Best of The Panelist

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 10:19:59 GMT

Whole Foods defines and labels "locally grown" as, "Only produce that has traveled less than a day (7 or fewer hours) from the farm to our facility." But even organic produce has a carbon footprint. So what is a "localvore" to do when Whole Foods can't even measure up? Eat local. As in meats and vegetables produced within 100 miles of your kitchen. This is no easy feat, but local-eating proponents say that even just spending $10 a week on local choices can make a big impact. One of the puzzling things about today's energy climate is why the U.S. is so content to continue its course, allowing Big Oil to call the shots. Indeed, the big question is, why aren't we investing more in alternative energy? If you are looking for alternative energy investment, it might be time to look to Japan. There are already potential plans in development, backdating from 2050, so that the steps to reaching a better energy goal can be made starting now. If Japan can make an affluent and sustainable society, why can't we?... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Best of The Panelist

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 08:42:15 GMT

SUVs and trucks are big sellers, even with the recent drop-off in sales. Yet when polled, three-quarters of Americans support increased fuel-efficiency, and this includes those who own the gas-guzzling, carbon-emitting trucks and such. Why the disconnect? An article in this week's New Yorker argues that individuals desire to protect themselves (believing big cars to be safer than small), and to be more powerful (using horsepower, for example), so they buy big cars. Will electric cars ever really replace gasoline powered cars? One of the things Big Oil companies might have to fear is the development of a practical and affordable electric car. And that is what is likely coming our way in the fairly near future. With instability reigning in top oil producing regions of the world, many people are jittery about relying on foreign oil and about the volatility of oil prices. This is providing some impetus to companies (including car makers in Detroit) to develop electric cars that work well and are reasonably priced.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Best of The Panelist

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:17:46 GMT

It's been a rough week for the stock market, and we have a lot to say about it. Waiting to pull the trigger on financials might be a good call. During the 1998 Asian Credit Crisis and the 1994/95 Mexican Peso devaluation, once the disturbance was over, market participants breathed a sigh of relief and "smart" contrarians came in to buy the panic. If we get that sigh of relief before we see a bunch of liquidations, that will be your opportunity to sell. If there is no sigh and just liquidations, that will be the time to buy, but don't buy with your most leveraged capital because you don't know how long these things take to work out. Tempted to follow hot tips on stocks? If you're not willing to do your own research, you may get burnt. Cramer says, "If you can't spend an hour a week researching each of your stocks, then you should hand off your portfolio to a mutual fund." Mutual funds carry management fees but if you're not a stock market expert, it might not be a bad idea to pay for counsel. Of course, our Pious Panelist has managed to find free counsel for every situation. Ethical investing is becoming a popular mode of building a portfolio. And if you are looking to invest in sustainable companies with ethical environmental practices, the 2007 Sustainable Business 20 list could give you some ideas. Companies on the list include corporate giants, like Nike and Google, as well as smaller renewable energy companies with growth potential. It's a very clever thing these car companies do, they use the power of words to evoke a sense of environmental responsibility. But most of the cars that are being promoted with these catchy little collections of words are just as damaging to the environment as last year's models. It's a change in marketing material, playing into the big green, and not really a change in the efficiency of the cars.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Best of the Panelist

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:55:24 GMT

Have you been itching to buy FirstSolar (FSLR), but nervous to get on board with the stock going hyperbolic? If yes, Barrons just did a front page story on how FSLR "may get singed." Given the stock's unbelievable run over recent weeks, investors are likely to bag some profits ahead of the Quarter 2 earnings release on July 30. Barrons feels that recent developments in Germany are negative for FSLR, and that FSLR is incorrectly perceived as being a thin-solar technology that will miss out on the "Solar 2.0" boom. One of the trends in ethical and environmental investing right now includes alternative energy ETF investing. ETFs allow you to buy and sell funds on the stock market, much as you do stocks. One of the newer offerings in terms of alternative energy ETFs is the Market Vectors Global Alternative Energy ETF (GEX), based on the stocks of 30 companies that are involved in alternative energy, making it both highly green and highly risky. Microfinance is the business of providing very small loans, or "microloans", to poor communities around the world in an effort to spur local entrepreneurship and community development. With most loans valued at less than $100, this is oftentimes all that is needed to jump start economic growth in impoverished areas, but one of the major challenges that the microfinance industry is facing right now is how to raise $300 billion to reach the required geographies.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Best of The Panelist

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 13:24:25 GMT

The backlash on the green trend has finally arrived, and the question now is if the current wave of environmentalism has staying power. Our favorite recent article for clarity and wisdom comes from an article in the New York Review of Books about tobacco companies, which hints that, like smokers in the 1950's, what eco-conscious people really want is meaning and identity. How close is $80-a-barrel oil? That's the question that seems to be on the minds of oil traders and stock investors alike. Just four years ago, crude oil was going for around $20-a-barrel. Now it's up over $70 and continues to rise. Some take the view that rising crude oil prices will cut into Big Oil profits, but another way to look at this is in terms of rising gas prices driving a demand for alternative energy. Last week, Germany's Environment Ministry recommended a shift in subsidies from solar energy installations to offshore wind farms. With Germany's impressive track record of renewable energy legislation, we have to wonder if the future will cause fickle investors to flock to wind now that solar subsidies have been cut in Germany. On the surface, this might look like a victory for wind power, but if you do a bit of digging, a different picture emerges.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Best of The Panelist

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 13:18:15 GMT

SRI has become the de facto term for investing for both financial and (purportedly) social return. Whether by avoiding investments in companies that one dislikes, purposefully investing in companies that one likes or investing in companies that are changing the social responsibility game for their industry, SRI is the name of the game in much of the media these days. Finally, an explanation of what the term really means. Another day, another note on a Chinese solar stock. With the exception of SolarFun, we still feel that the market hasn't separated the winners from the losers in the Chinese solar crowd. Is Trina Solar a winner? Monday's trading was very interesting, with TSL suddenly moving north and approaching its 50-day moving average. Looking to cash in on trends like "Second Life" and increased usage of the Internet by girls, Mattel launches BarbieGirls.com. One of our brave Panelists attends a media launch event where interviews with 10-year old girls reveal whether this new technology encourages a savvier type of female consumer or just reinforces tired gender stereotypes. Last month, Big Oil companies with a stake in the Orinoco Belt lost control of their projects when Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez declared that the Orinoco Belt would be managed and controlled by the state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela. However, Big Oil companies aren't taking it lying down. ConocoPhillips hopes to limit losses by allying with Big Oil against Chavez. Our pious Panelist recently discovered a "Hall of Shame," a supposed guide for Christian Investors who wanted to steer clear of buying stock in companies that are involved in practices contrary to Judeo-Christian principles. But Christian friends were unimpressed, claiming that The Timothy Plan stinks of legalism. Currency is one of those things, like wristwatches, that will get phased out in time, but for now serve as a reminder that attention to detail is an end in itself. It is with empathy, then, that we read about the town in western Massachusetts that adopted its own currency, "BerkShares," to promote local businesses. What does Energy Bill 2007 mean for clean tech? Overall, it seems to be geared more toward energy efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gases rather than the provision of direct support to the renewable energy industry. There is not necessarily a bad thing, as there are ways to reduce emissions other than clean energy technology.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Best of The Panelist

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 16:07:17 GMT

Scotts Miracle-Gro, the stodgy, 139-year old lawn chemicals company that has annual revenues of $2.7 billion and an approximate 59% share in the plant food market, has decided it needs to place a lawsuit against TerraCycle, a three-year old, $1.5-million start-up that is not even profitable. Cited reasons include that TerraCycle's packaging is too similar and that TerraCycle is falsely claiming that its products are superior to its competitors, including Scotts. Congress is considering moving funding from Big Oil to alternative energy. Right now, one of the ways Big Oil builds on its record profits is to enjoy billions of dollars in tax breaks and subsidies from the U.S. government. However, with gas prices rising, and the summer rally finally underway with crude oil prices, some on Capitol Hill feel that the free ride for Big Oil has gone on long enough. Unilever, the Dutch conglomerate owner of Ben and Jerry's, has been a value (and disappointing stock) lately. Recently the stock has been moving up with the rest of Europe, causing us to revisit the exit points for our positions. With Unilever, this means a price above a p/e of 22 and where the Euro is about as high as it will probably go for the next year or so. We feel comfortable profiting from this stock because, even though Ben and Jerry is now owned by a big European Corporation instead of furry Vermonters, the company hasn't lost touch with their peacenik roots.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

The Best of The Panelist

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 10:56:01 GMT

It is apparent that fears of overcapacity in the ethanol sector are worsening, stalling the progress of major US ethanol players such as Aventine Renewable Energy, VeraSun, and US Bioenerg. An April 27 report issued by Lehman Brothers indicated that supply could start to outstrip demand as early as 2H07. And without a strong infrastructure to pipe the ethanol to the required destinations, the supply build-up will only continue. The Evergreen Solar stock price has done nothing over the last few months, unlike many of its peers in the solar sector. ESLR's trump card technology - the ability to use less polysilicon to make solar cells - could become less valuable if the polysilicon supply problems are eventually solved, but up until this week there has been nothing to get us excited about this stock. However, in a recent interview in Barrons, Shawn Kravetz, the founder and president of Esplanade Capital, talks excitedly about ESLR's String Ribbon wafer technology and ESLR's possibility of becoming a technology-licensing company.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

The Best of The Panelist

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 10:35:48 GMT

Big Oil is getting more money from your pocket that you might imagine -- in the form of your tax dollars. As we know, Big Oil has enjoyed record profits for more than a year now. Indeed, this year first quarter earnings for big oil companies was one of the biggest ever. But Big Oil gets its cash inflow from more than just profits on its product. Senator Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. said that last year "Congress forked over $9 billion of our tax dollars to the big oil companies in tax breaks and subsidies." How would Jesus Invest? Our Pious Panelist takes a look at Morally Responsible Investing (MRI), a subset of Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), and analyzes the screening process of a conservative Christian financial planning site. Quoting from the scripture, the site dictates which companies are appropriate for the morally responsible investor, and which companies, like General Electric, Microsoft and PepsiCo, belong in the Hall of Shame.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

The Best of The Panelist

Wed, 30 May 2007 12:25:39 GMT

In a program on NPR, Innovest Group analyst Greg Larkin mentions that Citigroup, among others, are undertaking sizable plans to assess the opportunities and risks associated with addressing climate change, and that this is more than just good public relations that a large-cap company would typically want to establish. There is money to be made in this space, and with Citigroup's share price performance languishing over the past five years, improved share price appreciation won't come a moment too soon. The emerging consensus seems to be that solar energy is a commodity and that the only thing that matters is cost per watt. Many feel that solar will ultimately be based in China for all the same reasons that cellphones and computers are made there. But Chinese solar stocks are sensitive to movements on Chinese stock markets, and investors could be burnt badly if the Chinese asset bubble has to pop.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Polysilicon Shortage, Cloth Diapers, Solar Stocks & More . . .

Mon, 21 May 2007 15:35:23 GMT

The Panelist is a socially conscious investing site that believes that investing and expressing one's personal values do not have to be mutually exclusive ideals. Here are some recent green highlights from the ethical investing world. The polysilicon shortage might impede the growth of the solar industry but could present an opportunity for solar companies . . . Validation for socially conscious parents: Cloth diapers really are better for the environment and your baby . . . A new comprehensive networking site aims to help the environmentally like-minded find each other . . . The volatility of the world oil supply creates uncertainty in the stock market, but there are alternatives to Big Oil . . . Jim Cramer is responsible for the correction in solar stock valuation . . . You've heard of the Triple Bottom Line, but companies like Pepsi (PEP), GE (GE) and 3M (MMM) have achieved the "sustainability sweet spot" . . . ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Citigroup Makes Nice with the Environment (Sort Of) & More...

Wed, 16 May 2007 15:04:07 GMT

The Panelist is a socially conscious investing site that believes that investing and expressing one's personal values do not have to be mutually exclusive ideals. Here are some recent green highlights from the ethical investing world. Citigroup announced its $50 billion 10-year environmental plan, but the Rainforest Action Network is Unimpressed . . . Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger disagree when it comes to global warming . . . Charlie Munger's controversial stance on Ethanol . . . Attacks from Nigerian rebels in which three oil pipelines were blown up continue to underscore the vulnerability of the world's oil supply . . .... Read the full story on TreeHugger

TreeHugger Welcomes The Panelist

Tue, 01 May 2007 12:09:12 GMT

The Panelist is a socially conscious investing site that believes that investing and expressing one's personal values do not have to be mutually exclusive ideals. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Polysilicon Shortage, Cloth Diapers, Solar Stocks & More . . .

Citigroup Makes Nice with the Environment (Sort Of) & More...

TreeHugger Welcomes The Panelist