BSAS 4th Annual Sustainable Investing Seminar

The most interesting experience I had while at BSAS 4th Annual Investing Seminar was getting the opportunity to listen to John Streur, President & CEO of Calvert Investments talk about responsible investing. He mentioned that when investing, it is crucial that you really understand the full set of impacts that your business decisions have. Specifically, in the terms of the environment, Mr. Streur mentioned how

“the environment is much more important today than it’s ever been…we need to create a structure that is really a network and a mosaic of forces globally…and do more as a company than profits.”

John Streur also went into explaining how essential it is that companies start to extend the benefits of the capital market for those whom the benefits have not traditionally be available to. Some of these people include minorities, women, and people in regions that are resource deprived. One of the most memorable points he made was how the existence of our capitalist system depends on bringing more people into it and acknowledging those on the “bottom of the pyramid.” Additionally, Mr. Streur made an excellent point by saying that if the standard of living is not brought up for the 3 billion people still subject to poverty, that we will no longer be able to grow corporations. By responsibly investing, we are therefore innovating and moving forward to those who need it most.

A final point that John Streur made during his presentation that made an impact upon me was when he talked about how every investment made implies value. He went on to explain how if you do not bring values and mission to your work, our capital markers will not have value or mission. What this then ultimately creates is a corrupt system. I found that John Streur brought very interesting points and a fresh perspective to the topic of responsible investing.