her work with organizational development and change, she has developed a rich understanding of business relationships and human nature, resulting in a unique perspective that makes her projects distinctive. She is skilled at identifying and crossing the barriers that arise in communications while facilitating the path toward the goal of sustainable practices for the client’s organization. Melissa sees EarthShift’s software tools and consulting services as a valuable aid in this transformation.
Over the last nine years Melissa has been involved in various alternative building and renewable energy projects and has written articles on energy efficiency and non-toxic buildings for organizations such as Efficiency Vermont. Working collaboratively with green building and energy experts Melissa is positioning EarthShift as a valuable resource for building industry professionals desiring assistance to make their projects “green”.
Since 1998 Melissa and her spouse Bret, an Energy Analyst and Building Scientist, have operated Hamilton & Associates, a research firm specializing in writing, marketing services and research serving the building communities and socially responsible organizations that support sustainable business practices. Melissa incorporates the specialties of this endeavor into the offerings of EarthShift.
Melissa teaches basic life cycle assessment (LCA) and total cost assessment (TCA) courses as well as change management to organizations working to reduce their environmental impacts and improve their social accountability. She also develops materials and media covering best practices in LCA, TCA, Change Management, and Green construction.
Melissa lives in a passive solar home that she built with her husband. The home has a grid tied solar/battery backup system and is equipped with high efficiency lighting and appliances.
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| Rick Hausman |
Rick Hausman, from Newbury, has been director of research at Clean Yield Asset Management in Greensboro since 1990. He handles shareholder initiatives, community investing, and dialogues with companies on social, environmental, and governance issues. He edits The Clean Yield, a quarterly newsletter.
Hausman represented Groton, Ryegate, and Newbury in the Vermont House for three terms in the late 1980s. In the ‘Seventies and early 1980s, he administered programs for Northeast Kingdom nonprofits, served as CFO for the community mental health center affiliated with Dartmouth, then CFO for the community action agency based in Barre. Previously, he served in the Peace Corps in Ivory Coast and directed a Quaker-aligned summer camp in southern Vt.
He holds a Masters in Public Health from the Univ. of Minnesota and a BA from Antioch College in Ohio.
Rick has served on numerous non-profit and for-profit boards. Currently, he serves on the boards of the R&R Foundation, the Wells River Action Project, and the town of Newbury Board of Civil Authority. He also serves on the Farm & Wilderness Foundation’s capital campaign committee, the Vermont Community Foundation’s Finance Committee, and three nonprofit advisory boards. He is an elected justice of the peace. |
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