What's Happening

September 28, 2018, Adrian, Michigan – Corporate responsibility efforts by and Adrian Dominican Sister and the Congregation’s Portfolio Advisory Board are paying off when it comes to gun safety accountability and creating a cleaner environment.

Sister Judy Byron, OP, led shareholders of American Outdoor Brands in passing a resolution calling on the parent company of Smith and Wesson to report on how they are working to ensure gun safety. Sister Judy, Director of the Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investing and Consultant for the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Portfolio Advisory Board, made the presentation on behalf of 11 shareholders groups. The passage of the resolution – and of a similar resolution at Sturm Ruger – reflect the public’s growing concern about gun violence. 

For more information, read an article by Liz Moyer, posted on CNBC, and a press release issued by the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility.

Another article, posted on the website of NBC News, gives a more in-depth look at the corporate responsibility efforts for gun safety, as well as a profile of Sister Judy and her involvement in social justice.

In another instance of success in corporate responsibility efforts, Standard Chartered, a multi-national bank and financial institution based in London, England, agreed to stop financing coal-fired power plants anywhere in the world. The Adrian Dominican Congregation was one of about 25 signatories to an August 20, 2018, letter to the corporation, asking them to stop financing new coal mines and coal-fired power plants anywhere in the world. “When the bank shared the policy with us, they explicitly stated that our work on this has helped inform their decision,” wrote Sonia Hierzig, Senior Projects Manager of Climate Change for Share Action, in London, England. Read the announcement and an article on the topic in Bloomberg.

May 22, 2018, Seattle, Washington – While gun violence continues, particularly in U.S. schools, Sister Judy Byron, OP, and other faith-based investors have led successful efforts to urge gun manufacturers to improve gun safety. As stockholders in gun manufacturer Sturm Ruger, Sister Judy and other faith-based investors proposed a shareholder resolution calling on the company to be transparent in the use of its guns in gun violence and in the company’s efforts toward gun safety. In spite of the company’s opposition, the resolution passed. Sister Judy is the director of the Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investments and a consultant for the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Portfolio Advisory Board. Read the entire article by Danny Westneat in The Seattle Times.