Looking to align your money with your values? On February 21 from 6pm to 8pm online, Cool Davis is hosting the second of two online “Green Your Finances” events, this one focused on investing.

Panelists include Michael Young, Director of Education and Outreach for US SIF (Sustainable Investment Forum) and UC Davis alum, and Todd Larsen, Executive Co-Director for Consumer and Corporate Engagement for Green America. Panelists will have time for opening statements, will answer questions as part of a panelist discussion, and finally there will be time for questions from participants. Folks who sign up will receive a follow up link to the video to watch at their convenience.

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Todd Larsen, Green America

We’ll be busting the performance myth, explaining the difference between divestment and engagement, and clarifying terms such as Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), and Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) ratings, and, of course, chatting about tools for aligning your investments with your values.

Rekha Vaitla, Cool Davis board member and Investment Officer for Sustainable Investment and Stewardship at CalSTRS, will moderate. The previous Green Finances event featured Cathy Becker of Green America focused on banking, highlighting associations and institutions that offer green banking and credit cards and their associated criteria and benefits.

DATE/TIME: Wednesday Feb 21 6:00pm to 8:00pm

FORMAT: ONLINE Zoom

PANELISTS:

  • Michael Young, Director of Education and Outreach, US SIF
  • Todd Larsen, Executive Director, and Cathy Becker, Responsible Finance Campaign Director, Green America

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This is a FREE event open to all Yolo County residents! Everyone is welcome! Donations are accepted upon registration but not required.

Both events were organized in support of the Yolo Earth Day pledge. Find out more at www.cooldavis.org/pledge. For questions, email coolsolutions@cooldavis.org.

Rekha Vaitla, Cool Davis board member and Investment Officer for Sustainable Invesment and Stewardship at CalSTRS

Want to start with banking and credit cards?

  • Check out the article from November’s event “Your Bank Account Could Be the Biggest Part of Your Carbon Footprint” with links to the presentation slides and video focused on banking and credit cards (with a bit on insurance as well).

Find out more

From the USSIF (Sustainable Investment Forum) website: The Sustainable Investment Forum is the leading voice advancing sustainable investing across all asset classes. Our mission is to rapidly shift investment practices toward sustainability, focusing on long-term investment and the generation of positive social and environmental impacts. Our vision is that environmental, social and governance impacts are meaningfully assessed in all investment decisions resulting in a more sustainable and equitable society. Our members, representing $5 trillion in assets under management or advisement, include investment management and advisory firms, mutual fund companies, ​asset owners, data and research firms, financial planners and advisors, broker-dealers, banks, credit unions, community development financial institutions and non-profit associations. US SIF is supported in its work by the US SIF Foundation, a 501(C)(3) organization that undertakes educational, research and programmatic activities to advance the mission of US SIF.

Michael Young, US SIF

Michael Young joined the US SIF team in the fall of 2016, bringing over twenty years of financial services expertise. Michael is responsible for education and membership functions. He leads education initiatives, including US SIF courses and private training services and develops educational materials. Michael also manages membership relations, interacting with US SIF members and prospective members, an array of financial professionals and associations as well as the press.

He presents frequently on sustainable investing at industry events and enjoys sharing the work of US SIF and its membership on podcasts and radio programs. Michael’s comments have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Investment News, and Bloomberg, among other publications.

Prior to joining US SIF, Michael worked in mutual funds, separately managed accounts, closed-end funds, and exchange-traded funds. His clients ranged from registered investment advisors and financial planning firms and broker-dealer firms to registered investment companies and hedge funds. His responsibilities included product development, relationship management with sub-advisory asset management firms, institutional sales, portfolio construction consulting, national accounts management, and advisor education. While at AdvisorShares, Michael helped launch the first actively managed fossil fuel free ETF. Previously, his time in financial services was spent with ING Investment Management and the Private Client Group at Merrill Lynch. Michael earned a bachelor’s degree from UC Davis.

From the Green America website. Green America is a nonprofit organization that has been at the forefront of socially responsible investing for almost 40 years. Green America harnesses economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. They offer information, campaigns, and an extensive PDF guide to socially responsible investing (SRI) with with some coverage on banking and credit cards. Todd Larsen is Executive Co-Director for Consumer & Corporate Engagement.