COLORADO SPRINGS, CO--(Marketwire - March 4, 2010) - SRI in the Rockies, the largest and longest-running forum for sustainable and responsible investors and investment professionals in the world, today began the rollout of its 2010 event. A new conference logo and website design have been unveiled as part of an enhanced SRI in the Rockies Conference branding strategy.
The 21st annual SRI in the Rockies Conference, Sustainable Investing: Challenges and Opportunities in a New World, will be November 18-21, 2010 at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas. The conference is produced by First Affirmative Financial Network in collaboration with the Social Investment Forum and other organizations representing socially conscious investors and investment professionals.
The SRI industry's premier event is designed to facilitate the conversations, idea development, debates, research, and collaboration necessary to redirect investor behavior, encourage more responsible corporate citizenship, refocus markets on the long-term, and move the global economy toward a truly sustainable future.
"Socially conscious investors recognize that money is the life force of the global economy," said George Gay, CEO of First Affirmative Financial Network, founder and producer of SRI in the Rockies. "Many SRI industry players have worked for more than two decades to illustrate how qualitative analysis of corporate policies, practices, behaviors, and impacts can help identify better managed companies, and more responsible corporate citizens -- which helps us invest smarter."
SRI in the Rockies offers attendees many opportunities to meet and learn from passionate, creative, socially conscious people from all corners of the SRI industry in the United States and around the world. The 2010 conference will highlight new opportunities for advisers and investors who embrace innovative investment strategies focused on environmental, social, and governance issues (ESG criteria). More than 650 participants are expected to attend.
"Scores of research reports and a plethora of real world experience have shown that environmental, social, and governance issues have financial consequences," said Steve Schueth, President of First Affirmative. "In the wake of a global financial crisis, and a resulting erosion of trust in companies, governments, and investment professionals, SRI in the Rockies seeks to refocus attention on the long-term, on the growing recognition that corporate social responsibility is good for business, and on the idea that investing in the best managed and most responsible companies is for the common good."
New Symbol for the Conference
A new SRI in the Rockies Conference logo was developed during 2009, with a near-final image presented at the 20th annual SRI in the Rockies Conference in October 2010 in Tucson, AZ. Feedback from conference participants guided the final logo design, which captures and reflects a growing recognition of the importance of sustainability in the financial sector.
The new logo image includes a number of symbolic messages:
- A green circle signifies the living planet, suggesting that 'we are all in this together,' breathing the same air and drinking the same water -- relying for life on the most sophisticated solar powered recycling system ever created.
- A white wavy line climbing from lower left to upper right represents the path or journey toward a truly sustainable world. It also suggests an "S" as in "society" or "sustainable" -- the "S" in ESG. And it illustrates how incorporating ESG analysis in portfolio design can drive positive returns.
- A larger blue circle indicates that our living planet is but a small part of a much larger universe.
- The small star signifies the North Star -- not the brightest star in the sky, but the only star that does not appear to move; the star that has guided travelers for thousands of years.
About the SRI in the Rockies Conference
SRI in the Rockies is the premier annual gathering of the sustainable and responsible investment industry in North America. The 21st annual SRI in the Rockies Conference will be November 18-21, 2010 in San Antonio, Texas. SRI in the Rockies is owned by First Affirmative Financial Network and produced in collaboration with the Social Investment Forum and other organizations actively involved in the SRI space.
For more information on the 2010 SRI in the Rockies conference, including assistance with registration and sponsorships, please contact Krystala Kalil at 888-774-2663 / Krystala@SRIintheRockies.com or infor@SRIintheRockies.com.
About First Affirmative
First Affirmative Financial Network, LLC is an independent fee-only Registered Investment Advisor (SEC File #801-56587). First Affirmative specializes in socially responsible, sustainable, and transformative investment management and consulting, and supports a nationwide network of investment professionals who specialize in serving socially conscious investors. First Affirmative produces the annual SRI in the Rockies Conference, the premier gathering of the sustainable and responsible investment industry in North America.
First Affirmative offers a series of regional BaseCamps for investors and investment professionals. Here's the BaseCamp SRI schedule for 2010: San Francisco, CA (March 23), Portland, OR (April 20), Denver, CO (May 12), New York, NY (June 16), and Seattle, WA (July 15). The series culminates with a Summit Camp in San Antonio, TX November 16-17, just prior to the 21st annual SRI in the Rockies Conference.
Contact Information:
Media Questions
Morrison Shafroth
First Affirmative and SRI in the Rockies
720-470-3653