The state treasurer is convening a free conference in Portland, exploring the topic of sustainable investing.
The daylong event is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 6. It will focus on how the state and individual Oregonians can account for climate change when making investment decisions.
The agenda includes speakers from the Oregon State Treasury as well as financial giants like Blackrock and Goldman Sachs.
Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read said his office gets questions all the time about whether the state is making environmentally responsible investments with its public employee pension fund.
"Our clear mandate and responsibility is to generate returns for Oregon’s retirees but in doing that, I think it’s really important of us to take account of all the risks that are present, and climate is a big example of that," he said.
Read said he knows the state isn't the only investor confronting the issue of climate change. For example, he said, investors could account for climate risks such as bigger hurricanes in certain regions or the financial benefits of a company using renewable energy. He's hoping the conference will shed some light on how individual investors can make an environmental difference.
"We think there’s going to be a lot of value in bringing together people who are dealing with these challenges," he said.
One of the keynote speakers at the conference is former Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy who now works for the investment firm Pegasus Capital Advisors.
The deadline for conference registration is Thursday, Aug. 30. There will be a networking session in advance of the conference at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, Sept. 5, at Widmer Brothers Pub, 955 N Russell St., in Portland. The conference will start at 7:30 am at The Leftbank Annex, 101 North Weidler Street.
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