Would you expect a war contractor to be one of the investments in a socially responsible mutual fund, such as Pax World (their name literally means “peace”) and Winslow Green Solutions mutual funds? I wouldn't. And as an investment adviser working with clients for whom I formulate ethical standards for their investment policies, I was shocked when I saw a war contractor as one of the investments held by Pax World and other socially responsible mutual funds. You may have seen Pax World’s ads in publications such as E Magazine and Mother Jones, saying “No Weapons,” “Promote Peace,” “Take the high road” and “Green, Not Greed.”

After contacting Pax World funds, and hearing that they would not divest the war contractor AECOM Technology since they had not been aware that it actually manufactures weaponry, I decided to create www.SRIgreen.com -- a new web site advocating for socially responsible investing to be authentic and transparent.

Hopefully, SRIgreen.com will provoke public scrutiny of mutual funds. If you feel like I do, we can petition for Pax World and Winslow Green mutual funds to divest their investments in AECOM! To join the petition, click on the contact link at SRIgreen.com to e-mail me.

Who is AECOM? Among its other contracts, AECOM is an engineering and war contractor whose business ranges from managing the U.S. Army’s Fort Polk, including its live-fire target ranges, to operating logistics, training and repair depots for the U.S. military in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, with more than 6,000 employees working for its CSA subsidiary in Kuwait alone. They are war contractors repairing and maintaining everything from machine guns to computers to communications equipment to tanks, among other tasks. “Employees at all levels have dedicated themselves to a wide range of assignments, from maintaining tactical equipment such as tanks, to supporting information systems, to conducting force-on-force and live-fire exercise and training programs, to providing security, environmental services, rations, uniforms and even barbed wire, as well as organizing recreational programs and special events for soldiers.” And, yes, the AECOM-CSA depot in Kuwait is the shipping point for ammunition into Iraq.

Pass this along! Someone you know may be an investor in Pax World or Winslow Green mutual funds. They deserve to know.

Peace and Justice,
Eric

SRIgreen.com

Contact me and petition: editor@pennyfarthinginvestment.com

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