…I’m reminded of the 1996 film “Jerry Maguire” when Tom Cruise’s character, suffering from stress and a guilty conscience, writes and distributes a mission statement about dishonesty in business entitled, “The Things We Think and Do Not Say: The Future of Our Business.” The famous “Show me the money!” scene epitomizes the empty values of business as usual, yet somewhat paradoxically shows that the pursuit of financial success need not be incompatible with broader goals, which must also include social and environmental value.

This lack of sustainable thinking in financial circles has not gone unnoticed by many in the industry. More than 90 percent of institutional investors questioned in a unique survey of market participants believe financial markets are now threatened by increased “moral hazard” – the belief that banks and other investors will take even more excessive risks based on implicit government guarantees – following the credit crisis bailouts than they did before it, and that fixing this must be a priority to ensure the sustainable functioning of markets. The survey, titled: “Credit Crisis: Business as usual for institutional investors” was carried out by the Network for Sustainable Financial Markets (NSFM), an international on-line network of senior, financial-market professionals and academics, AQ Research the investment research and data group, and Responsible-investor.com…

Sustainable Land Development International –

Promoting worldwide land development that balances the needs of people, planet & profit – for today and future generations.