Latest news with #SuzanneSimard
Forbes
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Connection: The Real Reason We Listen
Connection and Community Hearing is a science; listening is an art. So goes the opening line to The Third Ear: Reflections on the Art and Science of Listening by Elizabeth Rosner. It so intrigued me that I opened our interview by asking her to explain it: "There's a difference between looking at something and observing something or tasting something and then trying to really figure out the ingredients of what you've just tasted. I think hearing is similar in that there's more going on than just frequency and vibration entering our ears.' [Rosner attributes the concept of the Third Ear to Theodor Reik, a psychoanalyst who was an early student of Sigmund Freud.]Rosner adds that considering listening as an art means it requires "filtering, discernment, [and] questioning. There are all the creative practices you do when you hear sound of a certain kind or memory associated with sound.' The challenge is to 'Think beyond just the limitations of what [hearing and listening] can do.' When that occurs, the two become 'a full-body experience of taking in a sound or a silence for that matter.' Naturally occurring metaphor One metaphor—one that is real, too—is a forest. Trees do communicate with one another. Rosner explains, citing the research of forest-ecologist Suzanne Simard, that trees are connected to one another via proximity, of course, but also through their underground root systems, where chemical substances are exchanged. What trees together have is a community, not unlike mammals like dolphins and whales, whose sounds are actually a highly developed language. There is a wealth of resources on how to listen more effectively, but when you dig more deeply, too often, we look at listening more as a process and less as a connection. The purpose of listening is to connect more fully with others. Rosner looks at real listening as the ability to be heard and understood. When so much of daily life is compressed into activity after activity, it cannot be easy to make that true connection. When someone truly listens to us, we show them the respect they deserve. "You're going to wait before you respond because you were so fully attentive to me that you weren't just planning what you were going to say in response,' Rosner says. Listening to another is a form of respect that says, 'You have something to say and I will give you the time to say it.' Building community Rosner's exploration of hearing and listening is anchored in her upbringing; she is the daughter of Holocaust survivors. Her mother spoke seven languages, and her father three. With their children, they used English, but Rosner recalls a polyphony of languages between her parents and their friends. 'And I think I was looking for connection through sound, and some of that was human language, and some of that was the sound of my dog or the sound of the wind or underwater sounds. And so it was all a part of my discovery of how I belonged in the world, not just the human world, but the wide world.' Community is built upon a network of people all connected through a system of shared wants and needs as well as shared values and goals. 'We cannot live only for ourselves,' wrote Herman Melville. 'A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.' Those fibers – like tree roots are living – and like optical cables – are connected. How we choose to make use of these connections enables us to create communities that matter. And fundamental to the community is listening, not just hearing but surrendering our attention to one another. Tips for Better Listening To become a better listener, focus on what the other person is saying. Engage in conversation to put the person at ease. Conversation is not about scoring points; it is rooted establishing a connection. Listen both for what you hear as well as what you do not hear. Good listeners will draw out the speaker, making it comfortable for them to share their ideas. And remember the adage: the more you listen, the more you may understand. Note: Click here to listen to my LinkedIn Live interview with Elizabeth Rosner.
Business Wire
20-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Domini Shareholder Proposal on Biodiversity Set to Go to Vote at Home Depot
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Domini Impact Investments LLC, an SEC-registered asset manager with an exclusive focus on sustainable and impact investing, filed a shareholder proposal, along with two co-filers including Green Century Capital Management, Inc., calling on The Home Depot, Inc. to take steps to measure, manage, and report on its biodiversity impacts and dependencies. The proposal requests that Home Depot 'conduct and disclose a biodiversity impact and dependency assessment, including the full value chain and use of sold products, to inform its strategy to manage nature-related risks, impacts, opportunities, and dependencies.' Domini filed a similar proposal with Home Depot last year, which received 16.1% support at its 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM). This year's proposal will be voted on by Home Depot shareholders at its 2025 AGM, which will be held on Thursday, May 22. The proposal will be presented at the AGM by Suzanne Simard, a Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia and the author of Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest. In her remarks, Simard speaks of the important role of forests in climate mitigation and Indigenous communities, and how industrial logging is harming the health of forests. Domini's Director of Engagement, Mary Beth Gallagher, commented, 'While Home Depot has a Forestry and Wood Purchasing Policy, Sustainable Forestry Report, and programs to help consumers make more sustainable purchasing choices, it has not fully mapped how its business—whether through its wood products that harm forest ecosystems, gardening department sales of fertilizers and invasive plants, or sale of products containing forever chemicals—both depend on and harm nature. An assessment like the one we are requesting, which is science-based and location-specific, can help Home Depot develop a meaningful and impactful biodiversity strategy to ensure resilience of its sourcing activities and operations.' Domini is part of the Launching Investor Group and Steering Group for Nature Action 100, a global investor initiative supporting greater corporate ambition and action to reduce nature and biodiversity loss through coordinated, science-based engagements. A recent report from Nature Action 100, a widely supported investor initiative, found Home Depot has not met benchmark expectations in any of the six assessment areas. Meanwhile, over 300 companies are using the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) framework to assess their nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks, and opportunities, providing the foundation for the development of informed biodiversity strategies. By conducting a biodiversity assessment of upstream and downstream risks, impacts, dependencies, and opportunities in accordance with the TNFD framework, Home Depot will be able to more effectively manage its exposure to systemic biodiversity and nature-related risks, improve the nature impacts of its products, and potentially capture new opportunities. Domini urges Home Depot shareholders to vote 'FOR' the proposal (item 5 on the proxy card). About Domini Impact Investments LLC Domini Impact Investments LLC is a women-led SEC registered investment adviser that harnesses the power of finance to help create a better world. With an exclusive focus on impact investing, we aim to help drive positive outcomes for our planet and its people while seeking competitive financial returns. Our continuous innovation and caring, diverse community fuel tomorrow's prosperity as we endeavor to make 'investing for good' the way all investing is done. Before investing, consider the Domini Funds' investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. Contact us at 1.800.582.6757 for a prospectus containing this and other important information. Read it carefully. An investment in the Domini Funds is not a bank deposit, is not insured, and is subject to risks, including possible loss of principal. The market value of Fund investments will fluctuate. An investment in the Domini Impact Equity Fund is subject to certain risks, including impact investing, portfolio management, information, market, mid- to large-cap companies, and small-cap companies risks. As of 3/31/25, The Home Depot, Inc. represented 1.20% of the Domini Impact Equity Fund's portfolio. The composition of each Fund's portfolio is subject to change. Green Century Capital Management, Inc., Fiduciary Trust International, and Suzanne Simard are not affiliated in any way with Domini Impact Investments LLC (Domini). The Funds are subadvised by unaffiliated entities. Nothing herein is to be considered a recommendation concerning the merits of any noted company, or an offer of sale or solicitation of an offer to buy shares of any Fund or company referenced herein. Such offering is only made by prospectus, which includes details as to the offering price and other material information. The Domini Funds are only offered for sale in the United States. DSIL Investment Services LLC, Distributor, Member FINRA. Domini Impact Investments LLC is the Funds' Adviser. The Funds are subadvised by unaffiliated entities. 5/25
