Speaking on Sunday in Napa

I will be speaking at Copperfield’s Books in Napa on Sunday between 1-3pm. Copperfield’s is at 3990 Bel Aire Plaza between Hwy. 29 & Transcas Streeet. If you are there for the weekend, or have friends in the area, please drop by and support the local independent bookstore and help spread the word.

Here’s a quote from the flyer:

Meet an author with an opinion. Alon Shalev will discuss using fiction to create a better world, the changing face of the publishing industry, the craft of writing, and (most) anything else!

“The novel has long held the ability to create powerful images and characters that stay with the reader long after the final page.

What if the novel can precipitate a transformational change not just within the story, but also for the reader?

What if the emotional connection between reader and plot, or reader and fictional character, can provide impetus for the reader to engage in fighting social injustice?“

Mrs. Blogs will be joining me, so I promise to be on my best behavior. Actually, just between us, it was Mrs. Blogs’ political and social values that first drew me all those moons ago (well her political awareness was, and still is, part of a very attractive package).

See you on Sunday?

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Alon Shalev is the author of The Accidental Activist (now available on Kindle) and A Gardener’s Tale. He is the Executive Director of the San Francisco Hillel Foundation, a non-profit that provides spiritual and social justice opportunities to Jewish students in the Bay Area. More on Alon Shalev at http://www.alonshalev.com/and on Twitter (#alonshalevsf).

 

 

Socially Responsible Investing Proxy Power

It might not be enough to just invest in a socially responsible portfolio, In an article by GreenBiz.com, a new report is reviewed that highlights a rising number of shareholder resolutions that focus on improving various companies’ social and environmental performance.

“Nearly 400 environmental and social shareholder resolutions were filed in the latest proxy season for issues ranging from labor and human rights to supply chain impacts and recycling, according to Proxy Preview 2011. The seventh annual report was published by As You Sow, the Sustainable Investments Institute and Proxy Impact.

“I think the critical difference proxy voting makes is to signal to companies that these issues are important to significant institutional investors,” said Leslie Lowe, an attorney and senior program strategist to As You Sow.”

The phenomenon of shareholders getting involved in this way has seen a steady growth in momentum as more conventional investors have begun to embrace Socially Responsible Investing with a growth of 55% of proxy filing in the last 10 years.

Examples of  environmental resolutions include those related to natural resource management and toxics. Companies such as Bisphenol, Yum Brands, and Dentsply International, IBM, Pepsi, and Target have been filed and are pending. according to the report.

Read more: http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2011/02/24/shareholder-activism-grows-during-latest-proxy-season#ixzz1F6HkhMEi

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Alon Shalev is the author of The Accidental Activist (now available on Kindle) and A Gardener’s Tale. He is the Executive Director of the San Francisco Hillel Foundation, a non-profit that provides spiritual and social justice opportunities to Jewish students in the Bay Area. More on Alon Shalev at http://www.alonshalev.com/