Author name: Emily DeMasi

Emily McKinin DeMasi is a 2011 MBA/ MA Public Policy candidate and Peace Corps Fellow at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. Her thesis work concerns Corporate Social Responsibility in the United States. She also works as a Research Fellow at Bridgeway Capital, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in downtown Pittsburgh. Emily has worked as an Associate in a Private Equity Placement Firm in NY and as a Water and Sanitation Volunteer in Ivory Coast, West Africa. She hopes to combine her business background with her passion for development and inspire others in the fields of Sustainability and CSR.

Protect, Respect and Remedy: Businesses’ role in upholding Human Rights?

Corporate Social Responsibility, Policies / By

A recent post from my colleague Jonathan Banco regarding UNCTAD‘s (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) push to standardize CSR metrics reminded me of another United Nation’s initiative that sought to establish a framework to reduce governance gaps and subsequently reduce adverse human rights consequences of transnational corporations.  What has happened to the “Protect, […]

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CRD Analytics’ Top 1,000 Sustainable Companies: Who’s in the Top 10 and How?

Investing, Sustainable Business / By

Speaking of who is using the G3 Guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), CRD Analytics recently published its list of the Global 1000 Sustainable Performance Leaders and incorporated the G3 Guidelines into its analysis.  See who made the top ten and the method behind the ranking. According to the SocialFunds.com press release, Merck is

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Social Investment Forum Uses GRI Guidelines and Practice What They Preach

Non-Profit, Sustainable Business / By

Social Investment Forum (SIF), the US national nonprofit membership association for professionals, firms, institutions and organizations engaged in socially responsible and sustainable investing, announced  that their 2009 annual report was their first which used the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Guidelines to measure and report their economic, environmental, and social performance.  Hopefully this move will encourage

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Shareowner Resolutions and a New EPA Study on Hydraulic Fracturing

Corporate Social Responsibility, Energy, Investing, Water / By

SocialFunds.com reports today that the EPA will revisit the issue of hydraulic fracturing announcing that the EPA will conduct a new scientific study of the effects of the practice.  This is an acknowledgement on the EPA’s part of increased public concerns about the effects of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water supplies.  Investors show concern also by filing shareholder resolutions

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Did Excessive Executive Compensation Play a Role in the Current Economic Crisis?

Corporate Social Responsibility, Special Report / By

A new Institute for Policy Studies report, Executive Excess 2010: CEO Pay and the Great Recession, examines the role of excessive executive compensation in the current economic crisis.  Co-authors Sarah Anderson, Chuck Collins, Sam Pizzigati and Kevin Shih‘s report includes an interesting finding on the compensation of the top layoff leaders and encourages principles for executive pay that promotes economic

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Pittsburgh targeted by Morgan Stanley’s “Fill the Plate” BackPack Program

Corporate Social Responsibility, Partnerships, Philanthropy / By

According to Feeding America’s 2010 Hunger Study one in four children in the U.S. does not have enough to eat.  See how one financial services company is partnering with a nonprofit to advocate on behalf of children’s health. According to the press release, “Fill the Plate” is a two-year commitment by Morgan Stanley that will

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Eight U.S.-based Companies Added to Dow Jones Sustainability World Index

Investing, News, Sustainable Business / By

The annual review of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) has been completed.  See which U.S. firms made the cut. The components of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) represent the top 10% of the leading sustainability companies out of the biggest 2500 companies in the Dow Jones Global Total Stock Market Index.

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Sustainable Consumption: Proliferating a Discussion

Sustainable Business, Sustainable Development / By

A recent post by Aron Cramer, President and CEO of Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) prompts the consumer to look inwards when contemplating what went wrong with the BP oil spill and the crisis on Wall Street.  These recent crises have a common thread, he points out, insatiable consumer demand. Who doesn’t want the latest gadget

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Are Voluntary Disclosures Enough for Marcellus Shale?

Corporate Social Responsibility, Energy, News, Water / By

Range Resources submitted its first voluntary disclosures form of Marcellus Shale hydraulic fracturing to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on August 12, but is this enough to ensure responsible development of this natural gas source and protect PA’s water supply? The Marcellus Shale is a Middle Devonian-age black, low density, carbonaceous (organic rich)

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ERI: Making Profit From E-waste

Inspiring People, Leadership, Recycling, Technology / By

Ever wonder what you should be doing with your old computers, cell phones and televisions?  Bruce W. Fraser reveals the answer in the September 2010 issue of FA Green.  Ask Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), he says, the largest electronics recycler in the United States. Fraser reports that John Shegerian founded ERI “to remedy the problem

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Urban Partnership Bank: A Rose By Any Other Name?

Investing, News / By

Urban Partnership Bank, the reincarnation of pioneer CDFI ShoreBank Corp, cut its workforce by 20% last week.  Is this a necessary evil to continue a good banking mission? ShoreBank, the Chicago-based community bank that since 1973 was a leader in the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) industry, was seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) on

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“Bayer-ing” It All – How Bayer Reports on Sustainability

Corporate Social Responsibility, News, Policies / By

The words “pharmaceutical company,” “sustainability” and “Corporate Social Responsibility” rarely go hand in hand, but a global Pharmaceutical Company boasting local impact in the Pittsburgh region might just be what the Doctor ordered. Bayer recently released it’s 2009 Sustainability Report and with it some lofty goals for Bayer’s operations in the Pittsburgh region, among them a

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Measuring Social Value: Can subjectivity guide real decisions?

Investing, Policies, Resources / By

Whether you are a social enterprise, NGO (non-governmental organization), non-profit, policy-maker or an investor interested in a quantifiable social return on your investment, measuring social value remains an elusive goal. A new article by Geoff Mulgan suggests a new approach in measuring social value that calls for collaboration across sectors. In a recent collaborative project

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Fear of Flying? The Air-Traveler’s Approach to Sustainability

Energy, Innovation and Design, Leadership, Sustainable Business, Transportation / By

From local biking options in Pittsburgh to east coast travel via MegaBus and the future of nationwide travel possibilities on high-speed rail, I have written on varied modes of transportation that offer “greener” possibilities for my fellow wanderers.  However, sometimes cost, time and distance make air the best option for travel.  Somewhere between Chicago and

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CDFIs: Community Investing as Part of Your SRI Portfolio

Corporate Social Responsibility, Investing, Microfinance, Non-Profit / By

Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) has become a nearly $3 trillion dollar industry in the United States.  Investors in SRI use screening and shareholder advocacy to influence corporations to improve their environmental practices, social impact and governance issues.  What I was surprised to find out was that community investing is the fastest growing area of SRI. 

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“FUEL” for thought: We all have Responsibilities.

Corporate Social Responsibility, Energy, Inspiring Ideas, Inspiring People, Opinion, Policies / By

I recently watched FUEL and thought:  Why have I not seen this before???  FUEL is a 2008 documentary on America’s dependence on foreign oil which explored a possible solution to the looming energy crisis.  I had three overwhelmingly strong and immediate responses from watching this film. First, we have some extremely intelligent and passionate people

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Where does the U.S. Stand on Sustainability?

Corporate Social Responsibility, Policies, Sustainable Development / By

Piggy-backing on my recent post regarding Pittsburgh’s # 6 spot in a sustainability ranking of most sustainable metros conducted by Site Selection magazine,  I wanted to point out that the United States is not to be found on the “top ten list”  of its sustainable nations.   This news is not surprising.  A similar ranking regarding global

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Strategic CSR Basics for Naysayers

Corporate Social Responsibility, Energy, Opinion / By

The CSR community has been abuzz this week reacting to a recent article in the Washington Post regarding BP’s Corporate Social Responsibility, or lack thereof. In it author Chrystia Freeland purports “many of the business disasters of the past 24 months have been facilitated by the mini-industry of corporate social responsibility,” calling CSR a “fetish

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Green-Savvy Entrepreneurship in One of the United States’ Most Sustainable Cities

Inspiring Ideas, Local News, Transportation / By

Pittsburgh once again finds itself on a “top list” of sustainability. Site Selection magazine just released its inaugural sustainability index where Pittsburgh is ranked 6th among metro cities based on Green Industry; number of LEED Certified projects; LEED Certified projects per capita and level of incentives support for green projects.

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